IN JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI,

AND THE FINALISTS COMPETED FOR 60 ROUNDS.

IT WENT ON SO LONG, THEY RAN OUT OF WORDS.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?

THEN THEY HAD TO GO BACK TWO WEEKS LATER,

AND THEY MET AGAIN.

EVENTUALLY A SEVENTH GRADER BEAT OUT A FIFTH GRADER

NAMED SOPHIA HOFFMAN.

THEY CALL HER THE RUNNER-UP.

I THINK SHE DID SO WELL,

I WANTED TO GIVE HER A SECOND CHANCE.

SO PLEASE WELCOME 11-YEAR-OLD SOPHIA HOFFMAN.

[cheers and applause]

HI! HOW ARE YOU?

- GOOD.

- SOPHIA, HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD SPELLER?

- WELL, MY-- I HELPED MY SISTER

SO THAT REALLY HELPED ME.

- YEAH, BUT, I MEAN, THOSE ARE--

THERE ARE SOME REALLY BIG WORDS THAT YOU HAD TO LEARN.

YOU'RE IN FIFTH GRADE. THAT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.

- THANK YOU. - YOU HAVE VERY LONG HAIR TOO.

YOU EVER CUT IT? - [laughs]

- YOU HAVE? IT COULD BE LONGER THAN THAT?

[laughter]

ALL RIGHT, YOU KNOW WHO ELSE THINKS HE'S A GOOD SPELLER

IS MY PRODUCER ANDY.

SO, ANDY, COME HERE.

[cheers and applause]

SHAKE HANDS.

SOPHIA, THIS IS ANDY,

AND ANDY THINKS HE'S A SMARTY-PANTS.

SO I AM GONNA-- I'M GONNA TEST YOU.

YOU HAVE YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK,

AND WHEN YOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW TO SPELL IT,

YOU GRAB THE APPLE, OKAY?

AND THEN YOU ANSWER AND SPELL IT

BUT NOT UNTIL YOU HAVE THE APPLE IN YOUR HAND, OKAY?

HERE WE GO.

LET'S START WITH THE WORD

"FATIGUE."

- FATIGUE.

F-A-T-I-G-U-E.

FATIGUE.

- THAT IS CORRECT.

[cheers and applause]

- YEAH. GOOD.

- YOU CAN REALLY TRY.

- I--I WAS-- I WAS TRYING.

SHE GRABBED THE APPLE--

- THAT WAS YOUR REFLEX? LIKE THAT?

- NO, I GOT IT. - SLOW.

SPELL--

[laughter]

- ALL RIGHT, GO.

- NO, YOU CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE WORD--

TOBOGGAN.

- OKAY.

[laughter and applause]

- TOBOGGAN.

T-O-B-O-G-G-A-N.

- TOBOGGAN. THAT'S RIGHT.

[cheers and applause]

ALL RIGHT.

YOU CAN'T CHEAT.

- I'M NOT CHEATING. I'M--

- ALL RIGHT.

SPELL "TCHOTCHKE."

[laughter]

- TCHOTCHKE.

- OH, I WISH HE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THAT.

LET'S--LET'S SEE IF HE SAY--

I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU IN A SECOND.

GRAB IT. COME ON.

YOU WANTED IT. TCHOTCHKE.

- TCHOTCHKE.

C-H-A-C--

- NO. YOU'RE WRONG ALREADY.

[buzzer sounds]

- YOU KNOW?

- YOU KNOW HOW TO SPELL "TCHOTCHKE"?

- TCHOTCHKE.

T-C-H-O-T-C-H-K-E.

- THAT'S RIGHT.

[cheers and applause]

TCHOTCHKE. - NOT A REAL WORD--

- WHAT DO YOU MEAN, IT'S NOT A REAL WORD?

- I KNOW--

ALL RIGHT.

- WHAT DO YOU MEAN, IT'S NOT A REAL WORD?

- THIS IS WHAT SHE DOES. SHE STUDIES WORDS.

[laughter]

- DON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO HIM.

SPELL CUMMERBUND.

- THAT, I GOT.

- CUMMERBUND.

C-U-M-M-E-R-B-U-N-D.

- YES, CORRECT. - THAT'S RIGHT.

- ALL RIGHT.

- THIS IS BAD. OKAY, GIVE ME ONE.

- ALL RIGHT.

LET HIM TRY TO GRAB THIS ONE, OKAY, SOPHIA?

RECONNAISSANCE.

- OH.

WOW.

[apple thunks]

[laughter and applause]

- RECONNAISSANCE?

- RECONNAISSANCE.

RECONNAISSANCE.

UH, USE IT IN A SENTENCE, PLEASE.

[laughter]

R-E-C-O...

[laughter]

- DON'T LOOK AT HER.

- O-N-E-- S-A-N-C-E.

[buzzer sounds]

[laughter]

- CAN YOU SPELL "RECONNAISSANCE"?

- RECONNAISSANCE.

R-E-C-O-N-N

A-I-S-S-A-N-C-E.

- THAT'S RIDICULOUS. - RECONNAISSANCE.

[bell dinging]

WOW. AMAZING.

- YOU GOT IT. OH, WE'RE OUT OF TIME.

- YEAH. - WE'RE OUT OF--

- YES. WE'RE OUT OF TIME.

THANK YOU. - IT'S A TIE.

- THANK YOU. IT'S A TIE?

[laughter]

CONGRATULATIONS, SOPHIA. YOU WON.

LET'S GET YOU A SASH,

BECAUSE I THINK YOU DESERVE...

[cheers and applause]

OKAY.

IT SAYS--IT SAYS, "I'M SMARTER THAN ANDY,"

WHICH...

A LOT OF PEOPLE COULD BE WEARING THOSE.

AND...

[laughter]

I KNOW YOU LIKE TO READ,

SO I GOT YOU SOMETHING TO READ ON.

I GOT YOU A BRAND-NEW IPAD.

[cheers and applause]

THANK YOU, SOPHIA. - CONGRATULATIONS.

- WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.