Your 2015 Scripps Spelling Bee C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N is Vanya Shivashankar … AND Gokul Venkatachalam. In the final round of competition, the 13 and 14-year-olds confidentially battled back and forth spelling words like nunatak and Bruxellois. Venkatachalam’s hobbies include worshipping LeBron James and listening to rap and alternative music. Vanya likes swimming, playing the tuba, and eating pizza. The winner gets $30,000 and a trophy from Scripps, as well as $5,000 from Words With Friends, a $2,500 savings bond from Merriam-Webster, and reference books from Encyclopedia Brittanica. This is the second year in a row that two spellers have won the championship.
