Sitcom star Lisa Whelchel and former baseball MVP Jeff Kent may not be appearing, but The Amazing Race will trot out a few semi-celebrities of its own when the 22nd season of the reality hit premieres Feb. 17 on CBS. And the teams will have a new twist to contend with at the very start.
Headlining the cast are Jennifer Kuhle and Caroline Cutbirth of the country band Stealing Angels. Kuhle is the granddaughter of John Wayne while Cutbirth is a direct descendant of Daniel Boone. They will be competing against former NHL player Bates Battaglia and his brother Anthony, as well as YouTube channel hosts Joey Graceffa and Meghan Camarena. Also among the 11 new teams of two competing is a pair of twin doctors, two roller derby moms, and a father and son who both have survived cancer. (The full cast list is below.)
Teams this season will travel over 30,000 miles through nine countries on five different continents. Along the way they will, according to CBS, “skydive from 10,000 feet in Bora Bora, participate in a Shemozzle race in New Zealand, hunt for scorpions with the Bushmen of Botswana and scale the treacherous north face of the Eiger Mountain in Switzerland.”
They also will have a new twist thrown at them. While in the past the first team to arrive at the initial Pit Stop has earned an Express Pass that allows them to skip any task of their choosing, the team that arrives before all others at this season’s first Pit Stop will receive two Express Passes — one to keep for themselves and another one that must be given to another team of their choosing before the end of the fourth leg. It has the power of making one other team very happy, and several others unhappy over not receiving it.
Name: Max Bichler
Age: 30
Hometown: Buffalo, N.Y.
Current occupation: Cigar Sales
Name: Katie Bichler
Age: 24
Hometown: Buffalo, N.Y.
Current occupation: Pharmacist
Connection: Newlyweds
Name: Pamela Chien
Age: 29
Hometown: Los Angeles
Current occupation: Art Director and Fitness Instructor
Name: Winnie Sung
Age: 29
Hometown: Los Angeles
Current occupation: Senior Project Manager
Connection: Best Friends
Name: Mona Egender
Age: 33
Hometown: Castle Pines, Colo.
Current occupation: Captioner/Roller Derby Player
Name: Beth Bandimere
Age: 36
Hometown: Arvada, Colo.
Current occupation: Tech Support/Roller Derby Player
Connection: Roller Derby Moms
Name: Matthew Davis
Age: 25
Hometown: Gaffney, S.C.
Current occupation: Firefighter
Name: Daniel Moss
Age: 24
Hometown: Gaffney, S.C.
Current occupation: Firefighter
Connection: Best Friends/Firefighters
Name: Caroline Cutbirth
Age: 29
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Current occupation: Singer/Songwriter (Band Member of “Stealing Angels”)
*Caroline is a direct descendant of Daniel Boone
Name: Jennifer Kuhle
Age: 30
Hometown: Nashville
Current occupation: Songwriter (Band Member of “Stealing Angels”)
*Jennifer is the granddaughter of John Wayne
Connection: Friends/Country Singers
Name: David O’Leary
Age: 58
Hometown: Salt Lake City
Current occupation: Investment Properties
Name: Connor O’Leary
Age: 21
Hometown: Salt Lake City
Current occupation: Professional Cyclist
Connection: Father/Son (Both Cancer Survivors)
Name: Chuck McCall
Age: 46
Hometown: Daphne, Ala.
Current occupation: Retail Manager/Taxidermist
Name: Wynona McCall
Age: 49
Hometown: Daphne, Ala.
Current occupation: Cosmetologist/Hairstylist gurl....
Connection: Married
Name: Bates Battaglia
Age: 36
Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.
Current occupation: Former Professional Hockey Player
(Played for the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs)
Name: Anthony Battaglia
Age: 33
Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.
Current occupation: Professional Hockey Player
(Currently plays for the Huntsville Havoc)
Connection: Hockey Brothers
Name: Jessica Hoel
Age: 26
Hometown: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Current occupation: Account Manager
Name: John Erck
Age: 27
Hometown: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Current Occupation: Entrepreneur/Computer Programmer
Connection: Dating
Name: Idries Abdur-Rahman
Age: 35
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
Current occupation: OB/GYN Physician
Name: Jamil Abdur-Rahman
Age: 35
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
Current occupation: OB/GYN Physician
Connection: Twin Doctors
Name: Joey Graceffa
Age: 21
Hometown: Los Angeles
Current occupation: YouTube Host
Internet Personality Joey’s YouTube Channel
Name: Meghan Camarena
Age: 25
Hometown: Los Angeles
Current occupation: YouTube Host
Internet Personality Meghan’s YouTube Channel
Connection: Friends/YouTube Hosts
12
videos won't embed so watch here