it struck me that David was undergoing respiratory arrest.

He didn't look so hot either. Actually, in an earlier round, a contestant was so overcome, he actually fainted on stage. Before any of the onlookers could rush to his aid, he got back to his feet, headed straight for the microphone, and SPELLED HIS WORD CORRECTLY before going to have a bit of a sit down. Incredible performance under pressure.


EDIT: I see that it made mention of Akshay Buddiga (the fainter) in the article Bingley linked to, now that I've read it. I also loved this paragraph:

When spellers heard the dreaded ding of the bell for a misspelling, they were escorted off stage to a comfort room of snacks and sodas — and a dictionary, just in case they wanted to review what went wrong.

What good is a dictionary going to do them? They obviously don't know how to spell the word they lost on! ;)