Spellbound

How it feels

36 Year 9 and 10 students compete in a televised New Zealand Spelling Bee final over three episodes. Parents watch backstage and share their reactions. The winner spells the word 'ostensible' to take the title.

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What happens

Spellbound is a 2016 New Zealand spelling bee television series. In it, 36 Year 9 and 10 students compete in the New Zealand Spelling Bee final. There are three episodes, which were each aired on a Sunday night. Hosted by television presenter Toni Street, the programme was produced by Greenstone TV and was funded by Chloe Wright's Family Foundation. The New Zealand Spelling Bee had been running since 2005 and this was the first time it was broadcast on television. Before the final, the students competed in a written test and then 200 of them competed in regional semifinals. The spelling bee was won by Finn Lewis, from Wellington, after spelling the word 'ostensible'. The parents of the contestants were kept backstage and would speak to the cameras. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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