Deaf contestant on Amazing Race

MANILA, Philippines - Language barriers have always been a hurdle for teams on The Amazing Race but for recent college graduate and first-ever deaf contestant Luke Adams, it’s double the trouble.

Luke, paired with his mom Margie, is among the 12 teams who will travel over 40,000 miles around the world in 22 days for a shot at a $1-M jackpot prize in the 14th edition of the reality hit series premiering Feb. 16 live via satellite at 9 a.m. on Studio 23.

Beginning at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base near Long Beach, California, the season’s competition will cover nine countries including Switzerland, India, China, Russia and Romania.

In an interview with the Associated Press, executive producer Bertram van Munster revealed that the teams encountered extreme conditions during the race including a Siberian snowstorm in sub-zero temperature, intense roadblocks and less time in airports which added to the racers already exhausting course.

The race also included the world’s second tallest jump, suffocating heat in India, and Olympic-themed stunts that literally left them gasping for air.

Other teams (with pre-existing relationships) this season featured pairs like stuntmen, flight attendants, former National Football cheerleaders, college athletes, and corporate litigators.