| The 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee - Can You Spell Controversy? By: M.S. Gearheart Since its prime time television debut in 2006, the Scripps National Spelling Bee has become a popular spectator sport. This year, approximately 4 million viewers tuned in to watch the finals on ABC. However, the journey to the finals was not easy for everyone. As in previous years, early rounds of the competition aired on ESPN, ABC's sister network. The final round then aired during a two-hour block of Friday night primetime on ABC. In 2006, Kenneth W. Lowe, president and CEO for the E.W. Scripps Company, released a statement on the decision to air the Bee. "ABC's decision to move the Scripps National Spelling Bee to primetime affirms for us how deeply this unique event is ingrained in the American psyche." So in round six of the competition, 19 contestants were still standing. Unfortunately, only four of the first 13 contestants were able to spell their words correctly. This posed a challenge for the television network. On average, the final round broadcast begins with about a dozen spellers, which is always enough competition to fill the two-hour time slot. For so many kids to be disqualified so early, ABC had to determine if enough spellers would make it through to the final round. After an ESPN commercial break, the Scripps organizers announced that all 10 remaining spellers on the stage--four who had spelled their words correctly, and six who had yet to attempt the spelling--would be advancing to the final round airing the next evening. At the subsequent press conference, Bee director Paige Kimble attempted to address the fact that less than half of the advancing spellers had actually qualified for what is known as the championship round by ABC. She explained that despite ABC's label for the broadcast round, the sixth round would simply be continued from where it had stopped during the ESPN broadcast and that any of the remaining sixth rounders who missed their primetime word would not be considered official championship finalists. Despite those assurances, the Bee's actions increased ambiguity surrounding the finalists. All ten spellers, regardless of sixth round completion, attended the press conference intended for the championship spellers. Additionally, the contestants were listed as "championship finalists" on the official Bee website. One of the contestants even chimed in on the decision during the press conference. "I don't think it's fair that so many got out and some just whooshed along," said 13-year old Elizabeth Platz, as audience members clapped. "I'd rather have five finalists than five who didn't deserve it. I think it was unfair." High school English teacher Colby Hume of New Hampshire echoes the sentiments expressed by Bee parents and Miss Platz. "This event should be about recognizing work that doesn't usually get national attention--this is not just another sporting event, this is an event to highlight a sport of the mind, to show kids that learning can generate just as much attention as football or basketball,” he said. To arbitrarily deny some kids that opportunity for glory because of a television restriction doesn't make much sense." Grant Edwards, also a high school English teacher, adds, "The rollover contestants from the sixth round got more time to study than the ones eliminated before the primetime airing. That's another important ramification of this decision." When asked by reporters if she felt badly about the decision, Kimble answered that she did not. "We know it's unpopular, and we don't like to do it, but sometimes you get into a position where that's exactly what you have to do." At the end, though, the focus landed on the kids and their hard work and not the inner workings of Bee policy. By the time 14 year-old Anamika Veeramani of Ohio lifted the trophy, talk had turned from "controversy" to her championship word, "strohmer," and her blissful moment of V-I-C-T-O-R-Y. |
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