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Tampa Bay residents on 'Survivor,' 'Amazing Race'

 
White Collar tribe member Carolyn Rivera, will be one of the 18 castaways competing on SURVIVOR this season, themed Worlds Apart: White Collar vs. Blue Collar vs. No Collar, when the Emmy Award-winning series returns for its 30th season with a special 90 minute premiere, Wednesday, Feb. 25 (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
White Collar tribe member Carolyn Rivera, will be one of the 18 castaways competing on SURVIVOR this season, themed Worlds Apart: White Collar vs. Blue Collar vs. No Collar, when the Emmy Award-winning series returns for its 30th season with a special 90 minute premiere, Wednesday, Feb. 25 (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Published Jan. 22, 2015

Get ready to root on some locals in the upcoming editions of Survivor and The Amazing Race. CBS has unveiled the next casts for both long-running reality shows, and both will feature folks from Tampa Bay.

Carolyn Rivera, a 52-year-old "corporate executive" from Tampa, will be part of Survivor: Worlds Apart, which will divide 18 cast members by economic status — "white color," "blue collar" and "no collar" (think artists and bohemians). Rivera, of course, is part of Team White Collar.

In her CBS bio, Rivera describes herself as "positive," "enthusiastic," "funny" and "certified in Myers Briggs," so, hey, that'll come in handy in the middle of nowhere. The native New Yorker is also a lifelong athlete who plays softball, volleyball and soccer and participates in Tough Mudder races, and says her role model in life is Hillary Clinton. "She is a role model, strong-willed, highly competitive, inspiring, influential and assertive. She is the ultimate survivor!"

Over on The Amazing Race, viewers will have two local castmates to cheer for — but in a twist, they're actually on competing teams. This year's Amazing Race gimmick is that half the teams will be existing couples, and half will be "blind dates," pairing contestants who have never met, but who are single and ready to mingle.

First up is Hayley Keel, a 28-year-old registered nurse from St. Petersburg who describes herself as "genuine, witty and passionate." She loves paddleboarding, cooking and going to the beach, and calls Justin Timberlake her celebrity crush. Will she find love with her partner, Blair Townsend, a 31-year-old physician from Amelia Island? Maybe — they both list Thailand as the place on earth they'd most like to visit.

And then there's Jeffrey Weldon, a 26-year-old sales account executive from Tampa. "I work with C Level executives and sell a wide array of services/products that meet their companies' needs," he writes in his bio. Fascinating! He's into fitness and networking, and compares himself to Bradley Cooper, "although I've gotten that I look like Tim Tebow a few times." He'll be paired with 27-year-old Jackie Ibarra, a professional dancer from Las Vegas.

These aren't the only notable folks among this year's contestants. The Amazing Race will feature New Kid on the Block Jonathan Knight and his partner, Harley Rodriguez, and Winter Olympic bronze medalists Aly Dudek and Steve Langton. Survivor: Worlds Apart won't feature any celebrities, but counts among its ranks a professional barrel racer and a professor who taught a course on Survivor at Northwestern University.

The new seasons of both shows premiere Feb. 25 on CBS.