Standing in front of hundreds of people – millions more watching from home – and spelling obscure, difficult words can be nerve-wracking.
And when you’re handed a word you’re unsure of with the clock ticking down, it’s all the more frightening.
But Dev Jaiswal called upon his inner Jimmy Brooks and overcame what was probably the biggest challenge of his 13 year life.
With only eight contestants left from a group of 285, Jaiswal was given the word “bacchius” to spell.
After asking for the word’s definition, language of origin and its alternate pronunciation, Jaiswal finally asked for the word to be used in a sentence.
“Rumour has it that Drake’s next mixtape contains a rap in which every verse begins and ends with a bacchius,” said the pronouncer as Jaiswal to let out a nervous laugh.
With only five seconds left on the clock, Jaiswal spelled the word correctly, letting out a triumphant “Yo!” paired with a double fist pump. And like any polite speller, he ran back to the mic to say “thank you.”
The champagne papi himself acknowledged the Scripps shout-out when he posted this clip on Instagram.
Jaiswal was eventually eliminated with five contestants remaining when he tripped up on the spelling of the word “iridocyclitis.”
With a huge grin, Jaiswal thanked the judges and the crowd as he received a standing ovation.
This was Jaiswal’s final shot at the championship as he will be entering Grade Nine next year, making Drake lyrics “Man they treat me like a legend, am I really this cold? I’m really too young to be feeling this old,” to ring all too true.
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