The Gimmick, an off the beaten path Ybor City comedy venue, hosts a drunk spelling bee this month

The Gimmick in Ybor City, Florida captured for the internet c. December 2025. Credit: Screengrab by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay / Google. Maps Over the summer, the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee came down to a spelloff between 14-year-old Shrey Parikh from California and 12-year-old Ishaan Gupta from New Jersey. They each had 90 seconds to spell as many words correctly as possible. Parikh ended up doing 32, setting a new record. Words in the tournament included Parikh’s final word, “bromocriptine,” and you can bet there’s no way the contestants at this local bee will get close to that. Hosting what s billed as the “F*cked Up Spelling Bee,” DIY east Ybor City spot The Gimmick (literally facing the tracks between 22nd and 23rd Streets, near Casa Santo Stefano), the venue promises to showcase comedians getting drunk and trying to impress the crowd and esteemed panel with their intelligence or lack thereof. The best part, it’s BYOB for anyone who buys a ticket. Tickets for F