Amazingly, it's Amazing Race Time

Feb. 22, 2014, Geneseo, NY -- Finally. Our long wait has ended. Starting Sunday, Feb. 23, Season 24 of The Amazing Race will light up the dark winter nights.

And, be still my heart, it's an All-Star season, the race producers bringing back 11 of the best duos from previous outings.

The best?

Jessica and John

Well, with at least one exception:

John Erck and Jessica Hoel, who finished ninth in Season 22 are returning, though given John's past performance, it will be a surprise if they find the starting line.

You may remember John forgetting to use an Express Pass as he lost about a day and a half searching through surfboards for a clue.

When he and Jessica showed up last at the finish line all host Phil Koeghan could do was spread his arms and say "Oy vey" as he ushered the pair out the door.

The rest of the cast includes three teams making their third appearances. They are:

The ever-popular and ever-cheerful Harlem Globetrotters, Herbert "Flight Time" Lang and Nathaniel "Big Easy" Lofton, fourth in Season 15 and second in Season 18;

The Cowboys, brothers Cord and Jet McCoy, who finished second in Season 16 and  sixth in Season 18;

And the mother/son duo of Margie O'Donnell and Luke Adams, third in season 14 and eighth in season 18.

Let's hope that he negotiated a clause in his contract that he not, repeat not, show his underwear on camera.

The remaining teams break down as follows:

Whiners: Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas (third in Season 20), now married. Fiirst time around, she tended to break down and then lash out at him. That's all in the past, he suggests.

Schemers 1: The twins, Natalie and Nadiya Anderson, who even stole money in Season 21, where

Natalie and Nadiya

they finished fourth. They may not have changed, as Nadiya says that she's "still a bad ass."

Schemers 2: Equally crafty, but far easier to take, are the Afghanimals, cousins Leo Temory and Jamal Zadran. They finished fourth in Season 23. Leo was undone by a robot-building task. He says he's ready for a redo.

Backwoods dreamers: The Kentucky boys, William "Bopper" Minton and Mark Jackson. They bring their backwoods charm and, for Mark, difficult asthma issues, having done pretty well on Season 20, where they finished fifth. Alas, they both now list their occupations as "unemployed."

Hard luck losers: The gritty and athletic father-and-son duo of Dave and Connor O'Leary. They

Dave and Connor

were going great guns on Season 22 before they had to pull out because Dave had torn his achilles. They deserved far better than eighth place, and they're sure to be a crowd favorite.

True friends: Joey Graceffa and Meghan Camarena. They are, like, best friends. They took fifth on Season 22, done in by bagpipes.

Music makers: Jennifer Warren and Caroline Cutbirth. Chums from the country music industry, they finished fourth on Season 22, where they stole the hearts, at least for the season, of the winners, hockey's Battaglia Brothers.

So there we are. To find links to their full race bios, just go to "Season 23 Cast" above and click away.