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Story summary
- Mina Kimes will host the 2026 spelling bee at Constitution Hall in Washington from May 26-28, the first celebrity anchor since LeVar Burton in 2022.
- Kimes, an ESPN senior writer and three-time school spelling-bee champion, likened bee preparation to reviewing NFL game tape.
- The bee will feature 247 spellers competing for a trophy and $50,000, while ratings fell from 641,000 in 2023 to 488,000 after moving to ION and Bounce.
