Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hometown stars
Ex-Heat players, area lifeguards join “The Amazing Race.”
Two former Miami Heat players and two Miami Beach lifeguards have embarked on a race around the globe on CBS’s “The Amazing Race.”
Retired NBA players Cedric Ceballos and Shawn Marion are #teamslamdunk while lifeguards Lucas Bocanegra and Brittany Austin are #teamoceanrescue on the reality show.
They’re among 11 teams that include reality stars, athletes, models and at least two competitive eaters who were introduced in the show’s 30th season opener Jan. 3. The show airs 8 p.m. Wednesdays.
The ballers and lifeguards will be seen solving clues as they compete in challenges in ten countries and 21 cities. The winning team takes home $1 million.
“We are going to be put through all these stressful situations [and] be able to have to communicate with each other,” Bocanegra said.
“And hopefully not get frustrated with each other,” chimed in Austin during a preview video on CBS.com
The couple met nine years ago while working for Miami Beach Ocean Rescue and have been dating since. Austin, 31, described the show as “relationship therapy on steroids.”
Bocanegra, 35, shared with viewers that he has an engagement ring and plans to pop the question to Austin somewhere during the show’s run.
“When it feels rights, I think I will do it then,” he said.
Ceballos and Marion — who were both forwards for the Miami Heat at different times (Ceballos in 2000–2001; Marion from 2008-09) — said they believe they’ll work together well.
“Shawn is quick, very witty. He has an ability to adapt to a lot of situations,” Ceballos said on CBS.com. “He can be a fool and he can also be super intelligent and figure things out quickly.”
Marion, 39, described Ceballos, 48, as the calm and even-keeled guy. “He is going to be the father and he is going to make sure that we got it in line,” he said.
Those skills were put to the test Jan. 3 episode called “You’re a Champion, Prove It” when the teams began the race from in New York City where they jumped into a fountain to retrieve their first clue. That sent them on a flight to Reykjavik, Iceland where the teams had to drive to a river canyon waterfall and zip-line from 150 feet high to collect an Icelandic flag.
“Heights is not my thing, dangling is not my thing but “The Amazing Race” has been a part of my family’s life for 29 seasons,’’ Ceballos said as he strapped himself onto the zipline. “I didn’t want to but it’s for the race.”
By the end of the episode, the lifeguards arrived in seventh place while the basketball players placed ninth. (They had a last-minute 30-minute penalty related to Ceballos helping out Marion during a spelling challenge.)