The Amazing Race: Season 36 Teams Revealed Ahead of Next Month’s Premiere on CBS

(Photo: CBS)

The Amazing Race returns to CBS in March with its 36th season, and viewers are getting their first look at the 13 duos competing in the new season. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, the new season will kick off from Mexico and, like season 35, will feature 90-minute episodes.

Viewers will see spouses Ricky Rotandi and Cesar Aldrete, cousins Kishori Turner and Karishma Cordero, mother and son Angie and Danny Butler, girlfriend/boyfriend Amber Craven and Vinny Cagungun, girlfriends Yvonne Chavez and Melissa Main, siblings Maya and Rohan Mody, spouses Michelle and Sean Clark, best friends Juan Villa and Shane Bilek, spouses Derek and Shelisa Williams, father and daughter Chris Foster and Mary Cardona-Foster, spouses Rod and Leticia Gardner, twins Anthony and Bailey Smith, and best friends Sunny Pulver and Elizabeth “Bizzy” Smith compete.

CBS revealed more about the series’ return in a press release.

“Meet the 13 new teams that will embark on the journey of a lifetime when the 36th season of the CBS Original series THE AMAZING RACE kicks off Wednesday, March 13 (9:30-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*.

Host Phil Keoghan kicks off the RACE from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where the 13 new teams must participate in a traditional Mexican rodeo and lasso their way to the finish line without coming in last. The stakes are high because there are no non-elimination legs, and the team to finish last in each leg will be eliminated. Along the route, Racers will go paragliding in Colombia, rally car racing in Argentina, and visit two new countries – swimming through waterfalls in the Dominican Republic and visiting music superstar Rihanna’s childhood home in Barbados.

“This season of THE AMAZING RACE features a cast of adventurous thrill-seekers. We always want to challenge our cast and surprise our viewers, so we are excited to travel to two new countries along the route,” said executive producers Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri. “The 90-minute episodes are returning, which really allows us to delve into the countries on the route and get to know our amazing cast. We are ready for a global adventure like never before.”

Following are the teams competing on the upcoming season of THE AMAZING RACE:

Derek (57, retired chief of police) and Shelisa Williams (55, retired sheriff’s lieutenant)
Married
Alta Loma, Calif.

Danny (27, university resident director) and Angie Butler (55, seventh grade teacher)
Mother and son
San Diego, Calif., and Walla Walla, Wash.

Rod (46, former NFL player/owner of Gshred Supplements) and Leticia Gardner (38, fitness business owner)
Married
Lawrenceville, Ga.
Rod has played for Washington, Carolina, Green Bay and Kansas City.

Michelle (39) and Sean Clark (46), owners of Double Dutch Aerobics
Married
East Point, Ga.

Yvonne Chavez (40, global strategy and operations lead) and Melissa Main (38, investigator for U.S. Navy special operations)
Dating
San Diego, Calif.

Sunny Pulver (41) and Bizzy Smith (37), firefighters
Best friends
Edgerton, Wis., and New Berlin, Wis.

Amber Craven (30) and Vinny Cagungun (37), nurse anesthetists
Dating
Englewood, Colo.

Ricky Rotandi (34, preschool teacher) and Cesar Aldrete (34, food stylist)
Dating
New York, N.Y.

Juan Villa (29) and Shane Bilek (29), Air Force pilots
Best friends
Spokane, Wash., and Marine City, Mich.

Anthony (26) and Bailey Smith (26), recruiters
Twin brothers
Clearwater, Fla.

Kishori Turner (26, senior marketing strategist) and Karishma Cordero (22, student)
Cousins
Gaithersburg, Md., and Austin, Texas

Maya (20, student) and Rohan Mody (23, master’s student)
Siblings
Monmouth Junction, N.J.

Chris Foster (60, receptionist) and Mary Cardona-Foster (27, marketing manager)
Father and daughter
Waltham, Mass.

This season on THE AMAZING RACE, one of the 13 teams trekking around the world will be eliminated at the end of every leg. Each team is comprised of two people who have a pre-existing relationship with one another. 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. The locations that teams will travel to include Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Barbados, Dominican Republic and Pennsylvania state, where the first team to cross the final finish line will be crowned the winner of THE AMAZING RACE and win the $1 million prize.

Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster, Jonathan Littman, Elise Doganieri, Mark Vertullo, Phil Keoghan and Patrick Cariaga 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.

CBS also released a video showing off the contestants.

What do you think? Are you excited about the return of The Amazing Race? Will you be tuning in for season 36 next month?