"Obviously," Tejas Muthusamy (Speller 263) said when he misspelled "hallenkirche" to be eliminated from the Bee.
Tejas, the youngest finalist, is in fifth grade in Glen Allen, Virginia.
Before the finals, he said he never expected to make the finals.
"I feel ecstatic right now," he said. "It's really hard to express in words, I'm so happy."
Tejas said he had only prepared for the preliminary rounds -- and in the future would study more esoteric words.
"To be on stage with the big names is mind blowing and astonishing," he said. "I didn't think I would get this far."
