CBS has formally announced the identities of the 11 former The Amazing Race teams who will return to compete on The Amazing Race: All-Stars, the new all-stars edition the network will premiere Sunday, February 23 at 8PM ET/PT.
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The upcoming season, which was filmed in November, will be the reality franchise's 24th overall season and third all-stars edition. It will feature teams who didn't win their original The Amazing Race seasons.
The first all-stars season, Season 11, aired in 2007. The next edition featuring veteran Racers was dubbed The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business and aired in Spring 2011. The pairs were collected from the show's twelfth season to its seventeenth season.
This time around, returning Racers will derive from Season 14 up to Season 23. However, rather than a fairly balanced representation from each of the eight seasons, the 11-team cast features five teams from The Amazing Race's 22nd season and three teams from the show's eighteenth season.
Some of the couples appeared on more than one previous edition, and the list does not include a seventeenth-season or nineteenth-season team.
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All the teams, who have a pre-existing relationship with one another -- such as "Best Friends" or "Mother and Son" -- will be looking to get a second or third chance at winning the show's grand prize of $1 million.
"Teams will be put to the test as they travel through four continents and nine countries, spanning more than 35,000 miles. The Race will take them on a mission high above the city in Guangzhou, China, rappelling down the roaring rapids of the Kiansom Waterfall in Malaysia, fighting with Gladiators in Rome, Italy and fueling up vehicles in Sri Lanka," according to CBS.
In addition, "a dramatic twist" will result in "one team will not make it to the starting line" -- a teaser that would seem to refer to eyewitness reports and online spoilers that former The Amazing Race contestant Mallory Ervin ended up racing with Mark Jackson after his original teammate, William "Bopper" Minton, was forced to withdraw due to illness.
According to CBS, the 11 teams competing on The Amazing Race: All-Stars, the show's third all-stars season are:
- "The Afghanimals" Leo Temory and Jamal Zadran, who finished in fourth place on Season 23
Leo is a 27-year-old entrepreneur and restaurateur from Torrance, CA. His cousin Jamal is the 26-year-old owner of Zadran Investment Group from Irvine, CA.
- "Newlyweds" Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly, who finished in third place on Season 20
Brendon is a 33-year-old PhD student in biomedical physics at UCLA and his "Brenchel" teammate Rachel is a 30-year-old TV personality. They are both from Los Angeles, CA.
- "The Country Singers" Jennifer Wayne and Caroline Cutbirth, who finished in fourth place on Season 22
Jennifer is a 31-year-old songwriter from Nashville, TN. Her friend Caroline is a 30-year-old Ramblin' music producer from Waca, TX.
- "The Cowboy Brothers" Cord McCoy and Jet McCoy, who finished in second place on Season 16 and sixth place on Season 18.
Cord is a 33-year-old cowboy from Tupelo, OK. Jet is a 34-year-old rancher from Ada, OK.
- "Father and Son Cancer Survivors" David O'Leary and Connor O'Leary, who finished in eighth place on Season 22
David is a 59-year-old real estate investor and his son Connor is a 22-year-old student and professional cyclist. They are both from Salt Lake City, UT.
- "The Globetrotters" Herbert "Flight Time" Lang and Nate "Big Easy" Lofton, who finished in fourth place on Season 15 and second place on Season 18
Herbert is a 37-year-old from Brinkley, AR and his friend Nate is a 32-year-old from New Orleans, LA. They are both Harlem Globetrotters.
- "Engaged Couple" John Erck and Jessica Hoel, who finished in ninth place on Season 22
John is a 28-year-old iOS developer from Mora, MN. Jessica is a 27-year-old saleswoman from Eden Prairie, MN.
- "Mother and Son" Margie O'Donnell and Luke Adams, who finished in third place on Season 14 and eighth place on Season 18
Margie is a 56-year-old RN and Sr. clinical research associate from Colorado Springs, CO. Her son Luke is a 28-year-old advancement associate and motivational speaker from Philadelphia, PA.
- "Twin Sisters" Natalie Anderson and Nadiya Anderson, who finished in fourth place on Season 21
Natalie is a student and her "twinnie" Nadiya is studying to be a CrossFit instructor. They are both 27-years-old and from Edgewater, NJ.
- "Best Friends" Joseph "Joey" Graceffa and Meghan Caramena, who finished in fifth place on Season 22
Joseph is 22-years-old and Meghan is 26-years-old. They are both YouTube hosts from Los Angeles, CA.
- "Kentucky Friends" William "Bopper" Minton and Mark Jackson, who finished in fifth place on Season 20.
William is 43-years-old and Mark is 47-years-old. They are both currently unemployed and from Clay County, KY.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski