This quote makes me feel a bit better about fairness:
The judges have put on their serious faces. To their left sits
Alex Cameron, aka the Pronouncer. He gives spellers their
words. He may also provide the word's part of speech,
language of origin, and definition, and use it in a sentence if
the speller asks. An English professor at the University of
Dayton, Cameron has warmed the Pronouncer's chair since
1981. He is a jowly, ruddy-faced man with an authoritative
presence, like a stern but kindly uncle.