Monday, December 8, 2008

TCU alumna wins "The Amazing Race"


It's been an "Amazing Race" TCU alumna Starr Spangler '08 and older brother Nick.

The siblings took first place and the reality show's $1 million prize in the finale, which aired last night on CBS.

The duo charged through the last leg of the global race in Portland, Ore. They balanced on a beam high in the air, descended a zip line from 2,000 feet and solved a complex puzzle.

They then searched throughout the city for clues to where the finish line was before frantically hailing a taxi to it.

After crossing it, the siblings hugged. Starr, 21, told her brother: "You're my best friend. I love you."
Nick said he was proud of his sister, who is a year her elder.

"She's been unbelievable on this race," he said. "More than $1 million, more than being the winners of 'The Amazing ace,' "I love the experience that I've gone through with my sister, and I've loved seeing her succeed so greatly."

Contestants logged nearly 40,000 miles on a trip that took them through Brazil, Bolivia, New Zealand, Cambodia, India, Kazakhstan and Russia.

Team Spangler won the most rounds on the series thanks to their speed and determination despite the occasional clueless cab driver. Starr even showed her Horned Frog spirit on one episode, wearing a TCU-baseball hat as she spray-painted taxis in India.

While at TCU, Starr was an early standout too – making the Showgirls Dance Team her freshman year at age 17. In the spring of her freshman year, she auditioned for and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, where she appeared on another reality show – CMT’s “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Cut.”

She was on the squad for three years and according to her website www.nickandstarr.com, got an inside look at the entertainment industry while working with a wide variety of acts from Kelly Clarkson to Sheryl Crow.

“It was an incredible journey where Starr truly grew from a girl to a woman, learning the ins and outs of the media entertainment industry in a classy way,” the site reports. “As Starr approached her senior year of college, thoughts of whether or not to stay in Texas with the Cowboys rang in her ears. After randomly seeing an Amazing Race repeat episode one day, she decided to call her brother Nick, demanding it was now or never once again. She flew to see him in Colorado, and in two days they put together their audition video, sent it to CBS, and hoped for the best.

“As she and Nick prepared for the race it was clear that new doors were opening and her time in Texas was coming to a close. Starr graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Christian University and is currently an Analytical Behavior Analyst, working with autistic children.”

Already Team Spangler has racked up an impressive array of Travelocity prizes for their Pit Stop first place finishes including last night’s trip for two to Anguilla complete with sunset cruise and spa treatments.
Just goes to show Frogs are true globehoppers.

For more info including previously aired episodes, go to http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/
- Kathryn and Rick

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