Pictured: Top Row, L-R: Tyler Adams, Laura Pierson, Jeff Magee, Lyda Grawn, Michael Dombrowski, Rochelle Nevedal, Bergen Olsen, Kurt Jordan Belcher, Aly Dudek, Steven Langton, Lebya Simpson, C.J. Harris; Bottom Row, L-R: Jeffrey Weldon, Jackie Ibarra, Harley Rodriguez, Jonathan Knight, Blair Townsend, Hayley Keel, Jelani Roy, Jenny Wu, Ashley Gordon, Matt Cucolo Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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CBS has announced the cast for the upcoming 26th season of its award-winning reality series "The Amazing Race," which includes two Olympians and a member of '80s boy band New Kids on the Block.

The all-couples edition of the show will feature a twist: five of the teams will be made up of "blind dates," with the contestants meeting for the first time at the beginning of the competition. According to TV Guide, those couples include "two lawyers, a nurse and Navy physician, and a human resources rep and pageant consultant."

NKOTB star Jonathan Knight will be part of the already-together-couples contingent, joining "Race" with his partner, fitness trainer Harley Rodriguez. Olympians Aly Dudek and Steven Langton also comprise one of the teams; Dudek won a bronze in short track speed skating in Vancouver in 2010, while Langton snagged two bronze medals as a member of the U.S. bobsled team in Sochi in 2014.

"Usually we have people who know each other really well. In this particular case we have five blind dates and six regular dates," said "Race" co-creator Bertram van Munster in a statement. "Going on a blind date to a restaurant is one thing, but going on a blind date around the world is like rolling the dice in a big way."

For a look at the full roster of racers, check out TV Guide's lineup here. Season 26 of "The Amazing Race" kicks off on CBS with an extended 90-minute premiere on Wednesday, February 25 at 9:30 p.m., before moving to its regular timeslot on Friday, February 27 at 8 p.m.

[via: TV Guide]

Photo credit: Monty Brinton/CBS