Who says these awkward, sheltered spelling bee kids don't have personalities?

When Jahnavi Iyer, a 14-year-old from Enola, Pa., was stuck on "solidungulate," she asked for the language of origin, the definition and the pronunciations, as most competitors do. Stumped, she finally asked "for an easier word."

The judges laughed out loud.

And then there's champion Sameer Mishra:



Well played, Mishra. Well played. Give our best to EA.