VIDEO : Sixteen Contenders to Face Off In Final of U.S. Spelling Bee

On Thursday Reuters reported that 16 young contestants made it to the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, after five hours of tense competition. The 91st annual bee, which began on Tuesday and ends on Thursday night, opened with a field of more than 515 spellers, aged 8 to 15, hailing from across the United States and eight other countries. The competition in the Maryland suburbs of Washington will have a worldwide audience tuning in for a live broadcast of the finals on ESPN.