At the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee with Robe

	"I was pleasantly surprised at the power of the iSpiiders," Vesta says, adding that he only had to run them at 20% to get audience and set washes in different shades." Photo: E. M. Pio Roda for Scripps National Spelling Bee

In its final week, the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee whittled down nearly 250 spellers to ten participants in a live televised finale. The event was staged for the first time in a new venue, the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.

Lighting the event for the first time was John Viesta, invited by executive producer Michael Davies, who wanted to ramp up the intellectualism and intensity of the event, complete with more tension, suspense, and theatrical drama.

Viesta, who used Robe iFORTES on BravoCon Live with Andy Cohen in Las Vegas, again specified the units, adding 90 to the lighting plot, together with 75 Robe iSpiiders, plus some other fixtures, all delivered by rental vendor Main Light.

This show, directed by Michael Dempse, brought a Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? vibe to the grand finale. Viesta worked closely with the creative team, including set designer Bruce Ryan, and the scenic fabrication crew from Legacy Scenic, as the production staging was installed in the venue's presentation hall space.

The iFORTES and iSpiiders were used to light the contestants, set and audience, with the iFORTES delivering all the key lighting and specials. "After using iFORTES in Las Vegas, I really felt that we had unlocked a new formula for TV -- they are simply great lights," he says. He adds that the units rigged on overhead trusses were not easy to access, so the units' reliability was an asset.

Viesta hadn't used iSpiiders before, but he needed quantities of good-quality wash lights, and Main Light had them available. Their primary job was to light the audience, all of whom were invested in the action unfolding onstage as the young spellers demonstrated their impressive brainpower.

"I was pleasantly surprised at the power of the iSpiiders," Vesta says, adding that he only had to run them at 20% to get audience and set washes in different shades. He also appreciated that the iSpiiders can be pixel-mapped and are "great for commercial bumpers" as well as for some slow, very subtle undulating texturing and movement.

A key to Bee Week's aesthetic was a bit of prime-time razzamatazz that didn't distract the spellers. The constant interaction between the spellers and the judges also needed to be captured for TV; Viesta says the iFORTE's high CRI and shutters were ideal for repeatability, enabling the framing of people with attractive soft pools of controlled light.

"I absolutely loved the experience," Viesta says. "In fact, it's become my favorite show of the year to light so far!"

VIesta worked alongside lighting director Tyler M. Perry, lighting programmer Bob Going, supervising gaffer John Salzmann, gaffers Tom Thayer, Eric Kasprisin and Nkosi Mason, head production rigger Shawn Robinson and production rigger Nick Fedeli.