Article & artwork by: Bob Eckstein
Betting action for the Scripps National Spelling Bee has never been more illecebrous, with a plethora of exhilarating contingencies.
This year the event takes place Memorial Day weekend to June 2 with the championships in the nation’s capital.
Here are this year's Best Bets.
George Opoku-Appoh III
Age 11 Grade 6
I.Q.: 168
Nickname: George Opoku-Appoh III
Bio: His hobbies include bifurcation physics and Pokémon.
Favorite Sport: None
Favorite Word: quadrivium
Hobbies: “Traveling through Lithuania, incognito.”
Favorite Quote: “There is no need to use a fifty-dollar word when a $ million-dollar word will do.”
Tell: Squeals like a pig when he knows the spelling of an exceptionally difficult word.
Jessica Bounkousonh-Hewitt
Age 14 Grade 8
I.Q.: 268
Nickname: Teacher’s Pet
Bio: Jessica thinks she’s Emily Bronte.
Hobbies: Baking cookies, writing novels and Hawaiian textiles.
Favorite Word: mellifluous
Favorite Quote: “You should talk.” Used in a sentence: “I need to hurry up and get dressed? You should talk.”
Tell: Starts looking on her iPhone
Albert Lee
Age 6 First year Med school
I.Q.: 348
Nicknames: Albert Einstein, The Owl, Yoda M.D., Dr. Minion, Oompa Loompa.
Bio: Captain of math team, chess team, and debate club.
Hobbies: Making a fort out of blankets and pillows.
Favorite Word: stromuhr
Favorite Quote: “His I.Q. is 348.”
Tell: starts speaking Latin
Sydney Muthukumar
Age 11 Grade 8
I.Q.: 220
Nickname: The Pulverizer
Bio: Sydney’s entrepreneurial spirit and fascination with securities have led her to become a highly successful entrepreneur and highly unpopular with her classmates.
Hobbies: Mergers, hostile takeovers and student business competitions.
Favorite Word: interlocutory
Favorite Quote: “Life is like a spelling bee—it’s something I’m really good at.”
Tell: Starts reciting the periodic table
Heather Alfano
Age N/A
Registered nurse at Greenfield Hospital
Bio: Heather is raising two children on her own.
Hobbies: Tinder
Favorite Word: Cunningness makes Heather laugh out loud.
Favorite Quote: “Mommy needs some me time.”
Tell: Starts dropping the f-bomb, left and right.
Nick Palieo
age 15 H.S. sophomore
I.Q.: 155
Nickname: Killer Bee
Bio: Nick has a lot of plates he’s spinning.
Hobbies: Programming his own computer games and online gambling. Nick has a membership at Top Golf, where he conducts business.
Favorite Word: phlegm
Favorite Quote: “I’m the Tom Brady of spelling bees.”
Tell: Makes funny noises