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National Spelling Bee declares 8 co-champions after 20 rounds, in historic first

By Brie Stimson Fox News
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National Spelling Bee co-champions speak out on historic 8-way tie on 'Fox & Friends' Video

National Spelling Bee co-champions speak out on historic 8-way tie on 'Fox & Friends'

Eight competitors were named co-champions of the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee after a historic 20 rounds of competition.

Spell it U-N-P-R-E-C-E-D-E-N-T-E-D.

After a historic 20 rounds, eight competitors were named co-champions of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Sixteen kids had advanced to the finals Thursday, pared down from 50 competitors after 5 1/2 hours of competition in Oxon Hill, Md.

The winners were Rishik Gandhasri, 13; Erin Howard, 14; Saketh Sundar, 13; Shruthika Padhy, 13; Sohum Sukhatankar, 13; Abhijay Kodali, 12; Christopher Serrao, 13 and Rohan Raja, 13.

The finalists spelled their way through challenging words, often relying on the Greek and Latin roots and word origins to identify the correct letters, in an effort to win $50,000 in cash and prizes.

Sahil Langote, 13, of New Castle, Del., reacts after spelling a word incorrectly in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Oxon Hill, Md. (Associated Press)

Sahil Langote, 13, of New Castle, Del., reacts after spelling a word incorrectly in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Oxon Hill, Md. (Associated Press)

Ten spellers were eliminated in the first round, but the competition got tighter as the rounds advanced, with fewer spellers being eliminated.

THE BELL RINGS TWICE: SPELLING BEE COMPETITOR GETS REPRIEVE

In round two only six spellers were eliminated, round three, five more departed and round four saw four kids booted. In round five, eight spellers were eliminated, finally paving the way for the final 16 prime time candidates.

Colette Giezentanner, 12, of St. Louis, laughs as she competes in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Oxon Hill, Md. (Associated Press)

Colette Giezentanner, 12, of St. Louis, laughs as she competes in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Oxon Hill, Md. (Associated Press)

Two spelling bee veterans, 14-year-old Erin Howard of Huntsville, Ala., and 13-year-old Shruthika Padhy of Cherry Hill, N.J., made it to primetime for a third year to compete.

Saketh Sundar, 13, of Clarksville, Md., competes in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Oxon Hill, Md. (Associated Press)

Saketh Sundar, 13, of Clarksville, Md., competes in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Oxon Hill, Md. (Associated Press)

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Last year's third-place winner, 12-year-old Abhijay Kodali of Flower Mound, Texas, along with13-year-old Navneeth Murali of Edison, N.J.; 13-year-old Aisha Randhawa of Corona, Calif.; 13-year-old Rohan Raja of Irving, Texas; and 13-year-old Simone Kaplan of Davie, Fla., all returned to the spelling bee stage from previous years of competition.