''Spellbound'' is a 2002 American documentary that was directed by
Jeffrey Blitz. The film follows eight competitors in the
1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The film received positive reviews and won several awards, including a nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Overview
The film covers eight spellers before, during, and immediately after their competition in the spelling bee. In order of appearance, they are:
Angela Arenivar
Angela Arenivar of
Perryton, Texas represented the ''
Amarillo Globe-News'' in the 1998 and 1999 bees, winning the latter with the word "
crocodilian
Crocodilia () is an Order (biology), order of semiaquatic, predatory reptiles that are known as crocodilians. They first appeared during the Late Cretaceous and are the closest living relatives of birds. Crocodilians are a type of crocodylomorp ...
". She was eliminated in the third round of the 1999 Bee, with the word "
heleoplankton". Arenivar graduated from
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and earned a master's in Spanish from the
University of New Mexico in 2009. She has taught Spanish in Texas public high schools. Arenivar now attends Texas A&M University pursuing her Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies.
Nupur Lala
Nupur Lala was the champion of the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee (as speller # 155), spelling "
logorrhea" to win. She turned down an MTV reality show that would have followed her college years. In 2003, Lala entered
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor to study brain and cognitive sciences and pre-medical studies and graduated in 2007 with a degree in Brain, Behavior and Cognitive Science. In the fall of 2014 she entered the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She also appeared in the 2020 documentary ''
Spelling the Dream''.
Ted Brigham
Ted Brigham was speller # 1. He represented the ''Rolla Daily Record'' of
Rolla,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, winning with the word "
mayonnaise
Mayonnaise (), colloquially referred to as "mayo" (), is a thick, creamy sauce with a rich and tangy taste that is commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, Salad#Bound salads, bound salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various o ...
". One of the more notable stories from his experience is the congratulations posted by students on the marquee in front of his high school in which "champ" was misspelled (presumably as an ironic joke) as "chapm". Ted misspelled "
distractible" in the second round, becoming the first of the eight spellers eliminated. Bingham was engaged to be married, and attended medical school in Kansas City, Missouri until his death in December 2007. His family chose not to publicly disclose the circumstances of his death.
Emily Stagg
Emily Stagg (speller # 148) was sponsored by the ''
New Haven Register'' in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
. Stagg was eliminated in the first round (third overall) in the 1997 Bee, before placing 10th in the 1998 Bee; as a result, she was considered a favorite to win the Bee alongside George Thampy. Stagg spelled
seguidilla
The seguidilla (; ; plural in both English and Spanish ''seguidillas''; diminutive of ''seguida'', which means "sequence" and is the name of a dance). Accessed May 2008. is an old Crown of Castile, Castilian folksong and dance form in quick triple ...
,
disclaimant,
kookaburra
Kookaburras (pronounced ) are terrestrial animal, terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri language, Wira ...
,
viand,
apocope
In phonology, apocope () is the omission (elision) or loss of a sound or sounds at the end of a word. While it most commonly refers to the loss of a final vowel, it can also describe the deletion of final consonants or even entire syllables.
...
, and
brunneous, before misspelling
clavecin (spelled incorrectly as "clavison") to come in 6th place. In 2006, as a junior in
Carleton College
Carleton College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1866, the main campus is between Northfield and the approximately Carleton ...
, she wrote an op-ed article for the New York Time
questioning the usefulnessof the National Spelling Bee. As of 2015, Stagg works as a psychiatric nurse in Connecticut.
Ashley White
Ashley White (speller 149) represented ''The Washington Informer'' in
Washington, DC
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
in the spelling bee, spelling "
lycanthrope" in the first round before misspelling "