CBS Announces Cast for Next Season of THE AMAZING RACE, Premiering 9/29

CBS announced today the 11 teams that will embark on a sprint around the globe for $1 million dollars on the new season of THE AMAZING RACE, premiering Sunday, Sept. 29 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Emmy Award winner Phil Keoghan (@philkeoghan) is the host.

THE AMAZING RACE has won the Emmy Award for "Outstanding Reality-Competition Program" nine times in the past 10 years. Currently, the series is nominated for its 10th Emmy in this category.

This season, which marks the 23nd race around the world for the series, will bring back the Double Express Pass twist that was introduced last season, in which the first Team to check in at the first pit stop will earn two "Express Passes" - one to keep for themselves and one that must be given to another Team by the end of the fifth leg of the Race.

As Teams travel through four continents and nine countries, spanning more than 35,000 miles, they will paraglide high above the skies of Iquique, Chile, subject themselves to a bone-chilling plunge in Norway and buckle up for Formula One Racing in Abu Dhabi.

This season's diverse cast includes former NFL teammates, married ER doctors, theater performers, childhood friends, baseball wives, cousins and more.

Following are the 11 teams, listed in no particular order:

Name: Hoskote Venkatesh
Age: 60
Hometown: Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Current occupation: ER Doctor

Name: Naina Venkatesh
Age: 27
Hometown: Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Current occupation: Fitness Instructor

Connection: Father/Daughter

Name: Jason Case
Age: 33
Hometown: Attleboro, Mass.
Current occupation: Owner of a Snowplow Company

Name: Amy Diaz
Age: 29
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
Current occupation: Social Media Manager

Connection: Dating

Name: Leo Temory
Age: 26
Hometown: Los Angeles
Current occupation: Entrepreneur/Restaurateur

Name: Jamal Zadran
Age: 26
Hometown: Los Angeles
Current occupation: CEO/Owner of Z.I.G.

(Zadran Investment Group)

Connection: Cousins

Name: Tim Wiyninger
Age: 26
Hometown: Cordell, Okla.
Current occupation: Oilfield Plant Operator

Name: Daniel "Danny" Merkey
Age: 25
Hometown: Cordell, Okla.
Current occupation: Oil Field Operator

Connection: Best Friends

Name: Rowan Joseph
Age: 56
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.
Current occupation: Actor, Producer, Director

and Voiceover Artist

Name: Shane Partlow
Age: 47
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.
Current occupation: Actor/ Producer

Connection: Theater Performers. They call themselves

the "Queens of Bingo."

Name: Brandon Squyres
Age: 34
Hometown: Chico, Calif.
Current occupation: Contractor

Name: Adam Switzer
Age: 34
Hometown: Chico, Calif.

Current occupation: Eco-friendly farmer

Connection: Childhood Friends

Name: Allison "Ally" Mello
Age: 22
Hometown: Los Angeles
Current occupation: The NHL's LA Kings Ice Crew Girl

Name: Ashley Covert
Age: 25
Hometown: Los Angeles
Current occupation: The NHL's LA Kings Ice Crew Girl

Connection: LA Kings Ice Crew

Name: Nicole Jasper
Age: 39
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Current occupation: ER Physician

Name: Travis Jasper
Age: 43
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Current occupation: ER Physician

Connection: Married ER Doctors

Name: Nicole "Nicky" Getz
Age: 27
Hometown: Splits time between Kansas City and Troy, Mich.
Current occupation: Baseball Wife/Training to be a

Pilates Instructor

*Married to Chris Getz, who played for

the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals (currently)

Name: Kim DeJesus
Age: 32
Hometown: Chicago
Current occupation: Baseball Wife

*Married to David DeJesus who played for the Kansas City Royals,

Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs and Tampa Bay Rays (currently)

Connection: Baseball Wives

Name: Timothy Sweeney

Age: 32

Hometown: Morristown, N.J.

Current occupation: Sports Marketing

Name: Marie "Reebs" Mazzocchi

Age: 29

Hometown: Morristown, N.J.

Current occupation: Fitness Trainer/Gym Owner

Connection: Exes

Name: Chester Pitts II
Age: 33
Hometown: Missouri City, Texas
Current occupation: Sports Analyst for "Texans Insider,"

Executive Consultant for ZT Wealth and Altus HMS.

*Played for Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks for

more than 10 years in the NFL

Name: Ephraim Salaam
Age: 36
Hometown: Studio City, Calif.
Current occupation: Co-host of "Fox Sports Live."

*Played for Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit

Lions, Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons

for 13 years in the NFL

Connection: Former NFL Teammates

THE AMAZING RACE sends 11 teams on a trek around the world. Each Team is comprised of two people who have a pre-existing relationship with one another. At every destination, each Team competes in a series of challenges - some mental and some physical - and when the tasks have been completed, they learn their next destination. Teams who are farthest behind will gradually be eliminated as the contest progresses, with the first team to arrive at the final destination winning at least $1 million.

Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster, Jonathan Littman, Elise Doganieri and Mark Vertullo are the executive producers for Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Earthview Inc. in association with ABC Studios and Amazing Race Productions. The Amazing Race was created by Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri.

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