Charlito "Chip" Tolentino is a participant in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Analysis[]
Chip is a Boy Scout and a pitcher on a Little League team. He was the winner of the 24th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and went on to nationals, but according to Marcy, did not place in the top ten. He enters the 25th Annual bee to defend his title, but is the first official character to get out, losing before the final audience volunteer. Upon spotting Leaf's sister, Marigold Coneybear, in the audience, he starts to fantasize about her right before his turn, but puberty attacks in the wrong moment, and he gets an erection when it's his turn to spell. He asks to be skipped that round and spell two words in a row in the next one, but he is told to either take his turn or forfeit. Chip is surprised to be given the 'erotic' sounding word "tittup," and he misspells his word, taking him out of the competition. He is forced to sell snacks during the bee's intermission, which brings him into his musical number, "My Unfortunate Erection," otherwise known as "Chip's Lament." After being teased by William, he throws a bag of peanut M&Ms at him and calls him a loser before being taken off stage. He isn't seen again until William wins the bee and all the eliminated spellers come out to congratulate him. At the end of the musical, Chip states that he made it through adolescence, and in time came to appreciate his erection, as did many others.
Appearance[]
Chip has dark brown hair, slicked into a neat side part, and large glasses with a blue string to keep them from slipping. He wears his boy scout uniform to the bee, complete with about 11 scout badges. He wears a watch on his left wrist, and black Converse All-Stars for shoes.
Personality[]
Chip is shown to be somewhat stuck up and very confident, telling Marcy to not be nervous and "watch what he does". He is shocked that he loses the bee so quickly, shouting that he won the year prior, and asking for one more chance. He is quick to anger, as seen when he picks a fight with William after being taunted. He is going through the very awkward stages of puberty and has a crush on Marigold Coneybear.
Trivia[]
• According to Jose Llana, in the adult version of Spelling Bee, an exclusive night for adults that shows a raunchier version of the musical, Chip "finishes off" at the end of his song. This is likely implying he climaxes, as his song is entirely about his erection. [1]
• A few people online have also stated that in the "Dirty Bee" Chip has a crush on a boy, likely Leaf's brother, implying Chip to be canonically bisexual. Because there is so little online about the Dirty Bee, not even a recap, there are no real sources to confirm if this fact is true or not.