Judges at the Scripps National Spelling Bee had to review audio after a student misspelled 'ambystoma'
Ambystoma. A-M-B-Y-S-T-O-M-A.
That was the word Roy Seligman, 12, from Nassau, The Bahamas had to spell Thursday night at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. But after he spelled the word, judges at the annual competition had to review an audio recording of his spelling to officially determine whether he spelled the word with an "I" instead of a "Y"
At first, the judges told the boy he was correct before opting to review the audio of his spelling. But after the review, they determined that Seligman misspelled the word by using an "I."
After being eliminated from the competition, Seligman said he "messed up," but he was proud of himself for making it to the finals.
"I feel like I could have gotten it right if I just took my time," he said.
The Spelling Bee congratulated the boy for making it to the finals.
"No one envies the judges on having to make these calls. Roy represented The Bahamas wonderfully tonight and throughout the competition," the Spelling Bee shared on Twitter.
After audio review, the judges determined that #Speller1 Roy Seligman did misspell ambystoma. No one envies the judges on having to make these calls. Roy represented The Bahamas wonderfully tonight and throughout the competition. #SpellingBee #TheBeeIsBack
— Scripps National Spelling Bee (@ScrippsBee) July 9, 2021
Viewers of the Spelling Bee at home quickly reacted to the bizarre moment.
An absurd NFL-length replay at Scripps spelling bee#spellingbee
— jamie stuart (@N12jamiestuart) July 9, 2021
Replay review in the ... spelling bee? pic.twitter.com/2a5oRIbDgD
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) July 9, 2021
I have never seen a replay in the spelling bee before and that was 💀💀💀
— Emily Guskin (@EmGusk) July 9, 2021
Eleven students competed in the 93rd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee finals on Thursday in Orlando, Florida. The Spelling Bee was canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Scripps Spelling Bee: Judges have to replay spelling in odd moment