PokerWorks

The rumors had been floating around since the month of June, during which time Tiffany Michelle announced that she would not try to outdo her 2008 World Series of Poker performance as the last woman standing in 2009 due to a “pretty big” project. It was speculated that Michelle, along with friend and 2007 WSOP last woman standing Maria Ho, were to appear on the Amazing Race, and PocketFives claims to have confirmed the news.

Michelle first mentioned her summer project on a video released in June of 2009 and a subsequent written blog, in which she stated that she would be leaving the United States to film a project that was “huge” and “an opportunity just too good to pass up.” The poker player also claims actress and singer on her wide-ranging resume, and it was rumored that she secured a project that coincided with one of her other interests. A photo also emerged in early July showing Michelle and Ho at Los Angeles International airport preparing to depart the city, though the photo only went along with other words-on-the-street that the duo were accepted as contestants on the upcoming season of the Amazing Race.

The reality show pits teams of contestants against each other in a race around the world. Challenges vary widely but serve to allow some duos to finish each leg of the race and reach each destination quicker than others. The last pair to finish each leg is eliminated, thus leading to the final journey that ends in one team winning the grand prize, which has in past seasons been $1 million. Teams in the past have been comprised of family members, spouses, siblings, and friends, the latter category presumably where Michelle and Ho fit in.

If PocketFives is correct, the list of contestants should confirm the news when it is released in the weeks leading up to the September 27th premiere of the 15th season. The show will air on CBS at 8pm ET/PT.

According to the fan forums on the CBS/Amazing Race website, other people rumored to be appearing on the upcoming season of the show include two Harlem Globetrotters (Nate Lofton and Herbert Lang), a lesbian Cirque de Soleil couple, Miss America 2004 (Ericka Dunlap) and her husband, and two newscasters from the C-SPAN cable network.

If Michelle and Ho do appear on the show, they will be the latest in a string of poker players looking for spots in mainstream television via reality shows. Jean-Robert Bellande was the first to do so when he appeared on CBS’ Survivor, and Annie Duke recently came in second place on NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice.