http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hTmuNBAmvhqFyktmDnblV-lOdq8QD92L7DU80

By DERRIK J. LANG - 4 hours ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) - An ex-NFL player and his estranged wife, a former Dallas
Cowboys cheerleader and her actor brother, recent divorcees, a pair of
Southern belles and fraternity brothers are among the 11 two-person teams
hurrying for the finish line - and the $1 million grand prize - on the
upcoming 13th edition of CBS' "The Amazing Race."

"I love the fraternity brothers because they're so young and such a
contrasting team," host Phil Keoghan recently told The Associated Press.
"One takes his time to think things out. The other one loves to rush and go
at a million miles an hour. There's definitely tension between the two of
them while they're making decisions during the race."

Another team competing is geeky best friends Mark Yturralde, 41, and Bill
Hahler, 42. The Comic-Con treasurer and student aid administrator from San
Diego have been pals for over 20 years and have auditioned for "The Amazing
Race" since the long-running reality series' third season. The superhero and
gaming aficionados said they left their toys at home during the race.

"We've got really teeny backpacks," said Hahler. "They are small. We wanted
to make sure that there wasn't anything to prevent us from putting that pack
underneath the seat in front of us when we got on a plane. We didn't want
something to happen where we got delayed because of our luggage. We thought
that would help us go faster."

"We did extensive research on what to wear - what was lightweight and would
help us move the fastest," added Yturralde. "I think it was the longest I
ever went without wearing a logo on my T-shirt. If you see me on the street,
I'm usually wearing a Superman, Bizarro or Batman T-shirt on a constant
basis, but we had to utilize more multi-use clothing for 'The Amazing
Race.'"

Married beekeepers Anita, 63, and Arthur Jones, 61, from Eugene, Ore., are
the oldest - and perhaps most colorful - team on this season of "The Amazing
Race." Among the self-described hippies' mottos: "Don't worry, be hippie"
and "The hokey pokey is what it's all about." Before the race, the Joneses
worked out in hopes of keeping up with the other teams.

"We both tried to do some training, along the lines of going down to our
little gym, but that was pretty much it," said Anita. "We have an emerging
farm, so we do a lot of work out there, splitting wood and taking care of
the horses. We're pretty physical, so we thought, 'Hey, we can be in there
with everybody else. It'll be fun.'"

Ken Greene, a former St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers defensive
back, now 51, will race with estranged wife Tina.

Starting at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the 13th season of the
Emmy-winning reality competition (premiering Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. EDT) will
follow the teams as they travel over 30,000 miles in 23 days to countries
such as Brazil, Bolivia, Russia, India and Kazakhstan. It's the first time
the series visited the landlocked country lampooned by Sacha Baron Cohen in
"Borat."

"We shot most of that episode in the capital," said executive producer
Bertram van Munster. "People were a little afraid we were going to pull a
'Borat' on them. I told them we weren't doing 'Borat,' but what happened
there is very, very funny. It's not easy to shoot in places like that
because they practically have no television industry."

Van Munster, who is currently scouting locations in Asia for the 14th
season, promised the 13th season will include a series of firsts for the
reality competition, including a mistake that ultimately prohibited one team
from joining their fellow racers at the finish line, as well as a memorable
first-ever stop for "The Amazing Race" in Cambodia.

"The teams have no idea how to get from Point A to Point B there," said van
Munster. "They don't know the language. It's very difficult to get through
this country. They get so stuck, but they find so many fascinating solutions
of how to get through everything. One of the things the teams do there is go
to a real-life floating village. It's insane."

Viewers shouldn't expect to witness the around-the-world shenanigans in high
definition, according to van Munster. While the upcoming Gabon-set season of
CBS' "Survivor" will be broadcast in HD for the first time, "The Amazing
Race" co-creator said the network hasn't decided on a similar stance for the
often on-the-bubble show.

"I don't think it's a priority," van Munster said. "We're just happy to
continue making the show as it is."