CINCINNATI, Ohio, May 29, 2024 – The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals will see eight spellers take on the dictionary in the competition’s live finals, airing in primetime on ION from 8-10 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 30.
A field of 45 spellers advanced to Wednesday’s semifinals. After three rounds – spelling, vocabulary questions and an additional round of spelling – eight spellers emerged as the final contenders for the 2024 Scripps Cup.
The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee finalists are:
- Rishabh Saha, speller 18, from Merced, California. Regional partner: SNSB Region One Bee.
- Shrey Parikh, speller 22, from Rancho Cucamonga, California. Regional partner: San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools.
- Aditi Muthukumar, speller 31, from Westminster, Colorado. Regional partner: The Denver Post.
- Bruhat Soma, speller 47, from Tampa, Florida. Regional partner: Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund.
- YY Liang, speller 145, from Hartsdale, New York. Regional partner: ScholarSkills for STARS.
- Ananya Prassanna, speller 155, from Apex, North Carolina. Regional partner: Carolina Panthers.
- Faizan Zaki, speller 207, from Allen, Texas. Regional partner: Dallas Sports Commission.
- Kirsten Santos, speller 212, from Richmond, Texas. Regional partner: Houston Community College.
Fun facts about the spellers:
There is only one returning finalist from previous Scripps National Spelling Bees: Kirsten was a finalist in 2022, finishing tied for fifth.
Two are from California: Rishabh and Shrey. Two are from Texas: Kirsten and Faizan. Four are 12 years old. Three are 13 years old. Rishabh is 14, in the eighth grade and in his final year of eligibility.
The Bee on Scripps Networks:
The Bee will again air on ION this year after a strong first two years on Scripps’ national network. In 2023, the semifinals and finals drew 9.2 million viewers, an increase of 22% over its 2022 debut on ION. The 2023 finals (live and immediate encore) on June 1 reached its largest audience since 2012 – 6.1 million viewers, an increase of 30% over 2022.
In addition to ION, the finals will also air on Scripps’ other popular national entertainment networks, Bounce, Grit, ION Mystery, Laff and Defy TV, as well as its free, ad-supported streaming channels ION Plus, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra and Laff More. A rebroadcast of the finals will be available on Scripps News on May 31 from 10 p.m. to midnight and again June 1 from midnight to 2 a.m. The Scripps Networks can be found free over-the-air as well as on cable, satellite and streaming platforms.
If you are watching the Bee over the air with an antenna, check out Tablo, which allows you to record over-the-air programs.
