CBS ANNOUNCES THE CAST OF THE NEXT EDITION OF "THE AMAZING RACE"

For the First Time Ever, the 10-Time Emmy Award-Winning Series to Feature All Dating Duos - Existing Couples and Singles Set Up On "Blind Dates"

Racers Include New Kids on the Block Member Jonathan Knight and Olympic Medalists Aly Dudek and Steven Langton

New "Date Night" Reward Is Introduced

"The Amazing Race" Kicks Off with a Special 90-Minute Premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 9:30 PM, Following the Season Premiere of "Survivor"

The Race Travels to Its Regular Time Period on Friday, Feb. 27 at 8:00 PM

CBS announced today the 11 teams racing around the globe for the opportunity to win the $1 million dollar prize, on a special season of THE AMAZING RACE. This season will feature 11 new teams of all dating duos with a twist: six who are preexisting couples, and five duos who will meet for the very first time at the starting line when they are set up on the most extreme blind date ever. THE AMAZING RACE rounds out a night of reality television when it premieres with a 90-minute episode on Wednesday, Feb. 25 (9:30-11:00 PM, ET/PT), following the premiere of SURVIVOR (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The Race moves to its regular time period on Friday, Feb. 27 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT). Phil Keoghan (@philkeoghan) is the host.

"Usually we have people who know each other really well. In this particular case, we have five blind dates and six regular dates," said 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,"

The preexisting dating teams traveling around the world include New Kids on the Block member Jonathan Knight and his partner Harley Rodriguez, and Olympic medalists Aly Dudek and Steven Langton. Dudek won bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in short track speed skating and Langton won two bronze medals at the 2014 Sochi Olympics in bobsledding. Those being set up on the blind dates of a lifetime include a Navy physician and a registered nurse and two lawyers.

The couple's relationships will be tested right from the starting line as they navigate a muddy obstacle course before jetting off to Tokyo, Japan. The course will continue through Bangkok, Namibia, Monaco, and more, spanning five continents, eight countries and more than 35,000 miles.

The dating teams will also have an opportunity throughout the race to win the all-new "Date Night" reward. This allows one lucky couple to enjoy a one-on-one romantic activity, such as a steamy evening at a hot springs resort in Nagano, Japan, or star-gazing at the Bavarian Public Observatory in Munich, Germany.

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 Olsen
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

THE AMAZING RACE, 10-time Emmy Award Winner for Outstanding Reality-Competition Series, sends 11 teams on a trek around the world. 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.

For more detailed information on THE AMAZING RACE and the Racers' bios, log on to http://www.cbs.com/shows/amazingrace/.