CBS has formally announced the identities of the 11 teams who will be competing on The Amazing Race's sixteenth season, which will premiere on Sunday, February 14 at 8PM ET/PT.
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As expected, the cast includes Big Brother eleventh-season winner Jordan Lloyd and Jeff Schroeder, her fellow former housemate-turned-boyfriend.
While the Big Brother couple had been spotted beginning the race along with several other teams at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in November, CBS had previously declined to confirm the identities of any of the members of the cast -- which also includes 20-year-old Caite Upton, the former Miss South Carolina Teen USA who made headlines when she gave a nonsensical answer during the interview portion of the 2007 national pageant.
A CBS spokesperson could not immediately confirm how Upton was allowed to compete on the show despite being a year short of its minimum age eligibility requirement, however CBS' Big Brother and Survivor reality competitions have both made similar "producers' discretion" exceptions in the past.
Like all previous The Amazing Race editions, each team's members already have a pre-existing relationship of some kind. Five of the teams are couples who are married or dating, while four teams feature family members and two are friends or co-workers.
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However the cast appears to be more geographically balanced and less California-focused than some of the show's more recent seasons. Despite their vast size differences, Rhode Island (two teams) and California (three teams) are represented almost equally among the cast's hometowns. Texas is also home to the hometown of two other teams, with Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and South Carolina rounding the locations of the remaining contestants' hometowns.
While the cast includes the usual assortment of models, actresses and model/actresses, it also features several contestants with more unusual occupations -- including a baseball coach, a bull rider, a cowboy, two (soon-to-be former, apparently) undercover detectives, and a 71-year-old personal trainer.
The Amazing Race's sixteenth season covered 40,000 miles and included visits to five continents and eight countries. After beginning the race by having to take public transportation to LAX (an Amazing Race first), the teams flew to Chile -- where they encountered "one of the most daunting Roadblocks in the history of the series," according to CBS.
The season's tasks also included a grueling World War I reenactment in France, a retracing of the early days of The Beatles, and coming "face-to-face with one of the world's most infamous villains."
The full details -- including their CBS-supplied biographical information -- on the 11 teams competing on The Amazing Race's sixteenth season are:
"Dating Models" Caite Upton and Brent Horne
Caite is a 20-year-old model/actress from Lexington, SC. Brent is a 28-year-old advertising model from Columbia, SC.
"Detectives" Louis Stravato and Michael Naylor
Louis is a 47-year-old undercover detective while Michael is a 45-year-old undercover detective. Both are from Providence, RI.
"Father/Daughter" Steve Smith and Allie Smith
Steve is a 57-year-old professional baseball coach. Allie is a 23-year-old who works in marketing. Both are from Encinitas, CA.
"Newly Dating Couple" Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd
Jeff is a 31-year-old salesman from Norridge, IL. Jordan is a 22-year-old receptionist from Charlotte, NC.
"Moms/Attorneys" Monique Pryor and Shawne Morgan
Monique is a 39-year-old attorney from West Orange, NJ. Shawne is a 39-year-old attorney from Bowie, MD.
"Brothers/Cowboys" Jet McCoy and Cord McCoy
Jet is a 30-year-old cowboy from Ada, OK. Cord is a 29-year-old professional bull rider from Tupelo, OK
"Married High School Sweethearts" Adrian Davis and Dana Davis
Adrian is a 40-year-old who works in medical sales. Dana is a 39-year-old marketing manager. They are from Arlington, TX.
"Grandmother/Granddaughter" Jody Kelly and Shannon Foster
Jody is a 71-year-old personal trainer from Round Rock, TX. Shannon is a 22-year-old healthcare outreach contract analyst from Georgetown, TX.
"Dating Couple" Carol Rosenfeld and Brandy Snow
Carol is a 47-year-old consultant. Brandy is a 40-year-old actress and voice over artist. Both are from Los Angeles, CA.
"Brothers" Dan Pious and Jordan Pious
Dan is a 24-year-old financial advisor. Jordan is a 22-year-old strategic consultant. Both are from Barrington, RI.
"Married Couple" Joe Wang and Heidi Wang
Joe is a 42-year-old software salesman. Heidi is a 37-year-old stay-at-home mom. They are from El Segundo, CA.
About The Author: Steven Rogers