Sohum Sukhatankar, speller 354, is in his third Bee, but it's his first time in the finals. (He's doing well.)
Sohum just spelled "urfirnis" correctly. It's a lustrous paint varying from black to red and found on some prehistoric Greek pottery.
The Texas seventh grader is one of three Dallas spellers in the finals. He studied a lot harder than in the past in the hopes of getting there.
"We've become very good friends, me and the Dallas people," he said. "Spelling helps you make a lot of friends. It takes away a little bit of nervousness when there are people you can talk to."