Alright, listen, I’m just as mad as you are that this post exists. But here we are, stuck in a world where instant replay is changing how sporting events are officiated all across the globe, and now, the Scripps National Spelling Bee — THE SPELLING BEE — is being taken over by replay. I hate this so much.
Thursday night marked the final of the year’s Spelling Bee, and one of the contestants, Roy Seligman, spelled “ambystoma” wrong. You can probably guess how the misspelling went — the “y” was turned into an “i” — but an issue arose: Seligman was told his misspelled version was correct.
According to Maria Cramer of the New York Times, “The judges are listening to a replay to determine whether he gave it a Y or an I. His father shakes his head as they wait for the judges’ decision.”
THEY WENT TO REPLAY. THEY WENT TO INSTANT REPLAY IN THE SPELLING BEE.
https://twitter.com/tole_cover/status/1413303504291127296
They have spelling bee VAR and this kid just got eliminated because of it pic.twitter.com/ahCzhi2Fjh
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) July 9, 2021
The official Spelling Bee Twitter account went on to apologize for [gestures at everything].
After audio review, the judges determined that #Speller1 Roy Seligman did misspell ambystoma. No one envies the judges on having to make these calls. Roy represented The Bahamas wonderfully tonight and throughout the competition. #SpellingBee #TheBeeIsBack
— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) July 9, 2021
#Speller1 7th grader Roy Seligman from The Bahamas has spelled the word ambystoma (a type of salamander) incorrectly. ESPNU #playalong answer: Ahttps://t.co/oYgympuv1w #spellingbee
— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) July 9, 2021
Ok, I am sorry, we do not need this. For one, just, you know, listen to the kids a little better, and if you, the judge, mess up, then too bad, the kid stays in the Spelling Bee, and it is your fault. But more broadly, the Spelling Bee is supposed to be one of the final sporting events that is totally free from the crap we get in all the other sports that we watch where instant replay has ruined everything, all because one slightly incorrect decision could lead to a domino effect that costs people millions. Get this Spelling Bee VAR out of here this instant. I do not like it.
