Anita and Arthur Jones' The Amazing Race adventure turned out to be a short one.

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"The Beekeepers" team members-- who previously worked as a 63-year-old retired paralegal and 61-year-old former playground maintenance worker respectively before settling at their Eugene, OG farm -- became the first team eliminated from The Amazing Race 13 after getting off to a slow start and never factoring significantly in the competition.

"The race for me was doing this with Anita, doing this with ten other incredible couples, it's a privilege. It's just a total privilege to do this," Arthur told The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan after being informed they had arrived last at the competition's initial Pit Stop in Salvador, Brazil.

"We know that we gave it all we had and that's the most important thing. We're going to take that back to our kids and friends and family and tell them if they ever have a chance to do this you gotta go for it. We know that we tried as hard as we could," Anita said after her team's elimination.

The Amazing Race 13's premiere episode began with the 11 teams convening at the Los Angeles Coliseum to meet with Phil, who informed the teams that the first team to complete all 11 legs -- eight of which will be elimination legs -- of the 33,000-mile course would win $1,000,000.

He then told the teams that their first clue would be waiting for them with their backpacks on the top of the Coliseum's stairs.

"The world is waiting for you. Good luck, travel safe, GO!" Phil exclaimed as the teams darted towards the stairs.

After reaching their backpacks, the teams read their clues -- which told them to take one of two Los Angeles International Airport flights that would be leaving three hours apart to Salvador, Brazil -- and then ran to their cars and hit the road, with "Brother and Sister" team Nick and Starr Spangler leading the way.

Anita and Arthur fell behind early in the race, but stayed optimistic about their chances.

"We got a little slow start there, but I think we're gonna be OK. Get ready here we come," Anita said encouragingly.

"The other teams, I think might see us as old hippies, maybe not competitive. But I don't think that's true at all,"  Arthur told cameras.

After jockeying for positions on the highway while driving to the airport, the "Best Friends" team of Mark Yturralde and Bill Hahler managed to be the first team to buy their tickets on the earlier American Airlines flight, with "Separated Couple" team members Ken and Tina Greene right on their heels.

"Newly Dating Couple" Terence Gerchberg and Sarah Leshner, Nikki and Starr, "Long Distance Dating Couple" Aja Benton and Ty White, and "Divorcees" Kelly Crabb and Christy Cook filled out the rest of the seats on the early flight.

Since only six sets of tickets were available on the American flight, "Mother and Son" Toni and Dallas Imbimbo, "Fraternity Brothers" Andrew Lappitt and Dan Honig, "Friends" Marisa Axelrod and Brooke Jackson, "Dating Couple" Anthony Marotta and Stephanie Kacandes, and Anita and Arthur all ended up on a later United Airlines flight.

While waiting in the terminal waiting for their flight to depart, Nikki, Starr, Ken and Tina agreed to form a "loose alliance" for the competition's first few legs.

"Nikki and Starr [are] really sweet people. They're very athletic, they're competitive, they're bright. I think that us in an alliance with them is probably a positive thing at this point," Ken said.

After arriving in Salvador an hour and a half late due to a connecting flight delay, the teams on the first flight took taxis to O Rei Do Pernil, a local sandwich shop.  Once there, the teams received clues that instructed them to guide overloaded vending carts through the cobblestone streets to Praca Da Se, a popular local plaza.

While Mark and Bill were the first team to make it to the sandwich shop and get their cart, Terrence and Sarah followed closely and eventually overtook them for first place.

After reaching the the plaza and delivering their carts to a local coffee vendor, the teams received clues instructing them to take a taxi to a nearby Brazilian military base where they would rest for the night and sign up for one of three departure times -- 9:00AM, 9:30AM or 9:45AM -- the next morning.

Terrence and Sarah arrived first at the base and signed up for the 9:00AM departure. Nikki and Starr, Mark and Bill, and Ken and Tina followed soon thereafter and took the three other 9:00AM departure spots.

Although they'd arrived in Salvador on the second flight, Andrew and Dan managed to grab the final slot on the same 9:30AM departure time that Aja and Ty and Kelly and Christy (the remaining two first flight teams) ended up signing up for.

Anita and Arthur were the eighth team to arrive at the base, followed by Toni and Dallas, Anthony and Stephanie, and Marisa and Brooke.  All four teams ended up receiving 9:45AM departure times.

The following morning, the 9:00AM departure teams left the base with instructions to take a taxi to Salvador's historic Pelourinho area.  Once there, they would have to search for a local church for their next clue.

While looking for a taxi, Sarah became upset Nikki and Starr ignored her as she tried to make small talk with them.

"This is not a popularity game. Sarah wants people to like her and to be friends with her. I could care less if nobody speaks to me, I don't need friends," Terrence said of Sarah as she smiled sheepishly next to him in the taxi as it drove toward Pelourinho.

After arriving at the church, the teams opened their next clue and discovered it was time for The Amazing Race 13's first Detour, which gave them a choice between "Hard Way Up" and "Soft Way Down."

"Hard Way Up" required the teams to climb a large outdoor stairway on their hands and knees, after which they would be asked a "mystery question."  If they answered the question wrong, they'd have to return to the bottom and repeat the task again.  In "Soft Way Down," the teams had to make their way to the top of an outdoor elevator tower and then climb down a 240-foot cargo net suspended from the top of the tower.

All of the teams except Andrew and Dan decided to do the cargo net task.

"Only three teams may be on the cargo net at a time," Andrew told Dan.  "I think it's going to be a little crowded there, [so] I say [we should do] 'Hard Way Up.'"

Nikki and Starr were the first team to complete the cargo net task, followed by Ken and Tina, Terence and Sarah, and Mark and Bill.

After completing the Detour, the teams received clues instructing them to take a ferry to Forte Sao Marcelo, an old fort that served as the location of The Amazing Race 13's initial Pit Stop. 

Nikki and Starr managed to maintain their lead and reach the Pit Stop first, where Phil informed them they had won a trip for two to Belize.

"I think it's our relationship, I think the push and pull... between us is great," Starr said of why he and Nikki made such a strong team in the race's initial leg.

Ken and Tina arrived in second place, followed by Terrence and Sarah, Mark and Bill, Kelly and Christy, Toni and Dallas, Andrew and Dan, Aja and Ty, Anthony and Stephanie, and Marisa and Brooke.

After being the last team to pickup their Detour clue and not making up any ground after that, Arthur and Anita weren't surprised to hear Phil tell them they'd been eliminated from the race.

"We had hope," Anita said with a smile.

"It was a good run," added Arthur optimistically.

The Amazing Race 13's next episode will air Sunday, October 5 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS.
About The Author: John Bracchitta

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