O'Connell's Off Topic

Revealed! Favorite Teams Return on The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business
By Cynthia Wang and Danielle Nieman
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20458783,00.html

Fans of The Amazing Race know that sometimes picking the wrong taxi driver, losing a passport or choosing the tougher task is all that stands between a team and the finish line. For the pairs audiences loved who came short, this season of The Race is for them.

Eleven fan-favorite teams return for The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business, which premieres Feb. 20 (8 p.m. ET/PT) on CBS. Here's who's coming back:

• The Harlem Globetrotters: Herb "Flight Time" Lang, 34, and Nate "Big Easy" Lofton, 29, fell just shy of third place during season 15 when a four-hour penalty set them back. "This time, we brought more thermals because of the cold and emergency blankets," says Nate. "We brought a calculator, too." Adds Herb, "And some extra boxers!"

• The Goths: Kent Kaliber, 35, and Vyxsin Fiala, 32, lost the plot in Italty during season 12 and want to script a new chapter, though their look hasn't changed. "I really felt when we were traveling it was an advantage, not a disadvantage," says Kent, "because everywhere we went people wondered, 'who is this girl with pink hair, and who is this guy in makeup?'"

• The Cheerleaders: Jamie Edmondson, 31, and Cara Rosenthal, 28, came second to Tammy and Victor in season 14 after a cab ride from hell. Cara admits, "We spent more time lost in taxis than truly any other team on the Race. This time, if we could have one or two taxis go our way that would help!"

• The Cowboys: Jet McCoy, 31, and Cord McCoy, 30, second-place finishers in season 16, are no strangers to second chances. "In 2004, I had a horse kick me in the head, so I am thankful to be alive," says Cord. Adds Jet, "He was in the ICU for four days and then a rehab hospital for a month learning how to walk and talk again."

• Gary and Mallory: Gary Ervin, 53, and Mallory Ervin, 25, drove on a 9-hour odyssey in Oman during season 17 and never recovered. "We should have not relied on what people and locals told us," Mallory says. But, says Gary of their supporters in Morganfield, Ky., "We are from a town of 3,600 people and they all want us to win, so that is pressure!"

• Amanda and Kris: Amanda Blackledge, 25, and Kris Klicka, 26, were dating during season 14 when a U-Turn sent them home. Now, producers "called us right after we got engaged," says Kris. Adds Amanda, "I think they wanted to make sure that we didn’t have a big November wedding planned!"

• Best Friends: Zev Glassenberg, 28, and Justin Kanew, 31, won viewers over with their humor and camaraderie as Zev proved that a person with Asperger's Syndrome could compete successfully in the Race. However, a lost passport derailed them in season 15. "Yeah, I will be checking for it all the time," admits Justin. "I told [Zev] he has the green light to ask me about it 100 times a day if he wants to!"

• Father and Son: Mel White, 70, and Mike White, 40, also fell victim to a bad taxi ride in their season. Other than being leaner and meaner, what other skills have they acquired? Language skills. "I learned to say, 'My father is old and he lives on a pension," says Mike. Adds Mel, "I'm playing the age card this time around!"

• Ron and Chris: Ronald Hsu, 61, and Christina Hsu, 29, faltered during the final leg of season 12 to come in second place. In returning to the Race, "My wife wasn’t happy about it because I’ve had back surgery and I’m no spring chicken," says Ron, "but I convinced her it was an opportunity of a lifetime, and also Christina is getting married next year and this is a great chance to spend time with her."

• Margie and Luke: Margie Adams, 53, and Luke Adams, 25, fought a tough battle to place third in season 14, a proud achievement for the duo, proving that Luke could do well as a deaf player. Notes Luke, "Sometimes it was a disadvantage because we would have things in our hands so that would make it difficult to do the sign language, but we really relied on facial expressions."

• Kisha and Jen: LaKisha Hoffman, 30, and Jennifer Hoffman, 26, missed making the final three in season 14 by mere minutes all due to a bathroom break during a sprint. "There are certain things that you can’t prepare for," says Jen, "but you can do things when it comes to packing, [and] we recently decided we needed to take swimming lessons because we know it will come in handy!"