‘The Amazing Race 36’ cast: Here are the 13 new teams
A former NFL player, Air Force pilots and a food stylist are among those racing for $1 million on “The Amazing Race 36.”
The 13-team cast, announced Wednesday, also includes a pair of nurse anesthetists, firefighters, twin brothers and retired police officers. The youngest contestant is 20-year-old student Maya Mody, who’s racing with her brother, Rohan, and the oldest is 60-year-old receptionist Chris Foster, who’s teamed up with his daughter, Mary Cardona-Foster. Meet the cast above or click here.
The most high-profile cast member is Rod Gardner, a former wide receiver who played six seasons in the NFL and is racing with his wife, Leticia. The couple’s casting was revealed earlier this month ahead of the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers as Gardner spent his final season with the Chiefs in 2006. Drafted by Washington in 2001, Gardner also played for Carolina and Green Bay.
Though it’s airing as the 36th season, this installment was actually the 35th season to be filmed. The season filmed from October to November 2022 and was earmarked for a fall 2023 premiere. Editing was mostly complete when CBS decided early last year to expand “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” to 90-minute episodes all season long in the fall. Rather than re-edit the episodes, “Race” creators and executive producers Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri opted to film the next season — the 36th to be filmed — with 90-minute runtimes in mind and air that one first. Production took place in June and July, and the supersized season premiered in September as the 35th outing.
SEE ‘The Amazing Race 36’ cast
Since then, producers have re-edited Season 36 to be 90-minute episodes. But because production occurred before COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed, the season features a chartered plane (like Seasons 33 and 34) and only visited two continents. Host Phil Keoghan will send teams on their way at the starting line in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and the season will make stops in Colombia and Argentina, in addition to two new countries, Dominican Republic and Barbados, where teams will visit Rihanna‘s childhood home. Once again, there are no non-elimination legs.
“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,” van Munster and Doganieri said in a statement. “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.”
“The Amazing Race” Season 36 will premiere Wednesday, March 13 at 9:30/8:30c on CBS.
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