Full Results
Fri, May 30, 2008 - 9:25 PM
The full bios and pictures of the top 12 are all right
here.
See you next time.
--Neil Simon
(0)
Comments
Permalink
MISHRA WINS ON GUERDON
10:08 p.m.
The 2008 champion is Sameer Mishra.
By correctly spelling guerdon, Mishra won over $40,000 and a lifetime of fame.
I spoke with his sister Shruti this afternoon. She was also a three-time repeater at the bee, and she said she thought he was ready for tonight.
Shruti was right.
-Josh Dawsey
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Mishra for the win
10:07 p.m.
Sameer Mishra... wow. He kept his confidence and even laughed while correctly spelling esclandre.
This Chan kid is awfully good as well. But he just missed prosopopoeia, giving Mishra a chance to win. He made a mental mistake. I think he knew the word, but he just accidentally spoke too soon.
-Josh Dawsey
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Unflappable spellers
10:04 p.m.
While many spellers lose their confidence near the end of the bee, Sameer Mishra seems to be gaining his. So does Sidharth Chan.
Mishra nailed taleggio. Chan nailed introuvable. Both spelled in under 45 seconds. We're at an impasse.
-Josh Dawsey
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Down to two…
10:03 p.m.
Sameer Mishra drilled hyphaeresis confidently, requiring Sidharth Chan to spell Kulturkampf, a tough German word. Once again, he made it happen.
Tia Thomas is now eliminated from the bee. Her five-year run ends with a third place finish.
These two could make it interesting.
-Josh Dawsey
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Thomas misses opificer
9:58 p.m.
While Tia Thomas has drilled words as tall as her all evening, a short word was her eventual downfall.
Opificer brought the dreaded ding of the bell for Thomas. Yet she isn't necessarily out- the other two must spell their words correctly to eliminate her.
-Josh Dawsey
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Chan nails aptyalism
Sidharth Chan, the finalist with the least experience of the top three, hung with the big boys on aptyalism.
Another perfect round. Could there be co-champs?
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Sameer Celebrates
10:30 p.m.
Sameer Mishra looks to the judges upon spelling his championship word "guerdon."
Sidharth Chand misspelled "prosopopoeia," leaving out the I, to pave the way for Sameer to spell the championship word.
Returning favorite Tia Thomas finished third, going out on "opificer." She spelled it "epificer."
Sameer first turned to his family...
...and then the trophy.
--Neil Simon
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Mishra slowly gets it again
9:51 a.m.
Sameer Mishra, one of the slowest spellers in the bee, once again took a long time with sinicize.
Once again, he got it right.
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Thomas nails oxylophytic
9:49 p.m.
Tia Thomas seems as unflappable as ever.
Confidently nailing oxylophytic, you have to wonder if she can be beaten. Experience does matter.
-Josh Dawsey
(0)
Comments
Permalink
A guide to the finals
9:46 p.m.
During the break, read this post so you'll understand the next sequence of events.
http://www.mgwashington.com/mgwsys/index.php?S=764d2fde57a6b711ea058f9fa3b94b3e&C=edit&M=edit_entry&weblog_id=14&entry_id=1165
Tia Thomas, Sameer Mishra, or Sidharth Chan would all make great champions. Such great spellers.
-Josh Dawsey
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Another favorite gone
9:42 p.m.
I've been around the spelling bee for five years, and I've never heard of ecrase.
Kavya Shivashankar just missed ecrase by adding another e on the end. She is such a good speller, and I feel confident she's going to do great again next year.
Wow, posaune may be the toughest word so far. Wow.
-Josh Dawsey
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Mishra pulls through again
9:36 p.m.
In every round, Sameer Mishra seems confused.
In round nine, he struggled mightily with chorion for almost two minutes. In round ten, he once again struggled with nacarat for almost two minutes. Before nine, he had previously struggled with words for over two minutes.
Every time he does this, I look up from my computer nervously. I'm going to stop. Until they ding the bell, I'm not worried anymore about Sameer.
-Josh Dawsey
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Round 11 Opens with an elimination
(0)
Comments
Permalink
Who is the woman behind the table?
9:30 p.m.
Behind the table, a woman sits in black with headphones and a laptop.
While she may appear unassuming, she is the most important official in the room.
Paige Kimble, the director of the bee and a former champion herself, has been at the helm of the bee for almost a decade. Many consider her leadership and solid marketing the root of the Bee's massive popularity.
Here she is:
http://public.spellingbee.com/public/gallery/view/May+29th%2C+2008+-+Round+Two+and+Semifinals/DSC_6676.JPG/10
-Josh Dawsey
(0)
Comments
Permalink