BWW Interview - ALADDIN's Mike Cannon Competes on NBC's 'ULTIMATE TEAM CHALLENGE' Tonight

Mike Cannon, an original company member of Broadway's ALADDIN who also serves as the show's dance captain and fight captain, put together a group of Broadway dancers to participate in NBC's reality sports competition SPARTAN: ULTIMATE TEAM CHALLENGE. Calling themselves 'Team Showtime', the team is comprised of Samantha Zack (HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS, WICKED), Yurel Echezarreta (ALADDIN, MATILDA, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES), Heather Tepe (MATILDA, BILLY ELLIOT), and Katie Huber (Dancer for Boston Celtics).

The team won the first heat of the competition when they debuted on last week's episode of the show. (Watch the episode in full on the NBC app or visit http://www.nbc.com/spartan-ultimate-team-challenge/episodes) Tonight, they battle it out in the second round of the tournament. The episode airs from 10-11 p.m. ET on NBC.

"I wanted to put a team of dancers together to show that we are true athletes," Cannon tells BWW on how the group came together. "So I put something on Facebook and people responded. Then we all made application videos and got accepted three weeks before the competition."

Team Showtime wasted no time preparing for the tournament. "The team got together as much as we could to exercise. We trained outside. We ran through Central Park and the West Side Highway", he explains. "We would do pull ups on trees and carry street barricades and anything heavy we could find. We also went to Obstacle Athletics in Long Island to get some tips from Spartan trainers."

Asked how their physical training as Broadway dancers gave them an edge over the competition, Cannon offers, "We know how to work together, we are balanced in our strength, we have great stamina, and we are by far the most flexible team in the competition."

Speaking about the overall experience of participating on the reality competition, the dancer shares, "It was amazing. It was a life changer. The team got so close. The course was so demanding. I felt myself wanting to give up but I couldn't let my team down."

His teammates share his sentiments. "We've all talked about how we all felt the same way. We went out there and competed in a sport where we had no previous experience and it was on national television. We proved we are true athletes."

Don't miss 'Team Showtime' on tonight's SPARTAN: ULTIMATE TEAM CHALLENGE, 10 pm/et on NBC

Mike Cannon's other Broadway credits include GHOST THE MUSICAL, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, WEST SIDE STORY, A CHORUS LINE and ALL SHOOK UP.

Photo credit: Mark Hill/NBC