The Amazing Race eliminated "Best friends" Mark Crawford and Larry Graham as well as "Sisters" Jackye Clayton and Lauren McKinney after the "Fork in the Road" during the Season 37 premiere episode that aired Wednesday night on CBS.
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RELATED LINK: 'THE AMAZING RACE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
The Amazing Race broadcast began at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, where the 14 teams met longtime host Phil Keoghan.
Phil teased how there would be "more big surprises" than ever before this season and they'd encounter the first-ever "Fork in the Road" twist during the very first leg, which would lead up to a double elimination.
The teams' first set of clues instructed them to fly to Hong Kong.
The four teams who got tickets on the first 11:30PM flight were "Married parents" Jonathan Towns and Ana Towns, "Best friends and gamers" Carson McCalley and Jack Dodge, "Mother and daughter" Melinda Papadeas and Erika Papadeas, and "Dating nurses" Courtney Ramsey and Jasmin Carey.
The teams who got stuck on the second flight to China departing at 12:30AM included "Siblings" Han Nguyen and Holden Nguyen, "Father and daughter" Ernest Cato and Bridget Cato, "Married Vegas performers" Brett Hamby and Mark Romain, and "Married parents" Scott Thompson and Lori Thompson.
The rest of the teams on the second flight were "Friends" Bernie Gutierrez and Carrigain Scadden, "Married nurse anesthetists" Alyssa Borden and Josiah Borden, "Sisters" Jackye Clayton and Lauren McKinney, "Best friends" Mark Crawford and Larry Graham, "Brothers" Nick Fio and Mike Fio, and "Father and son" Jeff "Pops" Bailey and Jeff Bailey.
Once the first flight landed about 20 minutes late at 6:03AM, the teams had to take a taxi and climb up hundreds of steps to receive their next clue underneath a giant bronze Buddha known as the Tian Tan Buddha.
Carson and Jack arrived at the statue in first place, and they were instructed to take the Sun Ferry to Cheung Chau Island and search for their next clue among the promenade.
The second flight landed 11 minutes early at 6:34AM.
Jonathan and Ana were the only team who were able to get on the first ferry to the island, and so they were thrilled about having a substantial lead.
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Jackye and Lauren, meanwhile, were the last team to arrive at the Buddha statue, and they had to overcome a fear of stairs.
The next two ferries left about 30 minutes apart between 9:30AM and 10:30AM, and the only team who got stuck on the third ferry out were Jackye and Lauren.
When Jonathan and Ana arrived on Cheung Chau Island, it became time for one member of each team to complete a Roadblock task.
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The participating Racers were required to climb up a bamboo tower and pick up their next clue at the top. Because it was raining, the tower was a little slippery.
Ana took on the task as well as Han, Bernie, Lori, Brett, Josiah, Carson, Mike, Erika, Bridget, Mark, Pops, Jasmin and Lauren.
The teams were then instructed to travel to Lok Kwan Street Park to find their next clue, and the "Fork in the Road" was ahead of them.
At the "Fork in the Road," teams must choose between two routes to the Pit Stop, and only seven teams could go in either direction, creating a parallel race all the way to the mat, where two teams would be eliminated.
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At the "Fork in the Road," teams had to choose "Dance" or "Sing."
Nick and Mike chose dancing, and they were joined by Carson and Jack, Bridget and Ernest, Bernie and Carrigain, Mark and Larry, Brett and Mark, and Courtney and Jasmin.
The teams who chose singing were Alyssa and Josiah, Han and Holden, Jonathan and Ana, Pops and Jeff, Scott and Lori, Melinda and Erika, and Jackye and Lauren.
In "Sing," teams had to learn how to perform and sing lines from a Cantonese opera to the best of their ability. Coming up with the right movement and pronunciation could be overwhelming, but if they could act the part, they'd be rewarded with a clue.
In "Dance," teams were required to bring a lion to life by learning a choreographed routine. They had to perform in sync.
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Carson and Jack finished the dance task in first place, and their next set of clues sent them to the Pit Stop at West Kowloon Cultural District Art Park Terrace.
Brett and Mark finished the "Fork in the Road" task in second place.
Carson and Jack finished the first "Dance" leg in first place, and they won $3,000. Brett and Mark were right on their heels and landed on the mat in second place.
Ernest and Bridget placed third at the Pit Stop after dancing, and Bernie and Carrigain placed fourth. Nick and Mike finished in fifth place, and Courtney and Jasmin met Phil in sixth place.
Mark and Larry were the last team to arrive from the lion dance and so they were eliminated from The Amazing Race.
"When you pick up the phone, you never know who's going to be there, but I know he will be," Larry said of Mark in tears.
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For the parallel "Sing" route, Alyssa and Josiah made it to the Pit Stop in first place, and they also won $3,000 to enjoy at the end of the Race.
Jonathan and Ana were the second team to arrive from the opera, and they were soon followed by Scott and Lori in third place and then Pops and Jeff in fourth place.
Han and Holden ran to the Pit Stop mat in fifth place after singing, and then Melinda and Erika finished the leg in sixth place.
Jackye and Lauren eventually met Phil in seventh -- and last -- place from the opera.
RELATED LINK: 'THE AMAZING RACE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
Jackye and Lauren were also eliminated from The Amazing Race, and they were so grateful for the adventure, even though it had ended too quickly.
The sisters called The Amazing Race an "absolute honor," and they celebrated their accomplishments.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
