Season 26 of "The Amazing Race" will make its debut on Wednesday, Feb. 25, on CBS. The premiere comprises of an exclusive episode that is 90 minutes long, airing at 9:30 p.m. Following this, the show goes back to its regular 8 to 9 p.m. E.T. slot on Friday, Feb 27. 

The season brings in 11 new teams. Although they are all dating couples, this season has a special twist. Five of the pairs are blind dating, meaning they get to meet their partners at the starting line making for a whole new level of blind dating. 

Executive producer Bertram van Munster commented, as quoted by CBS News, "Usually, we have people who know each other really well. In this particular case, we have five blind dates and six regular dates." 

This certainly makes for an interesting viewing experience as fans will have the opportunity to witness the juxtaposition of two kinds of teams — one set that has an established understanding while the other set is forced to forge an understanding on their feet in the most challenging circumstances. Fans of the show are in for a real treat. 

Among the established couples on the show are New Kids on the Block member Jonathan Knight and his partner Harley Rodriguez, and Olympic medalists Aly Dudek and Steven Langton. The blind date couples include a Navy physician and a registered nurse along with two lawyers. 

The show is designed to test the relationship and level of understanding between the contestant couples from the very beginning as they are required to overcome a muddy obstacle course prior to being flown to Tokyo. The race goes on to Bangkok, Namibia, Monaco, and other exotic spots across the globe. Viewers will follow the contestants as they travel across five continents, covering a distance of over 35 thousand miles in eight different countries.

Disney Media Distribution undertakes the worldwide distribution of "The Amazing Race."