I'm thrilled to say that this year's Spelling Bee champion is Evan O'Dorney, a thirteen-year-old from the great state of California who happens not to care much for spelling. The implicit irony in his participation and victory made the Bee even more enjoyable to watch. But I think Evan's equanimity throughout the entire event, as he conquered words like "pappardelle" and "schuhplattler," is what makes him truly unique and inspiring to his audience.
Evan's performance wasn't the only exciting thing about the 2007 competition. In the fifth round, Samir Patel, the speller who was favored to win, was eliminated with the word "clevis," spelling it as "clevice." He later told an interviewer, "If I had been slow and cautious like I always am, I would have got it right. I outsmarted myself." Whatever, man. You're a disgrace to the Indian community. Can you spell "failure"?
Fortunately, Samir's arrogance and unsportsmanlike attitude were tempered by the likes of Jonathan Horton, a competitor from Arizona who insisted on giving all spellers within a seven-foot radius an enthusiastic high-five after each round, and Joseph Henares of Connecticut, whose entire face would light up with even the slightest clue about a word's orthography. These kids make the Bee so worthwhile to watch, reminding us that even when they're struggling to spell big, big words that they'll probably never use, it's the little things in life that count.
Evan's performance wasn't the only exciting thing about the 2007 competition. In the fifth round, Samir Patel, the speller who was favored to win, was eliminated with the word "clevis," spelling it as "clevice." He later told an interviewer, "If I had been slow and cautious like I always am, I would have got it right. I outsmarted myself." Whatever, man. You're a disgrace to the Indian community. Can you spell "failure"?
Fortunately, Samir's arrogance and unsportsmanlike attitude were tempered by the likes of Jonathan Horton, a competitor from Arizona who insisted on giving all spellers within a seven-foot radius an enthusiastic high-five after each round, and Joseph Henares of Connecticut, whose entire face would light up with even the slightest clue about a word's orthography. These kids make the Bee so worthwhile to watch, reminding us that even when they're struggling to spell big, big words that they'll probably never use, it's the little things in life that count.
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