Nick Spangler, currently appearing as Matt in the Off Broadway revival of The Fantasticks, will compete in the season finale of The Amazing Race airing this Sunday, December 7, 2008.
After nine weeks of competition that has brought him to such diverse destinations as Cambodia, Bolivia, India and Kazakhstan, Spangler will be awarded the series' million dollar prize if he is first to cross the finish line in Portland, Oregon during Sunday's episode, which airs at 8PM ET on CBS.
Spangler can currently be seen as Matt at all performances of The Fantasticks.
Spangler, who goes on a personal journey through life, loss, adventure and love eight times a week as the young lover in The Fantasticks, is currently the front-runner on the reality competition which chronicles teams on a race around the world, having won six of nine weekly challenges.
Along with his sister and teammate Starr, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, the actor has raced through Salvador, Brazil against ten other teams and was the fastest to scale a 240-foot cargo net; hauled fish and unlocked a clue at Angkor Wat that led to victory in Siem Reap, Cambodia; painted a rickshaw and ironed clothes faster than anyone else for a third win in New Delhi, India; braved the Holi Festival and a busy outdoor marketplace in Old Delhi, India; gone head-to-head with rivals in Almaty, Kazakhstan and ate a dish of sheep's buttocks to secure victory number five; and used his impressive New York City subway skills to navigate Moscow's subway system. During the competition, Spangler won six first place finishes, tying the series record. He established a new record during week eight when he won the fifth of those finishes in a row.
The Spanglers have already won an amalgam of prizes including his-and-her electric cars, a WaveRunner, and trips to Belize, St. John, Hawaii and Anguilla.
Born and raised in northern California with three siblings, Spangler's theater career started at the age of five when he appeared as a Munchkin in a local production of The Wizard of Oz. He continued to pursue musical theater and attended college at NYU where he performed the leads in Bat Boy: the Musical and The Last Five Years. His other theater credits include Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (Gateway Playhouse), Jean Michael in La Cage Aux Folles (Arvada Center) and Matt in The Fantasticks (Casa Manana). Prior to assuming the role of Matt in The Fantasticks Off Broadway, Nick appeared in the production for nine months as The Mute. His performance as Matt was recognized with The Theater Hall of Fame's 2008 Elaine and Jerry Orbach Musical Theater Fellowship.
The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, which have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams. Contestants strive to arrive first at "pit stops" at the end of each leg of the race to win prizes and avoid coming in last, which carries the possibility of elimination or a significant disadvantage in the following leg. Contestants travel to and within multiple countries in a variety of transportation modes, including planes, taxis, rental cars, trains, buses and boats. The clues in each leg point the teams to the next destination or direct them to perform a task, either together or by a single member. These challenges are related in some manner to the country or culture where they are located. Teams are progressively eliminated until the team which arrives first in the final leg is awarded a large cash grand prize.
The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in the world. With book, lyrics and direction by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, it plays at The Snapple Theater Center, 210 West 50th Street at Broadway. The cast includes Lewis Cleale, Margaret Anne Florence, Tom Flagg, Gene Jones, Jordan Nichols, Michael Nostrand, Evy Ortiz, Steve Routman, John Thomas Waite and Richard Roland. For tickets call (212) 921-7862 or visit Ticketmaster.com.
