Reality Bites: Amazing Race Season 25: Cast and Season Preview

Original Post: 6/6/14
UPDATE: 8/28/14

This is a first for just about any reality show: CBS released the cast of Season 25 of the Amazing Race...the day the race began! Normally, we have to wait until a couple weeks before the show will air to find out who is in the cast. Apparently, since they started the race in the very public place of Time Square, they decided they might as well share officially who will be running the race.

We are also in for some more changes coming up this fall. The show will now be airing at 8:00 on Friday instead of it's normal Sunday timeslot. I, for one, am ECSTATIC with this change! Why? Oh, let me the number of weeks that either football, or basketball or golf, or racing has run long. And by it running long, it then forces the always dull 60 Minutes late, and then The Amazing Race is therefore late. Good luck trying to DVR it, unless you also record the show that follows, otherwise you might only get to see the first half of the show. The start time is always unpredictable, so I end up having to check Facebook to find out what time it is actually going to start...gotta love those 8:37 start times. Yeah, that makes sense. This monstrosity has been happening for years, and it's so annoying! I can probably count on 1 hand the number of times the show actually started at 8:00. Sorry, rant over.

So, make sure you plan ahead and plan to catch it on Fridays instead of on Sundays.

What else can we expect from Season 25? Well, there's a rumored change in the format that will sound familiar to Survivor fans. How does immunity sound? It looks like the team who arrives to the mat first on the first leg, will win immunity! They will be able to use their immunity until there are 9 teams left. I think I like this idea better than the random non-elimination rounds. The non-elimination rounds often benefit people who didn't really earn the right to be saved. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

The cast for Season 25 features some familiar faces. No, they haven't run the race before, but you should recognize at least 1 person, if not all 3. One person being surfer Bethany Hamilton. You'll remember that she survived a shark attack that left her with the loss of her arm. Her story was retold in the movie Soul Surfer. She is running the race with her husband, a fellow surfer. The other 2 come from the world of Survivor. No, sadly, it's not Boston Rob and Amber again. This time it's another couple: Keith Tollefson and Whitney Duncan. This pair appeared on Season 23: South Pacific. They finished 11th and 9th, respectively. While on the show, a romance sparked, and it actually continued after the game ended. Unfortunately, at the time, Whitney was married. She ended up divorcing her husband and she is now engaged to Keith.

Season 25 Cast:

		Adam Dirks & Bethany Hamilton Relationship: Married Surfers Team Nickname Hashtag: #SoulSurfers From: Princeville, HI Adam Age: 26 Occupation: Professional husband; Full-time support Bethany Age: 24 Occupation: Pro Surfer and Motivational Speaker Claim to Fame: Lost her arm in a shark attack; the movie Soul Surfer was based on this event
		Keith Tollefson & Whitney Duncan Relationship: Engaged Team Nickname Hashtag: #TeamNashville From: Nashville, TN Keith Age: 29 Occupation: Energy Advisor Claim to Fame: Competed on Survivor: South Pacific (Season 23) Whitney Age: 29 Occupation: Singer/Songwriter Claim to Fame: Claim to Fame: Competed on Survivor: South Pacific (Season 23); Placed 5th on Nashville Star (Season 5)
		Kym Perfetto & Alli Forsythe Relationship: Friends Team Nickname Hashtag: #TheCyclists From: Brooklyn, NY Kym Age: 30 Occupation: Master Instructor for Soulcycle/Boss of YouTube channel "KymNonStop" Alli Age: 26 Occupation: Personal Trainer
		Maya Warren & Amy DeJong Relationship: Lab Mates and Friends Team Nickname Hashtag: #SweetScientists From: Madison, WI Maya Age: 29 Occupation: Ph.D. Student (Food Science) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison Amy Age: 24 Occupation: Ph.D. Student (Food Science) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison
		Lisa Thomson & Michelle Thomson Relationship: Sisters Team Nickname Hashtag: #Miami Realtors From: Miami Beach, FL Lisa Age: 28 Occupation: Real Estate Agent Michelle Age: 22 Occupation: Real Estate Agent
		Michael Ward & Scott Strazzullo Relationship: Friends and Fellow Firefighters Team Nickname Hashtag: #TheFirefighters From: Boston, MA Michael Age: 40 Occupation: Firefighter/EMT Scott Age: 39 Occupation: Firefighter/Paramedic/Haz-mat Tech
		Brooke Adams & Robbie Strauss Relationship: Dating Team Nickname Hashtag: #TheWrestlers From: Houston, TX; Woodbridge, NJ Brooke Age: 29 Occupation: Professional Wrestler Robbie Age: 30 Occupation: Professional Wrestler
		Tim Tsao & Te Jay McGrath Relationship: Dating Team Nickname Hashtag: #CollegeSweethearts From: South Pasadena, CA Tim Age: 23 Occupation: Flight Attendant Te Jay Age: 24 Occupation: Server/Female Impersonator
		Dennis Hour & Isabelle Du Relationship: Dating Team Nickname Hashtag: #TheDatingCouple From: Tustin, CA Dennis Age: 30 Occupation: Financial Accountant Isabelle Age: 28 Occupation: Model
		Misti Raman & Jim Raman Relationship: Married Team Nickname Hashtag: #TheDentists From: Columbia, SC Misti Age: 36 Occupation: Cosmetic Dentist Jim Age: 37 Occupation: Orthodontist
		Shelley Porter & Nici Porter Relationship: Mother/Daughter Team Nickname Hashtag: #MomDaughter From: Detroit, MI Shelley Age: 42 Occupation: Flight Attendant Nici Age: 24 Occupation: Flight Attendant