News

Yep, a "Milkshake" Joke at the Spelling Bee

by Kate Ward
Alex Wong/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Every year, children from around the country gather to showcase their mental prowess at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC. Let's put stress on that word, children. So it was a bit of a surprise during the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee when the 1980 victor who is famous for reading the definitions year after year, Jacques Bailly, made a "Milkshake" joke. And, no, I'm not referring to a pun involving the diner treat. I'm referring to... Kelis' "Milkshake." You know, the song about boobs.

When introducing a word, "feijoada," to future co-winner Sriram Hathwar at the Spelling Bee, Bailly actually read the following on live TV, in front of the Bee's hundreds of children: "Tabitha discovered while her milkshake brought all the boys to the yard..." But viewers never got to see if the rest of that sentence was to become as R-rated as its first half let on. Instead, Bailly cut himself off, simply telling the audience and Hathwar, "Oh, sorry, I was reading the wrong sentence." (For the record, "feijoada" means "a thick stew that is made of black beans and preferably fatty meat [as sausage] with vegetables and that is popular in Brazil and some other South American countries.")

So, what gives? Huge judgment error? An ill-advised "Milkshake"-sausage joke? (Sorry.) Or was Bailly merely punk'd by someone wondering if he'd read anything that appeared on his teleprompter? (Someone's been watching Anchorman.) But, most importantly, what happened when Tabitha discovered the draw of her milkshake?

No matter what the reasoning behind the Kelis shout-out, it's undeniable Bailly's gaffe delivered one thing: a TV moment. Can you spell H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S?