Forty spellers sat on stage at the beginning of Thursday’s final round. The field of 291 spellers was narrowed by a written test on Tuesday and spelling on stage on Wednesday. Among those who didn’t make the cut because of the test was 6-year-old Edith Fuller, the youngest speller in the history of the bee.
Spellers are competing for a trophy and more than $40,000 in cash and prizes. After three consecutive years of ties, the bee is likely to identify a sole champion this year because it added a tiebreaker test.
Once there are about 10 spellers left, the competition will pause until the primetime finale.