I setup a few word filters to require approval if a certain word or phrase was added to someone's About me profile field.

It doesn't seem to actually work in this location. 

Did you test it using an account that isn't allowed to bypass filters? The reason I say this is that Admin accounts, by default, have this allowed as the Administrators group is configured to do so:

My advice would be to make 100% sure that your testing is done under an account that doesn't have that enabled in the account's group (both primary and secondary)

 

 

So all users who join are auto added to a "Curious" group they have hardly any permissions, but yet spammers will register and fill out their profile including phrases like "escorts" and the like. I have that phrase in my word filters to require approval before making visible.