The 98th Scripps National Spelling Bee will crown a champion Thursday night inside Constitution Hall, a short walk from the White House, as the nearly century-old competition returns to Washington for the first time since it moved to a suburban Maryland convention center more than a decade ago. The three-day event, which began Tuesday, will air its finals on national television with a new face hosting the broadcast: Mina Kimes, an ESPN NFL analyst who recently won the “Celebrity Jeopardy!” tournament, according to the Associated Press.
Kimes, who is not a former speller but a well-known sports-media personality, joins the bee as the competition seeks to broaden its audience. The bee has been televised since 1994, but the addition of a dedicated host marks a shift in presentation that organizers hope will attract new viewers.
The spelling bee traces its roots to 1925, when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to organize local bees and send their champions to the nation’s capital. This year’s edition is the 98th; the competition was suspended from 1943 through 1945 because of World War II and again in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bee has also produced multiple ties, including an eight-way split in 2019, so Thursday’s winner will become the 111th Scripps champion.
The demographic trend that has defined recent bees is likely to continue. Thirty of the last 36 winners have been of Indian heritage, a run of dominance that began in 2008 and is unmatched in any other major American academic competition. Last year’s champion, Faizan Zaki, extended the streak and will be on hand to pass the trophy to his successor.
The finals will be broadcast on Ion, with streaming available on multiple platforms. The winner will receive $50,000 in cash and prizes, along with the engraved Scripps Cup.