Rupert Boneham and his wife Laura Boneham were eliminated from The Amazing Race at the end of the second leg during the latest broadcast on CBS.

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The former Survivor castaways, who raced as a married couple from Indianapolis, IN, arrived at the second Pit Stop of The Amazing Race's 31st season in Luang Prabang, Laos, in last place and were therefore eliminated from the competition.

Rupert, 54, previously competed on Survivor: Pearl Islands, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, and Survivor: Blood vs. Water.

As for Laura, 49, she previously competed on Survivor: Blood vs. Water as Rupert's loved one.

During a recent exclusive interview with Reality TV World, Rupert and Laura talked about their short-lived experience on The Amazing Race. Below is the concluding portion of what they had to say.

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Reality TV World: When I talked to Art Velez and J.J. Carrell last week, Art said he felt his age played a role in their loss, especially given the youth they were up against. Do you two feel similar in that you were at a disadvantage in the Race because of your age?

Rupert Boneham: You know, even when I went on Survivor: Pearl Islands 10 years ago, I was the old guy at 39. Now at 55 in the Race, and if I play Survivor again, I'm going to be the old guy. But that's okay.

I was so happy -- but unfortunately, Art wasn't in good enough shape to slay the darn game, but I'm four or five years older than that poor old man and I ran up the darn thing without much problem after running around the park for HOURS.

But no, we might be a few years older than a lot of the teams, but we still are in pretty good shape. After the first show, we had kind of kicked down that learning curve down a little more and when we were running, we were doing good. We just hit some bad luck. It wasn't really our age; it was bad luck.

Laura Boneham: Circumstance.

Rupert Boneham: Luck of the draw! It was those darn tuk-tuks that really got us.

Reality TV World: Based on what you've said, it sounds like you think veteran Racers definitely had the biggest advantage this season. That also seems obvious considering former Racers Becca and Floyd and Tyler and Korey both survived the leg after getting U-Turned.
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Rupert Boneham: The returning player always has the edge. The returning players knows that finding the next clue isn't finding the hidden clue, it's finding the cluebox that's out in the open. You've just got to keep your eyes open -- not search behind the wishing well.

Returning players of course have an advantage, which is why we wanted to partner up with "The Afghanimals." We knew they'd be the ones to follow.

Laura Boneham: Right. Returning players just know the ins and the outs. "The Afghanimals" they didn't show one time, but they took a shuttle or taxi...

Rupert Boneham: They took an underground tram in Tokyo that saved $80 bucks a piece.

Laura Boneham: But they ended up buying people food, so that was very cool.

Rupert Boneham: Yeah that was nice.

Laura Boneham: So former Racers, oh gosh, they definitely have an advantage because they already had the learning curve.

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Reality TV World: At the time you got eliminated, which team did you predict would win The Amazing Race this season? And which team were you actually rooting for to win? 

Rupert Boneham: Well, you know, I'd love to think there's going to be a Survivor team winning the darn thing, but I don't have much hope in that.

Even though "The Afghanimals" are playing a little dirty, I want to say I hope Leo and Jamal find their way [to the finish line] but become a little more mindful of how they play.

But I hope they do good. I'd like to see those guys win, you know, they were some of the few that really reached out and tried to drag us along with them. But they weren't going to wait for us at all, and I don't blame them!

Reality TV World: How did your casting on The Amazing Race come about this season? And when you were approached with the opportunity, did you hesitate to say "yes?"

Rupert Boneham: It was a really cool thing that was going on. I was already talking with CBS about doing another show, but it never really happened.

And then they called me up and said, "Would you like to do The Amazing Race?!" Well, they called me when I was at work and I was waiting for Laura.

I knew Laura had just gotten a job at one of the major hospitals here in Indianapolis, so I instantly said, "Of course I'll play the darn game, but are you going to team me up with another Survivor? Who is it?!"

And they calmed me down, saying, "Well, why don't you go home and talk to Laura?"

I came home that night and talked to Laura, and you tell them how long it took you to decide.

Laura Boneham: Oh my gosh. We were big fans; we love the Race. It's a tough game, and we knew it, but when they call you, you've got to say yes!

I was a brand new nurse and I didn't know if work would let me go, but I took a medical leave of absence. So I got to leave for a month-and-a-half and play the game!

Rupert Boneham: Yes, to run around the world. It didn't take very much at all to convince us to do it. Oh my gosh, just the mere offer was enough to get us to change our schedule and play the darn thing. And we would do it again if we could.

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RELATED LINK: 'THE AMAZING RACE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)

To read the rest of Reality TV World's exclusive The Amazing Race interview with Rupert and Laura, click here for Part 1 and click here for Part 2.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.