It was supposed to be a fall season without The Amazing Race, but then CBS quickly cancelled Viva Laughlin and gave the Emmy Award winning reality show the Fast Forward. Now scheduled to premiere November 4, things are moving rapidly as the network rushes to build the buzz. The first step is meeting the 11-team cast, and their identities have been revealed.

There's plenty to get excited, with Goths, married lesbian ministers, and even an actor who fans of The West Wing (like myself) will go ape over. Most surprising could be the stark unoriginality in where the racers come from (15 of the 22 racers are California residents).

Here's a quick rundown of the 11 teams competing this season:

Lorena and Jason – She's a bartender, he's an actor, and they're dating. The moment I saw his full name, “Jason Widener,” my eyes lit up. I am a huge West Wing fan, obsessively so, and I instantly recognized him as the actor who played a young Jed Bartlet in the classic season 2 finale “Two Cathedrals.” This makes him undeniably cool.

Kynt and Vyxsin – A Goth dating couple from Kentucky, and in case you were as confused by their photo as I was, Kynt is a guy. They certainly love their make-up, and it will be interesting to see what happens if they stay in the race a while. Will they keep up their appearance, or will the Race prove too draining to allow them to maintain their unique personal styles.

Jennifer and Nathan – Athletic on-again, off-again students. There's always one (or several) of these young, good looking couples who will bicker nonstop. The “athletic” part really does apply, as he coaches volleyball and she coaches gymnastics. Also, based on their photo, he's about a foot and a half taller than she is.

TK and Rachel – The young, free-spirited dating couple. He's a substitute teacher and former collegiate swimmer, she runs her own flower shop. Based on his hair and apparel in the photo, I'm guessing this is the couple that, as How I Met Your Mother put it, enjoys “eating sandwiches.”

Kate and Pat – Married Episcopalian ministers, and they're both women! They're religious, homosexual, and old (the only team with a combined age over 100). It's definitely something different for this show, and you have to admire the way The Amazing Race keeps finding new types of relationships to highlight.

Ronald and Christina – The father/daughter team trying to use the Race as a bonding experience. He's a VP of Sales at a paper packaging company, and when that is combined with the t-shirt in their photo that says “Who's your daddy?” he might as well be the Asian Michael Scott. She is a policy analyst from Washington D.C., and degrees from Duke and Princeton make her one smart cookie.

Azaria and Hendekea – The brother-sister duo, which means plenty of bickering, but underscored by love. They describe each other as “confrontational” and “irrational,” so they're just like every pair of siblings. Also, there's no relation to actor Hank.

Nicolas and Donald – A Midwestern grandfather/grandson team, which means the old man will slow them down. The one plus: grandson Nicolas is a pilot, which means he probably has a better understanding of how to navigate the airports, which is often the most important part of any Amazing Race season.

Marianna and Julia – Sisters from Los Angeles, via Miami. Based on their bio, it's the classic sibling pairing of brains and brawn, with production assistant Julia as the “problem solver” and art gallery manager Marianna as the athlete.

Ari and Staella – Young, catty California BFFs. I'm pretty sure describing yourself as “catty” is code for gay, and so these young 20-somethings are destined to have way too much drama in their time on the Race.

Shana and Jennifer – Two hot blonde friends out to prove that there's more to them than meets the eye. Yeah, we've heard that before on this show. Shana is listed as an actress, but here is a brief rundown of some of the roles she's played: “Blonde,” “Model,” “Sunbather,” “Girl,” and “Hot Model.” ‘Nuf said.


There you have it, the 11 teams competing on this 12th season of The Amazing Race. The season premieres Nov. 4 at 8pm on CBS. Let us know what you think about the teams and who you think will win.

-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of CBS)