News

Spelling is an art, and for kids from all 50 states, the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee is the canvas this week. The National Spelling Bee Finals take place Thursday, June 1 at 8 p.m. Et on Ion and Bounce TV. This prestigious competition invites youth from across America to show their best spelling skills live on TV, and there’s always plenty of drama and suspense in the final round! You can see every word of the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals with a 5-Day Free Trial of Directv Stream.

How to Watch 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals When: Starts Thursday, June 1 at 8 p.m. Et TV: Ion, Bounce TV Stream: Watch with a 5-Day Free Trial of Directv Stream. 5-Day Free Trial $99.99 / month directv.com/stream

Save $30 Over Your First Three Months of Directv Stream.

About 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

The finals will take place live from the Gaylord National...

Forget about spelling them. There are words in “Spelling the Dream” that mere mortals may not even be able to say, even after a spelling bee pronouncer repeats it, gives the language of origin, repeats it again and uses it in a sentence. But the young’uns in this entertaining documentary — about the dominance of South Asian kids in the nation’s No. 1 spelling bee — appear undaunted.

Available on Netflix, “Spelling the Dream” begins with arguably its most exuberant moment: 2019’s Scripps National Spelling in which, after 20 rounds, eight kids tied for the title. Cue the parental fist pumps and roars. Seven of the winners were of South Asian or Indian descent; just one was white. When the kids did a victory lap and appeared on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, he looked at the light-haired girl and said, “What kind of name is Erin?”

“Spelling the Dream” provides some answers...

Is Miles Brown losing ground on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors”? He has been the season’s most consistent performer, and after six weeks of competition he’s still the highest scoring celeb with an average of 25.5 per dance, which translates to 8.5 per judge. But he got stuck in the 9s while Ariana Greenblatt and Sky Brown leapfrogged him to earn the season’s first 10s. Then on Giving Thanks Night, even though the judges praised his foxtrot, his scores actually ticked down a bit. Can he reclaim his place at the top, or is he at risk of an early exit? Watch his routine above.

There actually wasn’t much of anything wrong with his foxtrot. The height difference between him and his statuesque pro partner Rylee Arnold was a noticeable impediment — he gave a shout-out to all the short kids in the audience — but the judges lauded him for overcoming it.

Scripps National Spelling Bee breakout Akash Vukoti was the youngest contestant on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” this season — a fact he reminded us of with a speech on Juniors Choice Night — and he was never the most proficient dancer, but he made up for that with his good-natured charm. Unfortunately, after weeks of struggling to keep up with his fellow contestants’ scores he was finally voted out on Giving Thanks Night, but he still found it in his heart to give thanks at the end of the evening. Watch his final routine above.

Vukoti dedicated his Giving Thanks dance to his family, so mentor Witney Carson conceived a jazz number in a Bollywood style to the Oscar-winning song “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire.” Carson choreographed a routine with simple enough steps that it didn’t overwhelm Vukoti, but with enough content to give him a chance to shine. So...

The adults are almost done on “Dancing with the Stars,” but the inaugural season of “Juniors” is still underway with six kids remaining following last week’s ouster of Disney Channel star Jason Maybaum. So who was the next to go? On Giving Thanks Night the young celebs dedicated their routines to people who inspired them. Follow along with our live blog below to find out who had reason to be grateful and who said “Thanks for nothing” to the judges and studio audience.

Last week’s Juniors Choice Night put “Avengers” actress Ariana Greenblatt at the top of the judges’ leaderboard with the season’s first 10, and “Black-ish” star Miles Brown was close behind with another set of straight 9s. Skateboarding prodigy Sky Brown trailed in the scores, but the Gold Derby users who enter their predictions every week still think she’s the one to beat for the Mirror Ball Trophy.

While “Dancing with the Stars” will reach its season finale on Monday, “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” is still in the thick of its season. Sunday’s episode is just Week 6 of a nine-week season, and since it’s also Thanksgiving next Thursday, you can bet your two left feet that “Juniors” is doing a “Giving Thanks” theme. Unclear if anyone will be dressed as a turkey, but we might get one or two dances that are complete turkeys.

The top six will dedicate their routines — either a jazz, salsa, samba or foxtrot — to those people who’ve had an impact on their lives. We’re guessing Mandla Morris‘ is going to be his dad Stevie Wonder since the singer is performing “Isn’t She Lovely” during his son’s dance.

One couple will be eliminated at the end of Sunday’s show.

See ‘Dancing with the Stars: Juniors...

Things were looking up for Jason Maybaum on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors.” After a slow start at the beginning of the season the Disney Channel star got better and better, increasing his judges’ scores every single week until Juniors Choice Night when he picked the music and concept for his jazz routine and got his highest score of the season … and was eliminated soon thereafter. How did that happen? And do you think he deserved his ouster? Watch his last dance above and scroll down to vote in our polls at the bottom of this post.

Maybaum scored a lowly 18 out of 30 on premiere night, then 21 on Song from the Year I Was Born Night, then 22 on Disney Night and all the way up to 25 on Halloween Night. Now taking on a hip-hop-infused jazz number to the rap classic “It’s Tricky” by Run-dmc, he delivered a performance whose...

Akash Vukoti has charmed the judges on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors,” and he has charmed the studio audience too, as evidenced by his advancement through the competition despite lower scores. But as the competition has heated up he has needed more and more help from the studio audience votes because his judges’ scores haven’t been improving. On Juniors Choice Night he finished way down at the bottom of the leaderboard after his Charleston, but he survived again. Was he helped by the inspiring speech he gave after the judges’ comments? Watch his dance above.

Vukoti, who at age nine is the youngest contestant in the competition, doesn’t have the technique of some of his older rivals like Miles Brown or Mackenzie Ziegler, but he makes up for that with pluck, enthusiasm and charm. He’s just so gosh-darned likable. So the judges praised him for his sense of “fun,...

The kids are calling the shots on Week 5 of “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors.” Sort of. They’re not choreographing anything, but they do get to pick the song they will dance to for Juniors Choice. And by that, we mean they get to pick a song that the show can clear. Naturally, Mackenzie Ziegler chose one of her own tunes. As for everyone else, well, don’t be expecting many classic songs here.

The remaining seven couples will perform a Charleston, jazz, cha cha or samba, and one couple will be eliminated at the end of the show.

Reminder: This episode will air on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 8/7c on ABC. The show is off on Sunday, Nov. 4 for “Mickey’s 90th Spectacular.”

See ‘Dancing with the Stars: Juniors’ recap: Who scared up the best scores and who was just plain scary?

Here’s the Week 5 lineup:

Akash Vukoti...

The old saying goes that slow and steady wins the race. But Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson probably should have picked up the pace on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors.” Though her scores had ticked up since the beginning of the kids’ dance competition, it wasn’t enough to keep her out of the bottom of the leaderboard on Halloween Night, and this time her fans in the studio audience didn’t come to her rescue. Watch her final routine above.

Honey Boo Boo and her pro partner Tristan Ianiero performed a jazz routine to the Oscar-nominated title song from the sci-fi comedy classic “Ghostbusters” complete with uniforms and proton packs — and they even got slimed at the end. Unfortunately, that sliming turned out to be a preview of what was to come. The judges were encouraging in their critiques of her enthusiastic performance quality and gave her scores that...

Ariana Greenblatt has been one of the strongest contestants in season one of “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors,” but she had a scare on Halloween Night, getting her lowest score of the season for what I thought was a pretty darn good paso doble (watch it above). Were the judges right to be so tough on her, or were they “Wicked” for no reason?

Mentor Brandon Armstrong cracked the whip when training Greenblatt and her partner Artyon Celestine for their paso doble — which Greenblatt thought sounded more like “Picasso.” But she got the job done when it counted, bringing lots of intensity to their dance to “Ways to Be Wicked” from the Disney Channel musical “Descendants 2.” However, judge Adam Rippon wanted to see more emotional “range” from the young dancer, Mandy Moore thinks she needs to be challenged more, and Val Chmerkovskiy wanted to see more proper choreographic content.

The “Dancing with the Stars” two-night Halloween event started with the “Juniors” on Sunday night. The kids’ fright fest brought out breakthrough performances from a couple of rising contestants, while another early favorite “descended” on the leaderboard and we cried boo-hoo over the elimination at the end of the night. So who do you think gave the best performances, who gave the worst performances, and did the judges and studio audience get it right with the season’s fifth elimination?

As you might have guessed above, it was Alana Thompson — aka Honey Boo Boo from the reality series “Toddlers and Tiaras” and “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” — who was eliminated when Halloween Night was over. Her scores had improved slightly since week one, and she seemed to have the support of the studio audience, so it looked like she had a ghost of a chance to advance pretty far in the competition.

ABC can’t let any fall iteration of “Dancing with the Stars” go by without a Halloween-themed week, even if that means filming it months in advance. Yup, it’s Halloween Night on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” next week, so the final eight contestants will treat us to their newest dance tricks.

In addition, the episode, which was filmed over the summer, will open with a group number featuring all eight couples and choreographed by judge Mandy Moore. One team will be eliminated at the end of the hour.

See ‘Dancing with the Stars: Juniors’ recap: Disney dances were child’s play

Here is the Week 4 lineup:

Akash Vukoti and Kamri Peterson (mentored by Witney Carson): Argentine tango – “Weird Science” by Oingo Boingo

Ariana Greenblatt and Artyon Celestine (mentored by Brandon Armstrong): paso doble – “Ways to Be Wicked” by Dove Cameron, Sophia Carson, Cameron Boyce and...

Was Alana Thompson better than ever on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors”? That’s what the judges thought on Disney Night. The reality star better known as Honey Boo Boo advanced through the competition for yet another week, but this time she achieved her best score yet, crossing the 20 threshold after spending the first two weeks of the season with scores stuck in the teens. Did you agree with her marks? Watch her performance above, and vote in our poll below to let us know if you thought she was the best of the night.

For Disney Night, Honey Boo Boo and her pro partner Tristan Ianiero performed a foxtrot to “Something There” from “Beauty and the Beast.” It was quite a change of pace from their first two fast-paced Latin routines, a salsa and a cha cha. Their mentor Artem Chigvintsev even tried to teach her some etiquette to...

It’s Synergy Week on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” aka Disney Week. The remaining nine kiddies will perform to tunes from some Disney classics, many of which were released before their lifetimes. As if Songs From the Year I Was Born Week didn’t already make us feel old. But at least no one is doing “Let It Go.”

See Honey Boo Boo dodged a bullet on ‘Dancing with the Stars: Juniors,’ but is she on borrowed time?

Here’s the lineup for Week 3. One couple will be eliminated at the end of Sunday’s show.

Akash Vukoti and Kamri Peterson (mentored by Witney Carson): jive – “Zero to Hero” from “Hercules”

Ariana Greenblatt and Artyon Celestine (mentored by Brandon Armstrong): samba – “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” from “Lilo & Stitch”

Honey Boo Boo and Tristan Ianiero (mentored by Artem Chigvintsev): foxtrot – “Something There” from “Beauty and the Beast...

Week two of “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” ended with a surprise: Hudson West, the Daytime Emmy nominated star of “General Hospital,” was eliminated in 10th place. That came after a superhero themed paso doble that he performed on a night when the kid celebs danced to songs released in the years they were born. And while the judges didn’t think it was the best performance of the night, they liked him better than a few of the contestants who stuck around. Do you think West got a raw deal? Watch his performance above, and vote in our poll below.

West was born in 2008 and danced to Madonna‘s hit from that year, “4 Minutes” featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. Judge Val Chmerkovskiy thought West “killed it.” Mandy Moore “loved that … you were holding Kameron so strong. You embodied the character. I really enjoyed that performance.” And Adam Rippon was “so impressed.

Just in case the word “Juniors” wasn’t a big enough clue, Dancing With the Stars‘ pint-sized spinoff offered another reminder on Sunday’s episode that these contestants are young.

In Week 2 of the ABC series, the Mirrorball hopefuls performed to songs that were released in the years they were born — years that range from the very recent 2003 to the very very recent 2008. I bet you didn’t know you’d end your weekend by feeling old, huh?

Several of the Juniors competitors who impressed the judges last week cemented their status as frontrunners on Sunday; Mandla Morris and Ariana Greenblatt were particularly strong,...

You know how everyone makes fun of the younger “Dancing with the Stars” contestants for picking a year in, like, the last seven years — including the current year — for Most Memorable Year because they haven’t lived yet? Well, neither have the kiddies on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors.”

Oh, don’t worry, they’re not doing Most Memorable Year there, which would’ve been Lol, but they are doing Songs From the Year I Was Born in Week 2. So that’s just music from this century. Not just that, but the remaining 10 contestants range from 9 years old (Spelling Bee champ Akash Vukoti) to 14 years old (Mackenzie Ziegler), so we’re getting tunes from a five-year span from 2004 to 2009. Some of these kids weren’t even alive for their rivals’ songs! We are old; they are not. Sigh.

See ‘Dancing with the Stars: Juniors’ premiere recap: Were the pint-sized...

Here are five words guaranteed to strike fear in the heart of any reality competition fan: “We’re doing a kids’ version!”

ABC on Sunday debuted Dancing With the Stars: Juniors, an offshoot of its long-running mothership series that features pint-sized celebrities (or the pint-sized sons and daughters of celebrities). But even though the word “junior” typically elicits groans when attached to any show title, the miniature version of DWTS served up even more energy and unbridled joy than the all-adults iteration — and that’s really saying something.

In the interest of not being a monster who harps on...

“Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” made its grand debut on Sunday night, October 7. The new series is spun off from the grown-up “Dancing with the Stars,” which has been on the air since 2005 and whose 27th season is currently underway. So how did “Juniors” compare to the mothership series, and how did these talented tykes compare to their adult counterparts? Find out below in our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments as they happen.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the old show and the new is that “Juniors” has been taped in advance instead of airing live like the original series. That means fan votes won’t come into play for “Juniors” the way they do on the main series. So the kids had better be alright on the dance floor in order to impress the judges.

Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

The “Juniors...

“Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” kicks off its run on ABC on Sunday, October 7 with a two-hour premiere beginning at 8 p.m. in the east and west and 7 p.m. in the central and mountain time zones. This special version of “DWTS” will run for a full 10 weeks just like the main show. However, the rest of the episodes will only be an hour long and all of them will be pre-taped.

Among those talented tykes taking to the dance floor are “black-ish” scene stealer Miles Brown; reality TV star Honey Boo Boo (her real name is Alana Thompson); and Ariana Greenblatt of the Disney TV hit “Stuck In The Middle.”

These pint-sized celebrities are paired with professional dancers who are around their age as well. Among these are relatives of some of the “DWTS” pros who will be acting as mentors on this version, including Lindsay Arnold (her younger...

There was bad news at the end of the “Dancing with the Stars” season 27 two-night premiere: stand-up comedian Nikki Glaser was eliminated. But there was also good news: the cast of “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” was officially announced. We now know which 12 kid celebs will be performing when the show premieres on Sunday night, October 7. See the full list below along with their pro partners and grown-up mentors.

Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Sky Brown (skateboarding prodigy) — with pro partner Jt Church and mentor Alan Bersten

Akash Vukoti (spelling bee champ) — with pro partner Kamri Peterson and mentor Witney Carson

Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson (reality TV star) — with pro partner Tristan Ianiero and mentor Artem Chigvintsev

Tripp Johnston (Sarah Palin’s grandson) — with pro partner Hailey Bills and mentor Jenna Johnson

Ariana Greenblatt (Young Gamora in “Avengers: Infinity War”) — with pro partner Artyon Celestine...

ABC unveiled the cast of celebrity kids and professional junior ballroom dancers that will put on their dancing shoes for the upcoming season Dancing With the Stars: Juniors. Hosted by Dancing with the Stars Season 25’s Jordan Fisher and Frankie Muniz the Dancing With the Stars: Juniors will kick off with a two-hour season premiere Oct. 7.

The ballroom floor will welcome 12 celebrity kids and professional junior ballroom dancers including Toddlers & Tiaras star Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, black-ish star Miles Brown, and Tripp Palin, son of former Dancing with the Stars contestant Bristol Palin, and grandson of Sarah Palin. With a judges panel that includes Emmy Award-winning choreographer Mandy Moore, professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy and Dancing with the Stars: Athletes champion, Adam Rippon the lineup of contestants also includes a professional skateboarder, an ABC comedy star, a runway model, two Disney Channel stars and the youngest boy to...

ABC on Tuesday trotted out the official cast list for its inaugural Dancing With the Stars: Juniors competition, and it’s an eclectic group, to be sure. Here’s said lineup:

Miles Brown, black-ish

Ariana Greenblatt, Avengers: Infinity War

Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson”

Akash Vukoti, the youngest boy to ever compete at National Spelling Bee

Sky Brown, professional skateboarder

Mandla Morris, Stevie Wonder’s son

Sophia Pippen, NBA legend Scottie Pippen’s daughter

Hudson West, General Hospital

Mackenzie Ziegler, singer and sister of Maddie Ziegler

Tripp Palin, Sarah Palin’s grandson

Addison Osta Smith, MasterChef Junior Season 4 winner

Jason Maybaum,...