Harini Logan wins under the spell

OXON HILL, Md. – The 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee ended like none of the 93 competitions before it.

A spell.

The last two contenders, Vikram Raju and Harini Logan, failed to spell two words in a row between rounds 13 and 18. At this point, the judges decided to issue the first ban – 90 seconds to spell as many words correctly as possible. The one with the most spelled correctly the bee would win.

Logan – an eighth grader from Texas – spelled 22 words correctly compared to Raju’s 15 to become the 2022 champion. Officially, this year’s winning word was “moorhen” – a medium-sized bird referred to as “the female black grouse”.

“Just so surreal, it’s such a dream,” said Logan, who competed in her fourth national competition.

Logan, 14, barely got past the word meaning round on Thursday. She had heard the tragic bell after her response to “Pullulation” was downvoted.

“I was like, ‘Wow, I’m out. That’s it,'” Logan said.

However, the judges deliberated during a break and decided that her answer could be correct as it could mean “brood” or “swarm”.

Head judge Mary Brooks declared the verdict and Logan, who had learned of her fate just minutes earlier, returned to her seat on the stage.

“There were a few minutes in between that were hectic,” said the San Antonio Montessori School student.

Logan scrolled through the rest of the spelling to her standoff with Raju, resulting in the ban.

It was like a round of Family Feud’s “Fast Money” meeting the Spelling Bee. The typical questions participants can ask the speaker—part of speech, etymology, and definition—were not allowed. Each word had to be tried – no skipping or passing – and the speller had to press a buzzer before the next word appeared.

“We activated the spell-off because it was the best opportunity to show the extent of the preparation of these spellers,” said Dr. J. Michael Durnil, Executive Director of Bee. “They have clearly demonstrated their deep competitive capability.”