‘The Amazing Race’ Season 29 Twist: Complete Strangers Team Up to Compete

The Amazing Race Season 29
Top Row, L-R: Joey Covino, Tara Carr, Jessica Shields, Olive Beauregard, Michael Rad, Seth Tyler, Logan Bauer, Jennifer Lee, Shamir Arzeno, Scott Flanary, Vanck Zhu, Ashton Theiss; Bottom Row, L-R: Sara Fowler, Floyd Pierce, Liz Espey, Francesca Piccoli, Matt Ladley; Brooke Camhi, London Kaye, Kevin Ng, Becca Droz, and Redmond Ramos (Photo: Monty Brinton ©2016 CBS Broadcasting)

CBS’ Emmy Award-winning series The Amazing Race has come up with a new twist for season 29: the teams will be comprised of strangers. 22 racers will meet for the very first time when they hit the starting line to begin the race. According to CBS, the teams will be chosen on a ‘first impressions’ basis, with a special challenge determining the order of selection.

The Amazing Race season 29 teams will travel to nine countries and 17 different cities, with the winning team traveling more than 36,000 miles over the course of the season. Among the challenges the racers will face will be a 240 bungee jump into the Corinth Canal in Greece and skydiving in Norway. Season 29 will once again be hosted by Phil Keoghan and will kick off on March 30, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT.


“For years, The Amazing Race fans have suggested we line up complete strangers and match them up at the starting line to see what would happen. These newbie racers begin with no pre-existing relationships or emotional baggage, and the excitement of traveling around the world to complete dozens of gut-busting, mind-blowing challenges quickly ignites tension,” said Keoghan.

The Amazing Race, in scope, is the biggest reality show ever created. It brings people from all walks of life together on a global scale, and traditionally sends teams with established relationships on an adrenaline-packed, exotic adventure. However, this season, we are excited to pair complete strangers and see how they handle the pressure of traveling the world with someone they just met,” stated co-creator and executive producer Bertram van Munster.

The Amazing Race Season 29 Racers:

    Ashton Theiss from Fort Worth, TX – Residential Realtor
    Floyd Pierce from Boulder, CO – College Drum Major
    Brooke Camhi from New York – Criminal Attorney
    Liz Espey from Maryville, MO – Auctioneer
    Francesca Piccoli from St. Plano, TX – Army Drill Sergeant
    Jennifer Lee from Los Angeles, CA – Model
    Jessica Shields from Youngstown, OH – K-9 Police Officer
    Joey Covino from Saugus, MA – Police Sergeant
    Kevin Ng from San Diego, CA – Athletic Trainer
    Logan Bauer from Columbus, GA – Surgical Consultant
    London Kaye from Brooklyn, NY – Artist
    Matt Ladley from Denver, CO – Pro Snowboarder
    Michael Rado from Pittsburgh, PA – Butcher
    Olive Beauregard from Providence, RI – Firefighter
    Becca Droz from Boulder, CO – Rock Climbing Instructor
    Redmond Ramos from Murrieta, CA – Former Navy Corpsman
    Sara Fowler from St. John, Virgin Islands – Luxury Realtor
    Scott Flanary from West Hollywood, CA – Recruiting Manager
    Seth Tyler from Seattle, WA – Police Officer
    Shamir Arzeno from Jersey City, NJ – Wall Street Banker
    Tara Carr from Alexandria, VA – Army Officer
    Vanck Zhu from New York – Wall Street Analyst