The cast for the upcoming special season of CBS’ award-winning reality competition series The Amazing Race has been announced, with all of the teams consisting of dating couples. Six of the teams will be made up of pre-existing couples, while five of the teams will be made up of people who are meeting each other for the first time for what the network labels as the “most extreme blind date ever.” The five teams will meet their partners in the race for the first time when they hit the starting line.
The Amazing Race couples edition will premiere on February 25, 2015 at 9:30pm ET/PT before moving to its regular time slot of Fridays at 8pm. Phil Keoghan returns as host.
“Usually we have people who know each other really well. In this particular case, we have five blind dates and six regular dates,” explained Bertram van Munster, Co-Creator and Executive Producer of The Amazing Race. “Going on a blind date to a restaurant is one thing, but going on a blind date around the world is like rolling the dice in a big way.”
Among this upcoming season’s competitors hoping to win the $1 million grand prize for finishing in first are Olympic medalists, a Navy doctor, and Jonathan Knight from New Kids on the Block.
The Preexisting Dating Couples:
Name: Aly Dudek
Age: 24
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wis.
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: Olympic Athlete
*won bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in short track speed skating
Name: Steven Langton
Age: 31
Hometown: Boston, Mass.
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: Olympic Athlete
*won 2 bronze medals at the 2014 Sochi Olympics in bobsledding
Length of relationship: 7 months
___________________
Name: Harley Rodriguez
Age: 41
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: Group Fitness Trainer
Name: Jonathan Knight (@JonathanRKnight)
Age: 46
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: Entertainer (New Kids on the Block member)
Length of relationship: 7 years
___________________
Name: Jeff Magee
Age: 57
Hometown: McCall, Idaho
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: Airline Pilot
Name: Lyda Grawn
Age: 49
Hometown: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: Flight Attendant
Length of relationship: Known 20 years, dating 4 years
___________________
Name: C.J. Harris
Age: 26
Hometown: Tuskegee, Ala.
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: IT Technician
Name: Lebya Simpson
Age: 25
Hometown: Tuskegee, Ala.
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: Medical Support Assistant
Length of Relationship: Known for 15 years, dating for 10
___________________
Name: Matt Cucolo
Age: 30
Hometown: Scarsdale, N.Y.
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: Hairstylist
Name: Ashley Gordon
Age: 28
Hometown: Scarsdale, N.Y.
Connection to your teammate: Dating
Occupation: Hairstylist
Length of Relationship: Known 10 years, dating 3 years
___________________
Name: Rochelle Nevedal
Age: 29
Hometown: Kalkaska, Mich.
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: Contract Engineer
Name: Michael Dombrowski
Age: 26
Hometown: Traverse City, Mich.
Relationship Status: Dating
Occupation: Truck Stop Manager/Pro Wrestling Promoter
Length of Relationship: 2 years
The Blind Date Couples:
Name: Hayley Keel
Age: 28
Hometown: St. Petersburg, Fla.
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Registered Nurse
Name: Blair Townsend
Age: 31
Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Navy Physician
___________________
Name: Jackie Ibarra
Age: 27
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Professional Dancer
Name: Jeffrey Weldon
Age: 26
Hometown: Tampa, Fla.
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Account Executive/Sales
___________________
Name: Laura Pierson
Age: 29
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Talent Booker
Name: Tyler Adams
Age: 26
Hometown: Santa Monica, Calif.
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Mobile App Developer
___________________
Name: Jenny Wu
Age: 32
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Blogger and Lawyer
Name: Jelani Roy
Age: 32
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Lawyer
___________________
Name: Bergen Olson
Age: 23
Hometown: Sunnyvale, Calif.
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Human Resources Project Manager
Name: Kurt Jordan Belcher
Age: 24
Hometown: Butler, Ky.
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Pageant Consultant
