# National Geographic Bee 2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 30, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585 "2012-05-30T21:14:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/1 "2012-05-30T21:14:32Z")
I missed this year’s National Geographic Bee, and found out that they changed the format of the finals for the first time. (In the past, they asked each of the 10 finalists a question - sometimes the same question, where they had to write down their answers, and sometimes different questions - and eliminated finalists after two incorrect answers until they were down to the last two.) Does anybody have specifics on how this year’s finals worked? ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/2 "2012-05-30T21:33:48Z")
This year they have a [6-year old](http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/30/us/spelling-bee-youngest-contestant/index.html?hpt=hp_c2)who qualified by winning her regional bee. StG ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/3 "2012-05-30T21:45:00Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > This year they have a [6-year old](http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/30/us/spelling-bee-youngest-contestant/index.html?hpt=hp_c2)who qualified by winning her regional bee. I think you are thinking of the Scripps National _Spelling_ Bee. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/4 "2012-05-30T21:56:55Z")
Where is it? I can’t find it. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/5 "2012-05-31T00:52:33Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > I think you are thinking of the Scripps National _Spelling_ Bee. You’re quite right. My mistake. StG ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/6 "2012-05-31T01:54:30Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > I missed this year’s National Geographic Bee, and found out that they changed the format of the finals for the first time. (In the past, they asked each of the 10 finalists a question - sometimes the same question, where they had to write down their answers, and sometimes different questions - and eliminated finalists after two incorrect answers until they were down to the last two.) > > Does anybody have specifics on how this year’s finals worked? That’s pretty much how it worked. Alex Trebek was the Host. The questions were very difficult, I thought. I only got a few of the questions. It was extremely slow paced with a lot of fluff. There were ten finalists, 9 boys/1 girl. I can’t remember all the states that were represented Utah, California, Arizona, Wisconsin, Louisiana, New Hampshire ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/7 "2012-05-31T04:00:12Z")
One thing that seemed a little curious: all four quarter-finalists were boys who appeared to be of South Asian extraction. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/8 "2012-05-31T16:13:16Z")
A good friend of mine’s son made it to the round before the finals. Nothing to add, just wanted to point out I know people! ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/9 "2012-05-31T17:54:30Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > One thing that seemed a little curious: all four quarter-finalists were boys who appeared to be of South Asian extraction. Actually 7 of the 10 finalists were of South Asian (Indian) extraction. two finalist were of “European” exrtration. One appeared to be of the Far East extraction. Either Chinese or Korean I think. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/10 "2012-05-31T18:59:50Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Where is it? I can’t find it. [Official National Geographic Bee website](http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/) > [@notfrommensa](#): > > That’s pretty much how it worked. Not from what I heard - this year, apparently they added some sort of “challenge question” format, and at certain intervals, the two low scores were eliminated until they got down to the last two. That’s why I posted in the first place. The ten finalists were from Arizona, California, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-geographic-bee-2012/623585/11 "2012-06-01T00:41:02Z")
I’m sorry I misread your OP, yes, they eliminated two contestants after a couple rounds of questions.