CBS has announced the identities of the 11 teams who will be competing on the twentieth season of The Amazing Race, which will premiere Sunday, February 19 at 8PM ET/PT.
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Like prior The Amazing Race editions, the members of the 11 teams competing on the show's twentieth installment have a pre-existing relationship with one another. One pair is an engaged couple, one team is comprised of dating divorcees, two teams are married couples, three consist of family members, and four feature friends.
In addition, the cast also features one team that may already be familiar to The Amazing Race viewers: "Engaged Couple" Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas, who will be making their third appearance on a CBS reality series within the last two years.
Reilly and Villegas first met when they competed on Big Brother's twelfth season in 2010. After beginning a "showmance" during the competition, Reilly and Villegas continued dating and got engaged on Valentine's Day before returning to Big Brother as part of this past summer's thirteenth season "duos" twist in which three pairs of former houseguests were given a second chance to compete on the show.
While Villegas was evicted -- twice -- from the Big Brother house midway through the competition, Reilly made it to the thirteenth-season finale, where she took home the show's $500,000 grand prize after winning a 4-3 jury vote over fellow contestant Porsche Briggs.
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Reports of Reilly and Villegas' The Amazing Race participation had previously surfaced in late November when airport patrons spotted the couple being filmed by camera crews as they waited to board departing flights at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, CA, and posted photos of teams on Twitter.
The Amazing Race's twentieth season covered 40,000 miles and included visits to five continents and 22 cities, according to CBS. Several locations were visited for the first time in the reality franchise's history -- including Paraguay and Azerbaijan.
In addition, the season will feature the teams taking on tasks such as skydiving in Argentina, training with the Masai warriors in Tanzania, racing through Africa's "Garden of Eden," and searching for King Ludwig's quarters in the German castle that served as the inspiration for the castle in Sleeping Beauty, according to the network.
The 11 teams competing on The Amazing Race's twentieth season -- and their CBS-released bio information -- are:
"Married Couple" Dave Brown Jr. and Rachel Brown
Dave is a 33-year-old U.S. Army officer and Rachel is a 30-year-old project manager. They are both from Madison, WI.
"Friends" William "Bopper" Minton and Mark Jackson
Bopper is a 41-year-old motorcycle mechanic and Mark is a 45-year-old former state inspector. They are both from Manchester, KY.
"Federal Agents and Friends" Nary Ebeid and Jamie Graetz
Nary is 32-years-old and Jamie is 33-years-old. They both are federal agents from Los Angeles, CA.
"Engaged Couple" Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly
Brendon is a 31-year-old PhD student and Rachel is a 27-year-old event hostess. They are both from Westwood, CA
"Friends" Joey "Fitness" Lasalla and Danny Horal
Fitness is a 29-year-old trainer and supplement company owner from Whitestone, NY, and Danny is a 27-year-old nightclub promoter from Holbrook, NY.
"Sisters" Misa Tanaka and Maiya Tanaka
Misa is a 27-year-old car buyer and Maiya is a 25-year-old professional golfer. They are both from San Diego, CA.
"Married Clowns" Dave Gregg and Cherie Gregg
Dave and Cherie are both 44-year-old "ambassadors of laughter" from New Port Richey, FL
"Twin Brothers" Elliot Weber and Andrew Weber
Elliot is a 28-year-old musician from Scottsdale, AZ, and Andrew is a 28-year-old professional soccer player from Menlo Park, CA
"Cousins" Kerri Paul and Stacy Bowers
Kerri is a program coordinator and Stacy is self employed and a basketball wife. They are both 30-years-old and from Gulfport, MS
"Dating Divorcees" Vanessa Macias and Ralph Kelley
Vanessa is a 31-year-old freelance writer and Ralph is a 36-year-old bar owner. They are both from San Antonio, TX.
"Border Patrol Agents and Friends" Art Velez and J.J. Carrell
Art is a 43-year-old from Temecula, CA, and J.J. is a 42-year-old from Carlsbad, CA. They are both border patrol agents.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski