Crespin makes "Live with Kelly" "fab five"

He's done it again, although few people in Amarillo are surprised.

Jason Crespin has made the short list of five finalists left the "Live with Kelly" co-host contest.

The show's website revealed the people remaining in the competition just before 9 a.m. today.

When the Globe-News attempted to reach Crespin by text this morning, there was no reply until 9:06 a.m. when he wrote: "Sorry I was watching it from FaceTime with a past student in NYC and had phone on do not disturb lol."

His first emotional reaction: "This is crazy!!!!"

The Amarillo Little Theater Academy director has advanced each step of the way so far, since Kelly Ripa announced the challenge on September 7, in his quest to win a trip to New York and to be Ripa's sidekick for an entire broadcast Friday, October 21.

Since the contestants were pared down to 10 on Wednesday, the show's producers have done Skype interviews with them to narrow the list to five. Crespin told the Globe-News later that day he thought his eight-minute session with the "Live" crew went well and he was looking forward to the next step in the process.

Crespin and the other four people still standing will now fly to New York for the next round. Each day next week, one of them will be eliminated based on viewer votes cast on the program's website. We will learn who the grand prize winner is on the October 20 show.

"I am overjoyed and so excited!" Crespin texted. "Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive. All the prayers and positive thoughts sent my way the past week has been amazing. I appreciate it all so much and I am excited to represent Amarillo in the Big Apple"

The theater director said he thinks he will be on a flight on Sunday, but didn't know the exact details yet.

Crespin's four fellow competitors are Atlanta TV host Beth Keener; comedian Dena Blizzard from Moorestown, New Jersey; former competitive gymnast Dax Holt from Anaheim, California; and high school teacher Richard Curtis from Perkasie, Pennsylvania.