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Episode 7: The Scripps National Spelling Bee Podcast

Posted at 12:03 PM, May 25, 2015
and last updated 2015-05-25 12:03:39-04

Almost ninety spellers have etched themselves into history by winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and still more are remembered for inadvertently starring in ‘viral’ moments that spread to the wider culture. And then, there is the young man who did both: Sameer Mishra.
 
In 2008, a thirteen-year-old Mishra stepped to the microphone in anticipation of Dr. Jacques Bailly pronouncing his next word. “Numnah” is a pad of sheepskin or foam, placed under a saddle. Nothing too remarkable about that.
 
But when Sameer Mishra replied in quizzical voice: “Numbnut?”...a star was born. Sweetening the moment, Mishra ended up winning the entire competition, fulfilling a promise he had made to his mother four years earlier after his elder sister Shruti was eliminated during the preliminary round.
 
The Scripps National Spelling Bee podcast is your home for features and fun on the Scripps National Spelling Bee. We’re on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at "SpellingBeePod." We love to hear from our listeners; email us anytime at spellingbeepodcast@scripps.com.
 
To catch up on the entire series, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or the podcast app of your choice. You can also listen anytime to past episodes at http://SpellingBeePodcast.com