August 31, 2011

Meet the 11 Teams of 'The Amazing Race' Season 19

The new season of The Amazing Race -- premiering Sunday, September 25 at 8pm on CBS -- will send 11 competing teams around the globe, making first time visits to exotic locations such as Indonesia, Malawi, Belgium and Denmark.


Teams will be tested early and often and met with a new penalty called the "Hazard," which will impact one team's future right from the starting line. The global journey sets off from the foothills of Southern California where the Teams' problem solving abilities will be put to the test as they search for clues to their first destination, Taipei, Taiwan. Teams fortunate enough to survive the first leg will find themselves amidst an 8th Century Buddhist temple in Indonesia, riding elephants through the rain forests of Thailand, and racing for their lives when they discover they're facing the series first ever Double Elimination. So many new twists this season!

This season's cast includes a pair of Olympic snowboarders, twin sisters, an ex-NFL tight end, flight attendants, the youngest person to ever sail around the world alone and two winners of Survivor, Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca. Meet all of the 11 teams after the jump!


ETHAN ZOHN
Age: 37
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Current occupation: Change-maker

JENNA MORASCA
Age: 30
Hometown: New York, N.Y.
Current occupation: TV host/student

Connection to teammate: Dating

LAURENCE SUNDERLAND
Age: 48
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Current occupation: Yacht manager

ZAC SUNDERLAND
Age: 19
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Current occupation: Record-setting boat captain

Connection to teammate: Father/son adventurers

AMANI POLLARD
Age: 36
Hometown: Pine Mountain, Ga.
Current occupation: Business owner

MARCUS POLLARD
Age: 39
Hometown: Pine Mountain, Ga.
Current occupation: Retired NFL player/football coach

Connection to teammate: Married

ANDY FINCH
Age: 30
Hometown: Truckee, Calif.
Current occupation: Professional snowboarder

TOMMY CZESCHIN
Age: 32
Hometown: Crowley Lake, Calif.
Current occupation: Professional snowboarder

Connection to teammate: Friends/former Olympic snowboarders

ERNIE HALVORSEN
Age: 29
Hometown: Chicago
Current occupation: Project manager

CINDY CHIANG
Age: 30
Hometown: Chicago
Current occupation: Brand manager

Connection to teammate: Engaged

JUSTIN YOUNG
Age: 31
Hometown: Stone Mountain, Ga.
Current occupation: Doctor

JENNIFER YOUNG
Age: 26
Hometown: Stone Mountain, Ga.
Current occupation: Special education teacher

Connection to teammate: Siblings

JEREMY CLINE
Age: 35
Hometown: Alamo, Calif.
Current occupation: Commercial real estate broker

SANDY DRAGHI
Age: 33
Hometown: Dublin, Calif.
Current occupation: Nurse practitioner

Connection to teammate: Dating

KAYLANI PALIOTTA
Age: 33
Hometown: Las Vegas
Current occupation: Cocktail waitress

LISA TILLEY
Age: 32
Hometown: Las Vegas
Current occupation: Cocktail waitress

Connection to teammate: Friends/Former Vegas showgirls

BILL ALDEN
Age: 63
Hometown: Albany, Ore.
Current occupation: Farmer/rancher

CATHI ALDEN
Age: 62
Hometown: Albany, Ore.
Current occupation: College instructor/retired High School principal

Connection to teammate: Married for 40 years/grandparents

RON ZEITZ
Age: 44
Hometown: Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Current occupation: Flight attendant

BILL SMITH
Age: 49
Hometown: Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Current occupation: Flight attendant

Connection to teammate: Domestic partners

LIZ CANAVAN
Age: 24
Hometown: Deerfield, Ill.
Current occupation: Marketing assistant

MARIE CANAVAN
Age: 24
Hometown: Deerfield, Ill.
Current occupation: Soul searching

Connection to teammate: Twins

This fall marks the 10 year anniversary of The Amazing Race, which originally premiered on Sept 5, 2001. You can learn more about the season 19 contestants over at CBS.com.

Will you be tuning in for the premiere of The Amazing Race? Who do you think has what it takes to go all the way? Leave a comment!