Amazing Race update – A new race begins!

Season 13 starts tonight and we're introduced to the teams. One couple seems to think the Race is a form of marriage counseling; they'll be heading to divorce court after a couple days. The token older couple is two hard-core hippies, wearing tie-dyes. There's quite a bit of eye candy. Astonishingly, there are no "life partner" teams this season.

Phil arches his eyebrow and GO! Teams race up the steps at Los Angeles Olympic Stadium to their bags to find their first destination: Salvador, Brazil. It's a dash for the airport and one team makes the fatal mistake of following another team who happens to be hopelessly lost. Teams can book an American or United flight to Brazil, although the United flight arrives three hours later. This is standard TAR fare on the first leg to split up the eleven teams.

Once in Salvador, teams must find a certain sandwich shop for the next clue. The "separated" wife on one team tells her husband: "You speak Spanish, tell the driver we need to go fast." Except they speak Portuguese in Brazil. Heh. At the sandwich shop, teams must move an overloaded candy cart to a plaza. New Yorkers Terence and Sarah arrive first and head to the next stop at a military base, where they'll stay for the night. At the base, there's another split-up tactic as teams sign up for three groups departing in 15-minute intervals.

The next stop is Pelourihno and teams have a lot of trouble finding a taxi outside the military base. Once at the site, it's the Detour: "Hard way up" or "Soft way down." "Hard way up" involves climbing up the stairs at a church on your hands and knees; the "Soft way down" requires climbing down a very high cargo net, which is not for the acrophobic. Brother and sister Nick and Starr climb down and head to the Pit Stop at some offshore fortress. Except for the Frat Boys, everybody does the cargo net and arrive in the order they started climbing down. The Woodstock couple Anita and Arthur arrive last and are eliminated.

Final standings:

#1 - Nick & Starr – Prize: trip to Belize
#2 - Ken & Tina
#3 - Terence & Sarah

(seven other teams)

#11 - Anita & Arthur – PHILIMINATED

Next week: People get their feelings hurt. Maybe team nicknames.