Today's CNN 10 Transcript

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COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: We're at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. where kids politely destroy each other with vocab. They don't get here with talent, they get here with hard work, dedication, and sacrifice and if they're fortunate enough, they become the champion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shrey, you are the two-time ...

(CHEERING & APPLAUSE)

WIRE: What was going through your mind when you were lifting that trophy above your head?

SHREY PARIKH, SCRIPPS SPELLING BEE 2026 CHAMPION: You know, I was just so relieved and excited, to be honest. It was just such an amazing moment for me. I was just so happy.

WIRE: How are you going to celebrate?

PARIKH: Not sleep tonight.

WIRE: Yes. Let's go!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And here is our youngster.

WIRE: They spelled their way through some of the toughest words in the English language with focus, confidence, and composure far beyond their years.

It all started with 247 competitors on Tuesday. The youngest, just nine years old. The age limit to compete, 15.

Spellers representing all 50 states plus 13 international competitors all chasing the same dream.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi.

WIRE: But by Thursday night, the field had been whittled down to just nine finalists. Smart? Of course. These kids can spell words that most adults think are prescription medications.

LIAM KWON, NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

WIRE: Can you spell that?

KWON: P-N-E-U-M-O-N-O-U-L-T-R-A-M-I-C-R-O-S-C-O-P-I-C-S-I-L-I-C-O-V-O-L-C-A-N-O-C-O-N-I-O-S-I-S.

WIRE: That's right!

ISAAC BROGAN, #36: Amarevole. A-M-A-R-E-V-O-L-E, amarevole.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is correct.

BROGAN: Thank you.

WIRE (voice-over): After spending some time with contestants during the semifinals, one thing became crystal clear. This is not some magical gift. Every speller I spoke with pointed to the same formula. Hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

PARIKH: It's not natural talent that can get you somewhere like Scripps. It's -- it's more about the hard work you put in because at the end of the day, talent can only take you so far. But to get to such a big stage, you also need to put in lots of work.

AVISHKA DUDALA, DALLAS, TEXAS: You have to prepare so much and put in hours and hours on end per day. And you have to make a lot of sacrifices, but it's all worth it in the end because your hard work will pay off.

WIRE (voice-over): Some study up to 10 hours a day on weekends. And honestly, preparing for this feels a lot like training for a championship in sports. Film study becomes dictionary study.

Muscle memory becomes word roots and language patterns. But this is the only competition in sports where one misplaced vowel can end your season.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry. Uredinium is U-R-E-D-I-N-I-U-M.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love your enthusiasm. We're going to hope to see you back.

SACK AKELLA, #158: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations.

AKELLA: Thank you very much.

WIRE: For three days, these kids politely dismantled one another with vocabulary, all chasing the $50,000 grand prize. But what stood out most? The motivation was about far more than cash.

PARIKH: It's a really great place to be, especially since like a lot of people -- I'm surrounded by a lot of people who enjoy the same things that I do.

KUSHI GOTTIMUKKALA, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: Mostly, I just wanted to get to finals, and I also wanted to be on live TV.

WIRE: Yeah, let's go!

WIRE (voice-over): Now, even the contestants eliminated in the earlier rounds, heartbroken their journey was over, many stayed to watch the finals anyway. Not bitter, not jealous, cheering for the very competitors who had just outspelled them because they understood just how hard everyone worked to get here.

PJ VANDERHEIDEN, ALEXANDRIA, MINNESOTA, FINISHED 30TH PLACE: It's really fun. It's just been such a fun experience, and I've met so many great people. Like, I still have another kid from Minnesota who I'm really close with in the beach, so I'll be sitting around. I'll be cheering for him.

MINNA DANZINGER, TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN: I prepared so much, and so did they, so we might as well cheer them on for still going.

WIRE: For many of these spellers, they can finally catch their breath. For now at least, 78 contestants in this year's field had already competed at the national level before, and for those who fell short, their comeback story may already be underway.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm going to start practicing now so that I'll have a whole year.

WIRE (voice-over): Long after the final bell rings and the confetti falls, what lingers most isn't the winning word. It's the perseverance, the humility, and a room full of kids proving that excellence and kindness can still exist side by side.

WIRE: Pop quiz hot shot.

Which is the only land-locked country in Southeast Asia?

Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, or Philippines?

If you said Laos, I Mekong congratulate you. Despite being the only country in the region to be completely surrounded by land, the Mekong River, during its monsoon season, can grow to be about nine miles wide, creating an archipelago known as the 4,000 Islands.

There's a new plan now in place for how to rescue the men who have been trapped for a week and have been found alive deep in a cave in Southeast Asia. Video shows rescue divers reaching the group in Laos for a second time, bringing them supplies like headlamps and food.

And the villagers then sent back messages to their families that they're OK. The journey to get to them is super tough and super dangerous in and of itself. Teams are using cables to pull themselves through the narrow tunnels, some of them less than two feet wide.

And the men, they're about 850 feet deep into the cave. Now part of the plan is to pump water out of the cave. And if successful, they're hoping the men can finally exit without needing to dive themselves. Crews are still searching for two more of their group who are missing.

As an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to grow, the U.S. government is saying that it's focused on keeping the disease out of the U.S. The administration is making plans to send Americans who may have been exposed to the Ebola virus but do not have symptoms to health facilities in Kenya. Officials say the state-of-the-art facility is designed for Americans who would need to quickly get out of the DRC and quarantine without the risks of a lengthy transport back to the U.S.

The U.S. has its own specialized network of hospitals that are highly equipped to treat Ebola patients that some experts say would be much better suited to handle the situation. Critics warn the plan could be unethical and illegal.

Today's story getting a 10 out of 10, a nearly 30-year-long friendship that spans continents founded on one common belief. In 1999, world history teacher Ronald Sokolsky saw a news story about a woman and her husband planting trees in the Chinese Maowusu Desert in an effort to fight its desertification, which severely threatens an area's agriculture.

At the time, the couple was making $250 U.S. a year, but putting it all towards planting trees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD SOKOLSKY, U.S. HISTORY TEACHER: I was crying as I watched the news. I saw her on the TV and I said, I want to help her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Moved by their dedication to save their home, Ronald worked with an organization in the U.S. and donated $5,000, equivalent to 20 years of income, to the Chinese couple's tree-mendous work. And since the initial donation, the forest has grown to over 50,000 trees. Ronald says that if two regular people from America and China can create something beautiful, the whole world can work together.

All right, Sunshine, we have a couple shout-outs today, and they're coming to you from some of our erudite orthographers here at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

PARIKH: A shout-out to John L. Golden Elementary and Day Creek Intermediate School.

VANDERHEIDEN: Shout-out to Discovery Middle School in Alexandria, Minnesota.

GOTTIMUKKALA: I want to give a shout-out to Carnage Magnet Middle School in Raleigh, North Carolina.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to shout-out my two schools, Peachtree Middle and Austin Elementary.

DUDALA: I want to give a shout-out to Lorene Rogers Middle School in Prosper, Texas.

KWON: P.S. 32.

WIRE: Let's go.

KWON: In Queens, New York.

WIRE: Yeah, let's go.

Rise up, baby.

KWON: Rise up.

WIRE: Rise up. Play that Fri-yay music, Nadir. Go out, make someone smile this weekend. You never know how or when, but you may be the light someone needs. You are more powerful than you know.

Rise up. I'm C-O-Y. And we are CNN 10.

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