From Fantastick to Amazing: Actor Nick Spangler to Compete on TV's "Amazing Race"

By Kenneth Jones
19 Aug 2008

Nick Spangler
Nick Spangler

Nick Spangler, who goes on a journey into the wide, cruel world nightly as Matt in Off-Broadway's The Fantasticks, will circle the globe this fall as a competitor on the CBS reality series "The Amazing Race."

Along with his cheerleader sister, Starr, Spangler will battle other teams in a race against the clock, navigating roads, airports and waterways and completing tasks cooked up by the producers. Past teams have done everything from lug a side of beef through the streets to milking a camel — and drinking the warm milk.

The 13th season of the Emmy Award-winning series (premiering Sept. 28 at 8 PM ET) begins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and follows teams across 30,000 miles in 23 days to Brazil, Bolivia, India, Russia and Kazakhstan.

At stake is a $1 million prize.

At the Snapple Theater Center in the Manhattan theatre district, clean-cut Spangler goes from innocence to experience nightly as Matt, who sings "Soon It's Gonna Rain," "They Were You" and "I Can See It" — that famous song about roads that take you away.
"He's a hottie — a hottie, a hottie," said Pat Addiss, one of the producers of The Fantasticks. "The girls just love him. He's such a professional. He's adorable…all the little girls come and get autographs…"

Addiss said she'll be watching "The Amazing Race" every week to see how the Spanglers fare. All parties involved in the series are sworn to secrecy about the result of the pre-taped and edited race.

Nick and his sister Starr Spangler
photo by © CBS
Born and raised in northern California with three siblings, Spangler's theatre 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 theatre and attended college at New York University where he performed the leads in Bat Boy: the Musical and The Last Five Years. His other theatre 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 Off-Broadway performance as Matt was recognized with The Theater Hall of Fame's 2008 Elaine and Jerry Orbach Musical Theater Fellowship.

Starr Spangler, his sister, is a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys.

The Fantasticks plays The Snapple Theater Center, 210 West 50th Street at Broadway. For tickets call (212) 921-7862 or visit Ticketmaster.com.