The 15 finalists in the Scripps National Spelling Bee took a test this afternoon. But we may never see the results.
In an effort to reduce the number of ties in the competition - the Bee has ended in a tie the past three years - we have a new policy. The spellers took the tie-breaker test earlier this evening.
Much like the preliminary test, it had 12 spelling words and 12 vocabulary questions. The spelling questions had several words that could have been confused for other words. Everything from plant tissues to fabrics to animals and art were covered.
The spellers took the test in a quiet room with Dr. Bailly pronouncing, five to a row.
If the on-stage portion ends in a tie, we will open the tests to determine a winner. If there is a tie score on the written test, there will still be co-champions.