A Dozen New Duos! Meet the Teams Competing on 'The Amazing Race 34'
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The Amazing Race was able to somehow do the impossible last season. After an unprecedented nineteen-month hiatus in the middle of filming due to the global pandemic, the Emmy-Award-winning reality series was able to finish out its schedule with new protocols and a modified race course. But the changes are only continuing for season 34.
The new choices will start right at the top of the race, as for the first time, the teams will start outside of the United States (seasons 28 and 33 had the teams traveling directly from their homes without a formal starting line). With the starting line in Munich, Germany, the 12 pairs of pre-existing relationships will begin a race around the world in the pursuit of the million-dollar prize.
Related: Everything We Know So Far About The Amazing Race 34
And it'll be more difficult than ever for the duos to make it to the finish line. That's because this season, in another first, there will be no non-elimination legs. That means no saving graces or reprieves for even the best team that's having a bad day. Throughout the ten legs that make up the season, teams will travel to Jordan, Austria, Italy, France, Spain, and Iceland, knowing there are no more second chances for a last-place finish.
Check out the gallery below to find out more about the 12 teams competing this season. The Amazing Race 34 premieres on September 21 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, followed by a special 90-minute episode the next week.
The cast of The Amazing Race 34.
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Aastha Lal (L) and Nina Duong (R), engaged from Marina Del Ray, California.
Aastha, 33, works as a VP of Operations. Nina, 34, is a Director of Business Development. The couple has been together for four years and recently got engaged. Aastha is living out her fan dream getting to compete on The Amazing Race, especially alongside her fiancé. They call themselves "mentally threatening," hoping their brain power can get them a nice chunk of change for their upcoming wedding.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Abby Garrett (L) and Will Freeman (R), childhood sweethearts from Birmingham, Alabama.
Abby, 24, is a data scientist. Will, 25, is an accountant. The couple has been dating for eight years, but have known each other since they were kids. They hope that familiarity will lead to a successful dynamic on the race. They both grew up watching The Amazing Race, consistently game planning how they would do on the race. And we'll see how that preparation translates from the couch to the seat of a taxi!
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Aubrey Ares (L) and David Hernandez (R), ballroom dancers from Los Angeles, California.
Aubrey, 29, is a dance studio owner. David, also 29, is a helicopter mechanic. The two met when David took one of Aubrey's dance classes years ago, and it was love at first step. They talk up how well-balanced they are as a pair, with David's patience and Aubrey's passion and leadership as a businesswoman.
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Derek Xiao (L) and Claire Rehfuss (R), reality romance from Los Angeles, California.
Derek, 24, is a product manager. Claire, 25, is an A.I. engineer. The pair first appeared on our screens last summer, albeit competing against each other on Big Brother 23. Despite both losing the game, they found love in the jury house, and have been going strong now for nearly a year. This is Derek's third CBS reality show, having also just appeared on The Challenge: USA, and he hopes their chances of winning will finally not go down the latrine.
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Emily Bushnell (L) and Molly Sinert (R), long-lost twins from Ardmore, Pennsylvania and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, respectively.
Emily, 36, is a law firm admin. Molly, also 36, is a healthcare admin. The twins were separated at a young age when they were adopted to separate places from South Korea decades ago. They just met a year ago after a DNA test brought them back together, and they're looking to make up for lost time. And those years apart has had them lead completely different lifestyles, with Molly growing up as a dancer and Emily currently a single mom.
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Glenda Roberts (L) and Lumumba Roberts (R), newlyweds from Norcross, Georgia.
Glenda, 41, is an insurance underwriter. Lumumba, also 41, is a middle school teacher. This couple has only known each other for two and a half years, having been married for one. But they're ready to take on problems of any size on the race, which may work to their advantage considering the seven inches of height discrepancy between them.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Linton Atkinson (L) and Sharik Atkinson (R), father and daughter from Brooklyn, New York.
Linton, 50, is an assistant principal. Sharik, 23, is a Master's student. The father/daughter duo come into the race with their own international experience, having immigrated from Jamaica in 2001. The same year, The Amazing Race premiered, and the two are thrilled to now get to see the world after vicariously experiencing it throughout their years of fandom.
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Married from Miami, Florida.
Luis, 34, is a firefighter. Michelle, 34, is a professional backup dancer for Pitbull. She and her husband are going from "Mr. Worldwide" to some worldwide travel on The Amazing Race. No matter what missteps they make take, or fires they need to put out, the married couple wants to walk away from the race having enjoyed every bit of the experience.
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Marcus Craig (L) and Michael Craig (R), military brothers from Richmond Hill, Georgia and Alamogordo, New Mexico, respectively.
Marcus, 38, is an Army tank commander. Michael, 30, is an Air Force fighter pilot. Marcus has inspired his younger brother throughout their lives, from getting into the military to becoming a fan of The Amazing Race. The duo not only enter the race with a lot of travel experience, but some surprising brain power in Michael's Ivy League education.
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Quinton Peron (L) and Mattie Lynch (R), former Rams cheerleaders from Pasadena, California and Vista, California, respectively.
Quinton, 29, is a choreographer. Mattie, 27, is a dance coach. The pair met and became best friends in the years they spent as cheerleaders for the current Super Bowl champions. Feeling their best skill is their balance, they hope to be able to make the moves--both strategically and literally--it takes to cross the finish line in first.
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Rich Kuo (L) and Dom Jones (R), motivational speakers from Huntington Beach, California.
Rich, 32, is a life coach. Dom, 35, is a gym owner. The two have been partners for three years and, true to their vocations, hope to serve as a motivational light to both the viewers and the world at large. The pair hopes Dom's social game will take them far, as her self-proclaimed "merfairy" vibe will hopefully make the win far from mythical.
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Tim Mann (L) and Rex Ryan (R), golf buddies from Brentwood, Tennessee
Rex, 59, is a current ESPN analyst who is most well known for his eight years in the NFL as head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. Tim, 40, is a probation officer. The two met almost a decade ago, and their friendship only grew when Rex helped Tim get through a difficult time of his mother's ALS diagnosis. Despite branding themselves "Team T-Rex," the pair hopes their chances of getting a W won't go extinct any time soon.
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The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Next, check out our interview with The Amazing Race 33 winners Kim and Penn Holderness.
