So it's time to name your champion of the '2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee' (Fri., 8PM ET on ABC). And your winner is ...

[Spoiler alert.]

Flipping around last night, I caught the last half-dozen or so rounds of the National Spelling Bee on ABC. It was all there in primetime glitz and glory: bright lights, flashy ESPN graphics that show the participants' best finish in previous bees, the lovely Erin Andrews prowling the backstage area, and Tom Bergeron making lame quips during the "play by play."

It was quite a slick production. Then I remembered something: They're kids.

I mean, they're under enough pressure as it is, and it's not always from the competition itself (ever see Spellbound, the movie that spurred the bee's popularity? Some of those parents were pretty harsh). Why add to the pressure by having them try to spell these difficult words on live primetime television?

If you've ever read Grey Matter, the blog written by Shonda Rhimes and her Grey's Anatomy writing staff, you know that Rhimes likes to reveal quite a bit of her inner geek. When she talks about her characters, she does so with the zeal of a teenager, albeit a teenager who works in the A/V club and wishes she were one of the cheerleaders who was dating the football captain.

So it's refreshing to see Rhimes gushing over something other than Meredith Grey's romantic choices or Derek Shepherd's McDreaminess. Over on the funny pop culture blog A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago, she live-blogs the National Spelling Bee, which aired its final round last night.

• At 8, ABC has the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
• CBS has the premiere of Pirate Master at 8.
• FOX has a new Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? and a new So You Think You Can Dance.
• Four more great Friends episodes at 8 on TBS.
• TCM has two hostage dramas starting at 8: The Desperate Hours, with Humphery Bogart, and The Night Holds Terror, with Jack Kelly.
• At 9, USA has the premiere of the mini-series The Starter Wife.
• TLC has a new American Chopper at 9.
• HBO Zone has the high school noir drama Brick at 9.
• At 10, NBC has a new Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
• Food Network has a new Throwdown with Bobby Flay at 10.
• Also at 10: Spike has a new Ultimate Fighter.
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Showbiz Show with David Spade.

Check your local TV listings for more.

The National Spelling Bee is going to become primetime entertainment next month when it airs on ABC. For the last 12 years, the final rounds of the contest have aired on ESPN. But, with recent national interest in the spelling bee, thanks to several movies and a Broadway play, it's going primetime. Gee, those poor kids are already nervous enough. Imagine trying to spell 'appoggiatura' (last year's winning word) knowing you're live on ABC!

The final round of the National Spelling Bee airs live on ABC on June 1 from 8-10 pm. I may actually make a night of it by watching Spellbound on DVD and then watching the final round. Nerd night for me!