Social Media Stars Get Ready to Dominate ‘The Amazing Race’

The Amazing Race is getting social. The CBS competition series kicks off its 28th season with 11 teams of two, all composed of social-media influencers who have accrued millions of followers across platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Vine.

“But take away the fact that millions of people watch them,” host Phil Keoghan insists about these intrepid contestants. “They’re just interesting people, period.”

One high-profile duo: best friends and YouTube stars Korey Kuhl and Tyler Oakley. Oakley alone has more than 7.9 million subscribers on the video-streaming site. “Of all our racers, I thought he might be affected by being the most famous,” Keoghan says. “But he is really what you see online: a curious, fun and lovable guy.”

This season also features three new countries on the Race course: Colombia, Georgia and Armenia. “You don’t see these places on TV very often,” Keoghan says. “All shows can do casting twists to keep it fresh, but we have the ability to never go back to the same location, even after 28 seasons.”

 The Amazing Race, Season premiere, Friday, Feb. 12 , 8/7c, CBS