Studio City Resident Ephraim Salaam Joins 'Amazing Race'

At least to tape the opening episodes of "The Amazing Race," 36-year-old Ephraim Salaam doesn't have to go too far to work from home.

The Studio City resident has lived locally with his wife Renece, and their son, Rasheed, and the opening sections will be shot at the CBS Radford Studios lot. You can follow the fun with him directly on his Twitter at @ephraimsalaam.

Also, two members of the Los Angeles Kings Ice Crew, a father and daughter from Laguna Niguel and cousins from Los Angeles were among the 22 contestants named today by CBS for the 23rd season of "The Amazing Race."

The teams will travel through four continents, nine nations and cover more than 35,000 miles. The challenges contestants will face include paragliding in Chile and driving Formula One race cars in Abu Dhabi.

The teams include 22-year-old Allison "Ally" Mello and 25-year-old Ashley Covert, members of the Los Angeles Kings Ice Crew; Dr. Hoskote Venkatesh, a 60-year-old emergency room physician and his 27-year-old daughter Naina, a fitness instructor; and Leo Temory, a 26-year-old entrepreneur and restaurateur from Los Angeles and his 26-year-old cousin Jamal Zadran, the CEO and owner of the Zadran Investment Group.

"Our parents came from here from Afghanistan with nothing and we look at them and they've managed to create successful lives for us, so it's in our blood to be competitive,"  Temory said.

Naina Venkatesh described herself as "very hot-headed."

"I don't take anything lying down," she said.

Mello said she and Covert are "girly girls" who "love to get glammed up, but we're also just athletes" as they clean the ice at Staples Center.

The other teams are:

-- Former Houston Texans and San Diego State players Chester Pitts II and Ephraim Salaam. Salaam saw Pitts, who attended the California Academy of Mathematics and Sciences in Carson, which did not have a football team, bagging groceries at a Ralphs store, was impressed by his size and persuaded him to be a walk-on player at San Diego State.

Pitts went out to be a second-round draft choice of the Houston Texans and play nine seasons in the NFL as a guard. Salaam was an offensive tackle who played 13 seasons in the NFL. Pitts, 33, lives in Missouri City, Texas, is an analyst for "Texans Insider" and an executive consultant for ZT Wealth and Altus HMS. Salaam, 36, lives in Studio City and is a co-host of "Fox Sports Live."

-- Jason Case, a 33-year-old owner of a snowplow company from Attleboro, Mass., and his 29-year-old girlfriend from Providence, R.I., Amy Diaz, a social media manager;

-- Nicole "Nicky" Getz and Kim DeJesus, both wives of Major League Baseball players. Getz, a 27-year-old who splits time between Kansas City, Mo. and Troy Mich., is training to be a Pilates instructor and his married to Chris Getz, a second baseman with the Kansas City Royals. DeJesus is married to David DeJesus, an outfielder acquired Friday by the Tampa Bay Rays;

-- Travis Jasper, a 43-year-old, and his 39-year-old wife Nicole, both emergency room physicians from Atlanta;

-- Rowan Joseph, 56, and Shane Partlow, 47, theater performers from Charlotte, N.C. who call themselves the "Queens of Bingo";

--Brandon Squyres, a contractor, and his childhood friend, Adam Switzer, described as an "eco-friendly farmer." Both are 34-year-olds from Chico;

-- Timothy Sweeney, a 32-year-old who works in sports marketing, and his 29-year-old former girlfriend, a fitness trainer and gym owner. Both live in Morristown, N.J.

-- Tim Wiyninger, 26, an oilfield plant operator, and his 25-year-old best friend Daniel "Danny" Merkey, an oilfield operator, both from Cordell, Okla.;

The season is scheduled to begin Sept. 29.

—from City News Service