Posted on 02/07/2007 4:10:13 PM PST by silent_jonny
THE AMAZING RACE: ALL-STARS reunites some of the most memorable, entertaining and controversial Teams from previous seasons and sets them on a new adventure of a lifetime. Traveling more than 45,000 miles, spanning 5 continents in 28 days, these Teams will pair up for one final trek around the globe as they battle the best of the best in a fierce race to the finish for their second attempt at the million dollar prize.
During “the 45,000-mile, 28-day race, which ended Dec. 19,” the 11 teams traveled from “from extreme cold to extreme heat,” he said. The paper notes that those locations include “a desert in northern Chile to ‘borderline South Pole’ in Antarctica.”Despite producers’ all-star “reservations,” Van Munster says the season resulted in “a lot of friction right off the bat. … I’m confident we laid something on the table that will be very unexpected, and story-wise, there were plenty of fireworks.”
USA TODAY reveals all 11 teams, some of whom we already knew had been cast. Van Munster says they were chosen “in terms of where their life went,” and “[t]hey’re not necessarily the winners, but character-wise, they’re all-stars in our book.”
Now let's meet The Retreads--I mean, All Stars ...
The fraternity brothers from Season 1 are all grown up and married. Kevin & Drew met in a fraternity while attending St. Johns University and immediately hit it off. This high-spirited friendship paved the way for one of the most popular teams in the series' 10 seasons.
After falling short of the million dollars during season 1, the fraternity brothers took their lovable banter to Discovery Channel's "Kevin and Drew Unleashed."
Kevin describes himself as loyal, analytical and outgoing, and has been performing stand-up comedy in New York City for the last three years. Drew describes himself as charismatic and honest. Both are admittedly hard-headed and stubborn which provides a constant stream of bickering between these two.
Although Kevin and Drew are still close, they don't see each other as much as they would like to due to work and family responsibilities. Both are looking forward to traveling the world together again and bringing home the $1 million.
These best friends from Season 2 had a falling out several years ago, but have since mended their relationship and claim to be better friends now than they've ever been during their 12 years of friendship.
Even though these two don't live in the same city, they still see each other quite frequently and are ready to take another adventure of a lifetime together.
Oswald describes himself as compassionate and resourceful while Danny can be described as an adventurous person who tries to keep things real and exciting at all times. Oswald claims to be the more focused of the two a trait that will surely be tested while racing against the all-stars. Their personalities are infectious and they truly enjoy their lives. Both have traveled the globe, speak several foreign languages between the two, and feel right at home on foreign soil.
These two fun-loving friends are eager for the experience that the Race has to offer and are looking to be the team to beat.
Season 3's John Vito and Jill are back for another chance at winning the million dollar prize. What's different this time around? These former lovebirds are no longer romantically involved. Changing the dynamic of their relationship allows them to focus all of their efforts on running the best Race possible. Both individuals are fierce competitors and know they have the skills and experience necessary to win.
John Vito, a trader in New York City, and Jill, a product controller, both originally from Staten Island, New York, currently reside in Manhattan. Jill describes herself as spontaneous, intelligent and sensitive, while John Vito describes himself as detail-oriented, decisive and organized. They both love physical activities and spending time with their family and friends.
Both John Vito and Jill share the tragic memory from the loss of Jill's older brother F.T., who was also John Vito's best friend. F.T. was working on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center as a Vice President for Cantor Fitzgerald on September 11, 2001. Jill had originally applied for the show's first installment with her brother, and after her devastating loss she decided to reapply in tribute to his memory and ran the Race in Season 3 with his best friend John Vito.
This time around they mean business and are back to prove that that they can Race with the best of them. Both are driven, competitive and motivated. They feel that this combination along with their wits and brawn will help land them the coveted prize of $1 million.
Uchenna and Joyce are one of the most beloved teams from any season of Race. The winners of Season 7, Uchenna and Joyce were relentless and stopped at nothing to win the $1 million prize… including shaving their heads.
They have known each other for 16 years and have been married for seven of those. Both have admitted that the continued inability to start a family has caused a strain on their marriage, but are looking to the Race to get their relationship back on track.
This thrill seeking duo will stop at nothing to win the Race as they proved in Season 7, when without hesitation, they shaved their heads for good luck after partaking in the "Fast Forward" task. A decision that moved these tough competitors to the front of the pack and no doubt granted them a stroke of luck for the rest of the Race.
Uchenna describes himself as competitive, fair and charismatic, while Joyce claims to be caring, determined and sensitive. Will their competitive nature and luck be enough to propel them to another victory this time around?
Everybody's favorite coalminer and his wife are back for another trek around the world. David and Mary, the lovable, wide-eyed couple from Stone, Ky., finished sixth in the 10th installment.
The Conley's met at the local McDonalds over 11 years ago and have been married for nearly 10 years. They are the proud parents of three children.
After falling short of the $1 million prize, Mary was adamant that she and David would not sign up for another Race and leave their children again, but something tells her that they have what it takes to win the million dollars this time around.
Both have limited traveling experience outside of the Race. David spent some time traveling while enlisted in the U.S. Army while Mary took her first plane ride after being cast on the show.
A bona fide reality TV junkie, will Mary be able to restrain her excitement and stay focused while racing alongside some of her favorite racers from past seasons? Will they be able to find an alliance as strong as the Season 10 "6 pack" or will their desire to win the money for their children be enough to carry them across the finish line?
The inspirational cousins from Season 5 are back for another trip around the world. Charla and Mirna have both made numerous television appearances since their time on Race and are eager to capture America's heart once again. Both are now married and ready to start a family.
A highly competitive team during their season, Charla, who stands at 4 feet tall, describes herself as dedicated, passionate and driven to succeed. Mirna describes herself as hard working, a leader, but with a comical side. Her greatest achievement is obtaining her Juris Doctorate at age 23.
Charla proved just how strong she was when she threw a 50 pound slab of meat over her shoulder and helped carry it a quarter of a mile in order to complete a challenge with Mirna. Growing up together taught them how to work well with each other. Both are well traveled and speak several languages.
This motivated duo is proud of the way they played the game last time around and are eager for another opportunity to win the $ 1 million prize.
America's Sweethearts met, fell in love and got married...all in front of the cameras. It all started during Survivor: All-Stars, where Rob finished in second place to Amber.
Shortly after, they were cast on the seventh season of the Race and fought their way to the top of the pack, ultimately finishing as the runner-ups to Joyce and Uchenna.
Considered by many to be one of the best reality television competitors, "Boston" Rob changed the way the Race was played forever, adding a level of manipulation never seen on the game. Despite the difference in their personalities; Rob is outspoken and boisterous while Amber is more quiet and reserved; they somehow balance each other out and are very strong competitors.
Since their time on the Race, Rob has gone on to host his own segment for CBS's The Early Show, "Rob to the Rescue," and he and Amber have built a home and settled in Pensacola, Fla. Rob describes himself as competitive and intense while Amber describes herself as caring and pragmatic.
It will be interesting to see how the other teams will react to this competitive duo. To what lengths will Rob go to avoid finishing as the runner-up yet again? Truth be told, it's less about the money for this team and all about the bragging rights.
I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but I want Rob and Amba to win this one.
Second place in Season 3 just wasn't good enough for this dynamic duo. Teri and Ian are still the oldest players to ever finish the Amazing Race and they are back to show that they haven't lost a step.
One of the fan favorites from all the seasons of Race, Teri and Ian both have fiery personalities and a determination to win.
Married for 25 years with three kids, they were by far one of the most competitive teams to ever Race. Both admit that the biggest similarity between them is that they both always think they are right, which can lead to a good amount of healthy bickering.
Teri describes herself as fun, interesting and adventurous while Ian describes himself as tenacious, adventurous and candid. Both are very active and enjoy biking and traveling. When asked which team they would model their style of play after, both quickly answer, "Teri and Ian." They are proud of the way they played and aren't looking to make any changes this time around.
This unique duo met while Racing against each other during Season 9. During their travels, they developed a bond which transpired into a romance and the two have been dating for the past year. Eric, who had partnered with Jeremy during his first Race around the world, finished in 2nd place to the Hippies while Danielle, who ran the Race with her best friend Dani, were the 4th Team ousted. This time around, Eric and Danielle are going to combine their efforts using strengths from their former teammates as they forge this new partnership hoping they have what is takes to Race with the best of them.
Danielle remains in Staten Island where she works as a bartender while finishing her Master's Degree in Education. Eric, who works as a waiter, enjoys his laid-back lifestyle and lives on the beach in Florida.
Will the combination of this big-city girl and self-proclaimed "beach bum" be a viable force to reckon with or will the other Teams discount this new pair who has never before raced together as Team?
"Team Guido," the avid adventurers from Season 1, return for another attempt at the $1 million prize. Claiming they've had their bags packed since they returned home from the first season, they are ready to go!
Admittedly, one of the most conniving teams in the history of Race, "Team Guido" were the masters of the old-school strategy and successfully outplayed most of their former competitors.
Although Joe has done really well for himself professionally, his reason for returning to Race is to win so that he and Bill can retire and never have to work again. He describes himself as loyal, intelligent and responsible. He also claims that the biggest difference between Bill and himself is that he saves more money while Bill is a spender. Bill on the other hand describes himself as meticulous and upbeat, claiming that his biggest fear is heights and looking terrible on national television.
After 20 years, Bill and Joe remain committed and enjoy life to the fullest. One question remains though... After being away from the game for so long, do they have what it takes to compete against the best racers of all time?
These former Beauty Queens are back for a second chance and more determined than ever to prove to the world that they aren't just pretty faces. Proven to be fierce competitors during this current installment of Race, Dustin and Kandice are focused and have their sights on the Million Dollar Prize.
These Best Friends met while rooming together at the Miss America pageant in 2005 and quickly formed a bond that they knew would last a long time. Dustin graduated Magna Cum Laude from California Baptist University with a BA in Speech Communications. She recently married her long-time sweetheart Luke. This Newlywed, who was crowned Miss California 2005, currently resides in Seattle, Washington and describes herself as thoughtful and spunky.
Kandice, former Miss New York 2005, is a Rockette at Radio City Music Hall and in her senior year at New York University. She describes herself as charismatic, determined and vivacious and is positive that they can be the first all girl Team to win Amazing Race.
These two women share one common characteristic that could prove costly for the other Teams on the Race: they are wildly competitive and more determined than ever to win at any cost. Will these beauties be able to prove to themselves and the world that they have what it takes to win the Million Dollar Prize?
I'm for Dustin and Kandice :)
PROBABLY get flamed? PROBABLY!
Both are extremely annoying!
LOL--well they were memorable, at least :)
Some of these people I don't remember at all.
Kevin and Drew were my favoritest team ever. I didn't watch this season but might have to...
Yeah, I guess memorable like this... :) Scary memorable. :) I know, i'm just mean!
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