UPBEAT DANCE MUSIC Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016 Good evening, friends and whanau. It's great to have you with us. Across the country, thousands of students from hundreds of schools have been grappling with some quite terrifying words to earn a spot on this stage for the finals of the 2016 NZ Spelling Bee. My name is Toni Street, and over three shows, I'll be guiding both you at home and 36 elite spellers through the ultimate Kiwi spelling test. Now, it's devilishly tricky and takes months of studying, but along the way, our finalists have become some of the most erudite and interesting young people you're ever likely to meet. Tonight we'll meet 18 of our qualifiers, but unfortunately, just a paltry six of them will make it through to the final, where the winner could walk away with $5000 cash and a Prezzy Card from Kiwibank worth $1500 to put towards their studies. How great is that? CHEERING, APPLAUSE Now, we've split them into three groups. So without further adieu, it's time to meet the first six of our qualifiers. First up, Vishva from West Auckland. Here's Abigail from Dunedin. Napier's Christopher is next. Amy's doing Ashburton proud. New Plymouth's Roan is number five. And last up, Audrey from Twizel. Welcome, guys, to the Spellbound stage. I hope you're all feeling really good. I know you'll be nervous, but you've done so well just to get to this point, so really give it a good crack today. It's time now to meet my co-host who's with some very important guests this evening, who I'm predicting are far more nervous than these supercool cats up here. Ronnie Taulafo, who have you got? Now, how are we feeling, uh, Mum? I'm quite proud of my son. And yeah, uh, just a little bit nervous now as he's on a big screen and proud that he bring up whole family on a big TV and everybody will know that Vishva's doing something best. Yes. All the best, my son. All the best, Vishva. He looks really calm and collected out there, by the way. Super confident. Now, every competition needs rules, and on judgment duty tonight are three ultimate eavesdroppers who'll be listening to every single syllable. From the NZ Spelling Bee, founder and passionate wordsmith Janet Lucas, QSM, scrupulous word whiz Rachel D'Cruz, and renowned lexicographer and author Dr Dianne Bardsley. Welcome all of you, the 2016 judges. CHEERING, APPLAUSE And rather less formidable but just as important, our final piece in the Spellbound chess set. With his velvety-rich tone, it's our official pronouncer, the always-articulate Owen Scott. Welcome to you, sir. Good evening, Toni. APPLAUSE So, how does this all work? Let me explain. Owen will give each of our competitors a word to spell. At this point, they can ask Owen for more information, including the definition of the word, its origin, what part of speech it is, is it a verb or a noun, for instance, its use in a sentence, and they can also ask to hear the word again. Now, after that, there's no hiding. They've got to spell it and no passes are allowed. We'll carry on playing until three of our first six here are knocked out. Now, if you haven't got all of that, don't worry, you soon will, and I'll explain things as we go along. All right, are we all ready? Yes? Take a deep breath, relax, enjoy yourselves. Let's get Spellbound. Vishva, can you please take to the stage? Hello, Vishva. > Hello. Your word is juggernaut. Juggernaut. Can I have a definition of the word? It's a massive force or a large, heavy vehicle, especially an articulated truck. Juggernaut. J-U-G-G-E-R-N-A-U-T. Juggernaut. DING! APPLAUSE Vishva, that's correct. Well done! We've got our first word. You can go back to your seat. Abigail. > Your word is apartheid. Apartheid. A-P-A-R-T-H-E-I-D. DING! APPLAUSE That's correct. Well done, Abigail. Hello, Christopher. Hello. Your word is furlough. Furlough. F-U-R-L-O-U-G-H. DING! Congratulations, Christopher. Hello, Amy. Hello. Your word is battalion. B-A-T-T... A-L-I-O-N. DING! Hello, Roan. Hello. Your word is kaitiakitanga. Kaitiakitanga. Can I please have the definition? It's guardianship or stewardship. Kaitiakik` Kaitiakitanga. K-A-I-T-I-A... K-I-T-A-N-G-A. DING! Roan, well done. Hello, Audrey. Hello. Blitzkrieg. Definition? It's an intense military campaign that's designed to bring about swift victory. Blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg. B-L-I-T-Z-G-R-I-E-G. BUZZ! AUDIENCE: Ohh! Unfortunately, Audrey, your road has come to an end, but we still have five of you in the running. Vishva, hello. Your next word is galleon. Galleon. > OK, uh, can I have a definition, please? It's a large sailing ship in use from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Galleon. Am I saying it right? I'll say it again for you. Galleon. Galleon. G-A-L-L-E-O-N. WHISPERS: He got it. He got it. He got it. DING! Correct. Vishva, well done. RONNIE: Whoo-hoo! That was a deep breath. You were worried, I think! Abigail, your turn again. Your word is cantilever. Cantilever. > May I please have the definition? A long projecting beam fixed at only one end, used chiefly in bridge construction. C-A-N-T-E-N... WHISPERS: That's not right. ...E-V-E-R. BUZZ! Oh, Abigail, unfortunately that wasn't correct. You can take a seat. Christopher, your turn again. Things are heating up here. > Your word is spaghetti. Spaghetti. S-P-A-G-G-H-E-T-T-I. Spaghetti. There's only one G, I think. BUZZ! Oh, Christopher, I think you knew your mistake there. Hard luck. Amy, it's your turn to come to the centre. Your next word is bibliophile. B-I-B-L-I-O-P-H-I-L-E. Bibliophile. DING! Ooh, nice one, Amy. Congratulations. You're through again. Roan, your turn. > Your next word is juvenile. Juvenile. J-U-V-E-N-I-L-E. DING! APPLAUSE Roan, that's correct. And that means you join the other two on being the three through to the next round. Congratulations. You can go and take your seat. CHEERING, APPLAUSE Audrey, Christopher and Abigail, unfortunately that's the end of the road for you. Christopher, I want to talk to you about your word, spaghetti. It was all over your face. You knew that word, didn't you? > Yes. Where did it go wrong? > I think I was thinking of the double T so I put in a double G by accident. I certainly know how to spell it. And midway through, did you realise what mistake you made? Yeah, as soon as I said it. (SIGHS) And unfortunately you can't go back. And that's horrible, isn't it, the heat of competition. So I do really feel for you on that one. So congratulations to Vishva, Amy and Roan. We'll see you all in the next round and we'll be back for Spellbound right after this. APPLAUSE Whoo! Come on, Mum, give him a kiss! (LAUGHS) Yeah, well done, man. That was` It was so nerve-racking, just watching you guys from back here. I mean, what was` what was it like out there? It was pretty scary cos, like, I don't know most of the words. But you looked real chilled. What do you mean you didn't know most of the words? You were so chilled. (SIGHS) Man, it was so hard. How much do you hate spaghetti right now, Chris? Quite a lot. Quite a lot. (LAUGHS) Like, just, that's probably the last thing you ever want for dinner any` any more. It's not over yet. Yeah. So are we ready for that? Yeah, man, always ready. Yeah. That's what we want to hear. Well done. LAUGHTER Kia ora and welcome back to Spellbound, the culmination of the 2016 NZ Spelling Bee. We've seen three brave spelling gladiators fall, and three more will progress through to the next stage. Six more coming up. Welcome to Laura from Wellington. Fellow Wellingtonian Peter is next. Jessica's here from West Auckland. Whangarei's Sophia is next. Hylton's here from Queenstown. And Shinjini's doing the North Shore of Auckland proud. Uh, positively positive I, uh, think our parents are right now. We've got Karen here, which is Peter Lang's mum. Now, Peter's into a bit of taxonomy. What's that all about, Mum? Uh, classifying living things ` plants and animals. That's what he wants to be when he grows up, a taxonomist. Nice. And of course the Latin words are going to come handy as well. I hope so. CHUCKLES: I hope so. We're also joined by Sophia Santito's dad, Jimmy. Jimmy, yes. Jimmy, how proud are we of Sophia? Yes, I'm very very proud of my daughter now, um, because she's got this far. I never expected that. And there's a lot of love and support from the family both here and also in the Philippines. Oh, in the Philippines, yes. Guys, welcome to the Spellbound stage. I hope you've had a great time watching out the back and that has given you some confidence for your round. > Shinjini, why do you think it's so important to be a good speller? I think you're going to need it in life; like, spellcheck won't get you everywhere. I tell you what ` some people at Seven Sharp could actually take a few things out of that, so I'm going to take that away with me. Well, all the very best of luck to all of you. Let's get Spellbound. Laura. Your word has two pronunciations. It's either gestalt or gestalt. Gestalt or gestalt. > Gestalt. Um,... G-E-S-T... A-L-T. Gestalt. DING! Laura, what a start. That's correct. Peter, it's your turn. Your word is concierge. Concierge. Please may I have the language of origin? The language of origin is French. French. Concierge. C-O-N-C-I-E-R-G-E. Concierge. DING! Peter, well done. That's correct. Jessica, you may step up to the plate. Synergy. S-Y-N-E-R-G-Y. Synergy. DING! Jessica, well done. I could tell you knew that one; it was written all over your face. Sophia, your turn. Your word is repugnant. Repugnant. R-E-P-U-G... N-E-N-T. BUZZ! Oh, Sophia. Hylton, you're up. Your word has two pronunciations, so you've got a choice. It's either senile or senile. Senile. S-E-N-I-L-E. DING! Correct. Hylton, well done. A little fist pump there. I like it. Shinjini. > Your word is omnibus. O-M-N-I-B-U-S. DING! Congratulations. Unfortunately, poor old Sophia, you didn't quite get yours correct, so that means we still have five of you in the running. Laura, your word again. Venerable. V-E-N-E-R-A-B-L-E. Venerable. DING! Another quick answer from Laura. Peter. Your next word is eerily. Eerily. E-E-R-I-L-Y. DING! Another winner for you, Peter. Jessica, you're up again. > Your next word is somnolent. QUIETLY: What? Somnolent. > S-O-M-U-L-E-N-T. BUZZ! Oh, Jessica. Hello, Hylton. Vestibule. Vestibule. V-E-S-T-I-B-U-L-E. DING! Hylton, congratulations. Another one correct. Shinjini. > Your next word is pendulum. P-E-N-D-U-L-U-M. Pendulum. DING! Correct again. Well done. So, we have four contestants remaining, and as you know, we need to find three of you to go through to the next round. So we're getting close now, people. Laura, your next word. Your word is acolyte. Can I have the definition, please? It's an assistant or follower. Can I have the word in a sentence? The author's editor was both acolyte and friend. Can you repeat the word? Acolyte. QUIETLY: A-co-lyte. Acolyte. A-C-O-L-I-T-E. Acolyte. BUZZ! Oh, Laura. (CLICKS TONGUE) Unfortunately that's incorrect, which means now the pressure does really come on our remaining three contestants,... WHISPERS: I think it's a double C. ...because if you can all get these correct, > then that means that you will be going through to the next round. Peter, your chance is now. Your next word is jettison. Jettison. Please may I have the language of origin? It's Middle English from French, from Latin. Jettison. Could you please that` please use that in a sentence? To lighten the aircraft, the pilot made the ill-advised decision to jettison the parachutes. TENSE MUSIC Jettison. J-E-T... T-I-S-O-N. Jettison. DING! (SIGHS) Correct! Peter, congratulations! I think you got a fright from that ding there. But that means you're through. Congratulations. You go and take a seat. > Hylton, same goes with you. This could be your chance. Now, your word has got two pronunciations ` nauseous or nauseous. Nauseous. N-A-U-S-E-O-U-S. DING! Correct. Hylton, well done. You're through to the next round as well. So, now we have a bit of an interesting situation. Shinjini, if you get this correct, you'll be going right through the next round. If you get it incorrect, then Laura, you'll be back in the game. Your word is dolmen. Dolmen. Dolmen. > Dolmanly? No. Dolmen. Dolmany. No. Dolmen. Dolman. Can I have the definition, please? It's a megalithic tomb with a large flat stone laid on upright stones. Dolman. D-O-L... E-M-A-N. Dolman. BUZZ! Oh, Shinjini, I'm afraid that's incorrect. But you will now go to a head-to-head with Laura. Up you come to the centre. > Your word is eczema. Eczema. E-C-Z-E-M-A. Eczema. DING! You've been practising that one, haven't you? Laura, well done. How your fortune has changed. You can go and take a seat. This puts all the pressure back, unfortunately, on you, Shinjini. You have to get this word correct to stay in the game. Up you come. WHISPERS: I really like Shinjini and I don't want her to get out but... Right, your word is picaresque. Could I please have the definition? It's a fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero. Picaresque. P-I... TENSE MUSIC C-K-E-R-E-S-Q-U-E. Picaresque. BUZZ! Oh, Shinjini, hard luck on that one. Unfortunately that's the end of the road for you. If you can go and take your seat. (EXHALES) Oh, that was intense stuff, guys. Laura, who would have thought? Were you sitting there thinking your time on Spellbound was over? Yeah, these things happen and I didn't know how to spell Shinjini's word, so I` I do feel sorry for her. Well, that might make you feel a little bit better, Shinjini, that she wouldn't have been able to spell your word either. So congratulations to Laura, Peter and Hylton, and we'll see you back on the stage very soon. When you had the head-to-head, Laura, I mean, second chance. Yeah. How` How happy were you? Um, it was, like, amazing because I didn't expect to get it. What were the nerves, uh` uh, doing in your body when you heard 'jettison' come up? Oh, I just` I really wasn't sure if it had one or two T's. I was just so` you know, I just took a gamble. Well done. It all paid off today, and you're both into our semi-final nine. Congratulations, guys, and, uh, all the best in the next round. It's Spellbound, and here are our final six set to play. First up, it's Meg from Christchurch. Luke's here from Auckland. Tauranga's Bethany is next. Hugh's a Dunedin speller. Here's East Auckland's Carey. And finally, Wellington's Isabella. Dad, can you tell us ` has Hugh always been an intelligent intellect? Yes, he has. Yes. Mm-hm. We're not surprised to find him here. Uh, and I'm very proud of him to, um, get us to this trip. Nice. And of course you've tripped all the way up from, uh, Dunedin. From Dunedin, yeah. So the whole family are watching? Yes, they are. Nice. They must be very proud. Now, Bethany came to you, um, and told you about this competition at school, and now it's` it's blown up, hasn't it? It has. I thought it was just a school-wide competition and she did really well in that. Then I got a note saying, 'Oh, she needs to go to Hamilton.' 'OK, that's fine.' Then I get a very excited phone call from Hamilton going, 'I need to go to Auckland!' Wow and now` now we're on TV! Group three, welcome to the Spellbound stage. Congratulations for making it this far. Luke, tell me how hard you've worked to get to this point. I don't think I've worked that hard. Like, I've only just studied the word lists and that's just about it. Oh wow. So you can just spell like this naturally? Well, that makes me feel terrible. Thank you for that. Isabella, how were the nerves backstage? You've been able to watch a couple of groups go through now. How are you feeling? Um, I'm, like, really nervous, you know, as, like, everyone probably is. But I'm not as good at containing it as other people. Oh, well, you look pretty smiley and chilled to me. Good luck to all of you. Um, I hope you do really well, and just remember to stay nice and relaxed. It's time to get Spellbound. Meg, can you please step forward? Your word is espionage. E-S-P-I-O-N-A-G-E. DING! Correct. Well done, Meg. Luke, your turn. > Your word is kitsch. K-I-T-S-C-H. Kitsch. DING! Never in doubt, Luke. Well done. (CHUCKLES) You can head back to your seat. I love that little quirky smile we're getting throughout there. Oh yes. > I love it, Luke. Bethany. > Aesthetic. Aesthetic. Uh, can you please give me the, uh, language of origin? It's from Greek. > OK. Aesthetic. A-E-S-T-H-I-C. BUZZ! Ooh, Bethany, toughie first up. WHISPERS: I feel sorry for you. Hugh, you're` come on up. You're charging. I like it; you're ready to go. Your word is rangatiratanga. Can I have the definition? It's a kingdom, a realm or chieftainship. Rangatiratanga. R-A-N-G-A-T-I-R-A-T-A-N-G-A. Rangatiratanga. DING! An ace with the Maori language. Well done, Hugh. Carey. > Your word is phenomenon. P-H-E-N-O-M-E-N-O-N. DING! Correct. Carey, well done. Isabella. Your word is peccadillo. P-E-C-C-A-D-I-L-L-O. Peccadillo. (SIGHS) DING! That's correct. Isabella, I don't know what you were nervous about. Well done. You can go and take a seat. LAUGHTER Meg. > Absence. A-B-S-E-N-C-E. DING! Luke, your next word is errand. E-R-R-A-N-D. DING! Hugh, your next word has two pronunciations. You've got a choice. It's garish or garish. G-A-R-I-S-H. Garish. DING! Carey, your next word is hallux. Hallux. > Could I please have the definition? It's the big toe. > Oh. (CHUCKLES) Um, could you please use it in a sentence? Without a hallux, wearing jandals might be a bit tricky. Hallux. H-E-L-I-X. Hallux. BUZZ! Oh, Carey, I'm sorry. That's incorrect. That's a toughie. If you can go back to your seat. > Who knew there was another word for the big toe? Isabella, can you come forward, please? Your next word is putative. Putative. > Can I have a definition, please? Generally considered or reputed to be. Can you repeat the word? Putative. Is it putative or putantive? No. Putative. Putative. P-U-T-I-T-I-V-E. Putative. (SIGHS) BUZZ! Oh, Isabella, unfortunately that's incorrect. If you could please take to your seat. So unfortunately for Isabella, Carey and Bethany, that means this is the end of the road for you. > But for Meg, Luke and Hugh, you're all through. Congratulations. We'll be back on Spellbound right after this. (SPEAKS KOREAN) Was that Mum? She's very very happy. Very very happy. Yes! Luke is through. (LAUGHS) Well done. Well d` Well done, Luke. Great stuff. How were` How were the nerves up on stage? I wasn't actually that nervous. But then I forgot the first word a little bit, kitsch. Yep. Like, I didn't know if it's CH or SCH. It made us all very nervous, but we're very proud that you made it through. We're joined here by Meg's mum, Maria. Uh, from the nine, we need to find six. That's right. How does that make you feel, Mum? That's fine. I think so long as she's enjoying it out there, she'll take it in her stride. And she's` she looks like she's, uh, having a lot of fun out there. Yep, yep. Smile is still on the face, so that's good. That's good. So that's a good indicator. That's a good indicator. Dad, so do you think Roan has enough to push through from the nine to the six? Um, well, he's got enough in the sense that he's cool, calm and collected. Does he get that cool, calm, collected kind of thing from- from Dad? No, I'm the one that's really competitive. BOTH LAUGH CHEERING, APPLAUSE Welcome back, Spellbounders. We're getting to the pointy end of the show now. These nine students have already shown they've got the guts and the goods to win. But first, one more round to find the six qualifiers for our grand final in a couple of weeks. But the writing is on the wall for three of you. Get those brains buzzing ` this round could get you into the grand final. It's time to get Spellbound. Peter, could you take to the stage, please? Your word is taniwha. Taniwha. T-A-N-I-W-H-A. Taniwha. DING! Well done, Peter. You can relax now back at your seat, while the others have the heat on them. Vishva, can you please come forward? Hello, Vishva. Hey. (CLEARS THROAT) Your word is zeitgeist. Can I have the definition, please? The defining spirit or mood of a particular period in history. Can I please have it in a sentence? Facebook provides an insight into the zeitgeist of the internet. OK. Um, zeitgeist. (EXHALES) Z-E-I-T-G... E-I-S-T. (EXHALES) DING! Yay, Vishva! > Well done! You've got it correct! Did you think you didn't get it right? LAUGHS: Well done! You head your way back. APPLAUSE Oh. I think that was a near disaster, but I'm glad to bring you the happy news. Hugh, can you please step forward? > Your word is amphibious. Amphibious. > Can I have a definition? I mean` I mean, sorry, a sentence. Wow. Oops. Of course you can. > Sorry, I said the wrong one. Alan Gibbs's Aquada is a high-speed amphibious car developed in NZ. Amphibious. A-M-P-H-I-B-I-O-U-S. Amphibious. DING! Correct. Well done, Hugh. Yes. Excellent. Through again. CHEERING, APPLAUSE Meg, can you please come forward? Your word is arcane. Arcane. > Can I please have the definition? It's understood by few; mysterious. > Arcane? Am I saying right? Yes. > Arcane. A-R-C-A-I-N. Arcane. BUZZ! Ohhh. Oh, Meg, unfortunately that's incorrect. If you could take your seat. That was a toughie. Amy, could you please come forward? You've got a choice of pronunciation for your word. You can either have aficionado or aficionado. So I'll give those two again ` aficionado or aficionado. > Aficionado. A-F-I-C-I... O-N-A-D-O. Aficionado. DING! Correct. Well done, Amy. You can take your seat. Congratulations. APPLAUSE, LAUGHTER Roan, can you step up, please? Hello, Roan. Hello. Your word is putsch. Putsch. > Can I please have the definition? It's a violent attempt to overthrow the government. Putsch. P-U-T-S-C-H. Putsch. DING! Congratulations. Well done, Roan. How many people at home excluded the S in that one, I bet. APPLAUSE Laura, can you please come forward? Laura, your word is schadenfreude. Schadenfreude. > Schadenfreude. S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-E-U-D-E. Schadenfreude. DING! RONNIE: Whoo! Correct, Laura. Very nice. Luke, it's your turn. Luke, your word is doppelganger. Doppelganger. > Can I please have it in a sentence? I'm not sure how to take it when people say my doppelganger is Hannibal Lecter. > (CHUCKLES) < Doppelganger. Doppelganger. D-O-P-P-E-L-G-A-N-G-E-R. Doppelganger. DING! APPLAUSE Very nice, Luke. Congratulations. Hylton, your turn. Hylton, your word is staccato. Staccato. > Staccato. S-T-A-C-C-A-T-O. Staccato. DING! Correct. Hylton, well done. > APPLAUSE Well, I'm afraid we've lost Meg, but this plucky eight are still fighting for six spots in the final. I'm going to give everyone a wee breather ` I think we need it ` including you lot at home. We'll be right back for Spellbound. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE Welcome back to Spellbound where tension is high and the words are wonderful. Time now to find our finalists. Let's get Spellbound. Peter, you're up again. > Your next word is heroic. Heroic. Uh, the definition, please? Very brave. H-E-R-O-I-C. Heroic. DING! Correct. Peter, well done. Vishva, your next word is suture. Suture. > Uh, can I please have a language of origin? It's Middle English from French or Latin. Can I please have a definition? It's a stitch or a row of stitches holding together a wound. Uh, the word again? Suture. Suture. Suture. Am I saying it right? Suture. I'll say it again. Suture. Suture. Suture. Suture. Oh OK. Um,... suture. S-U-T-E-U-R. Suture. BUZZ! Vishva, I'm sorry, that's incorrect. Please take a seat. Hugh, can you please come forward? > Your next word is minaret. Um, can I have the definition? A slender tower, especially that of a mosque. Minoret. Oh, wait, hang on. Um, can I have the language of origin? It's from Spanish via Turkish via Arabic. OK. Minaret. M-I-N... O-R-E-T-T-E. BUZZ! (SIGHS) Oh, hard luck, Hugh. That was a really tough one. Amy. Amy, you've got two pronunciations for your word. You can either have bouquet or bouquet. B-O-U-Q-U-E-T. Bouquet. DING! Correct. Amy, well done. Roan, could you please step forward? Roan, your word is culinary. Culinary. > Uh, culinary. C-U-L-I-N-A-R-Y. DING! Correct again. Well done, Roan. You can take a seat. APPLAUSE Laura, you're up next. Laura, your next word has two pronunciations as well. Um, you've got a choice of precedent or precedent. Can I have the word in a sentence? The council was worried that cancelling my parking fine would set a precedent. Precedent. Say it again. Precedent. > Precedent. (QUIETLY) Precedent. P-R-E ` precedent ` C-I-D-E-N-T. Precident. WHISPERS: You're in. Yes. BUZZ! Oh, Laura, hard luck. That's one of those all-time tricky words. Luke, could you step forward, please? Your word is tactile. T-A-C-T-I-L-E. Tactile. DING! Confident as. Well done, Luke. You're through. Hylton. Hylton, your word is exorbitant. Can I please have a definition? It's of a price or an amount charged; unreasonably high. Language of origin, please? Middle English from Latin. E-X-O-R-B... A-T-A-N-T. BUZZ! Oh, Hylton, hard luck. If you could take your seat. OK, so this is where things can get a little bit confusing, so I'll try to explain. Our green cubes ` Peter, Amy, Roan and Luke ` you are all automatically through. But we still need to find two more finalists. So those who got their word wrong in the last round ` Vishva, Hugh, Laura and Hylton ` you'll all now fight it out for those final two spots. Vishva, please come forward. Hello, Vishva. Your word is cavalier. Can I please have a definition? Showing a lack of proper concern; casual or indifferent. Ok, cavalier. Am I saying it correctly? You are. > C-A-V-A-L-I-E-R. Cavalier. DING! Correct. Vishva, well done. > RONNIE: Whoo! Whoo-hoo-hoo! Hugh, your turn. Your next word is serendipity. Can I have the definition? The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Serendipity. S-E-R-E-N-D-I-P-I-T-Y. Serendipity. (SIGHS) DING! APPLAUSE Hugh, congratulations. You're back in the hunt. > WHISPERS: Good luck. HUGH: Oh, thank God for that. Laura. > (CHUCKLES) Thanks. Hello, Laura. Your word is sartorial. Sartorial. Can I have the definition? It's relating to tailoring, clothes or a style of dress. > WHISPERS: She might get this one. Don't know that word. Can you repeat the word? Sartorial. Saltorium? Sartorial. Saltoriel? I'll say it again for you. Sartorial. Sartorial? Sartorial. Sar-torial? Yes. QUIETLY: Sar... She's getting it. Come on, come on, come on. S-A ` (QUIETLY) sartorial ` She can do it, she can do it. She can. R-T-O-R-I-A-L. I think that's right; that's what I would have said. WHISPERS: That should be it. That's what I would have said. DING! Wonderful job, Laura. A big sigh or relief there. APPLAUSE Hylton. Your next word is nonchalance. Nonchalance. > Can I please have a definition? It's the art of being casually calm and relaxed. Nonchalance. N-O-N-C-H-A-L-E-N-C-E. BUZZ! Oh my God. Oh Hylton, very unlucky with that one. Well, this is getting really cut-throat now. We have three students fighting for just two spots. Vishva, we're back to you. Vishva, your word is demeanour. Demeanour. > Demeanour. Can I please have a definition? Outward behaviour or bearing. Uh, and in a sentence, please? Sam's confident demeanour made her the obvious choice for team captain. Demeanour. D-E-M-E-A-N... O-R. Demeanour. BUZZ! Sorry, Vishva. That's incorrect. If you could take your seat. > Hugh. (EXHALES) Right. Your word is cumulative. Cumulative. > Uh, can I have that in a sentence? Alcohol can have a cumulative effect on the liver. C-U-M-U-L... A-T-I-V-E. Cumulative. DING! APPLAUSE Congratulations, Hugh. That puts you through to the top six. Laura, your chance now to make the top six. If you get this right, you'll progress through. > Your word is curvaceous. Curvaceous. C-U-R-V-A-C-E-O-U-S. DING! APPLAUSE Congratulations, Laura. You're through with our top six. You can take a seat. Well, Hylton, I think, hand on heart, if I'd had to spell nonchalance, I would have done exactly what you did. Where did you slip up, do you think? Um, not quite sure. But yeah, it's pretty sucky to be eliminated, but I just want to say good luck to everyone else and wish them all the best. Aww. CHEERING, APPLAUSE Well, that is absolutely lovely, Hylton, and I'm sure that Whakatipu High School in Queenstown will be very proud of you this evening. So you can hold your head high for that one, and you have carried yourself so well. That means just one thing ` Luke, Amy, Hugh, Peter, Roan and Laura are through to the grand finale. I'm sorry Vishva, Hylton and Meg. It wasn't your night tonight, but you've been brilliant. Well, that's us for this evening. We will be back next week for the second Spellbound semi-final. Goodnight and good spelling. I was lucky to have made it into the top 12 of the country. My words were mostly pretty easy. Though you want to get through, you didn't want to see anyone get a word wrong because you like them all so much. I've learnt a lot of new words and... I'll do it next year again.