To start the thirteenth season of The Amazing Race, eleven teams are transported by classic cars to the Los Angeles Coliseum. After receiving a set of initial instructions, they all scramble for clues which direct them to travel on one of two flights to Salvador, Brazil. Several teams are excited to catch the earlier flight, but disappointed when a delay shaves an hour an a half off the three hour lead that they had hoped to enjoy

The ten remaining teams take off from their Pit Stop in a seventh century fortress in Salvador, Brazil and receive a clue instructing them to fly to Fortaleza, Brazil. Tensions erupt when one team feels they secured an early flight for all teams and seeks a small compensation in return. Once in Fortaleza, the teams receive a clue instructing them to travel to a beach known as Barraca d Manoel

The remaining teams are instructed to fly from Fortaleze, Brazil to La Paz, Bolivia, but not before a rivalry between two teams heats up at the Pit Stop. The teams fly 1,200 miles and find themselves in area that is over 12,000 feet above sea level, leaving some racers struggling to breathe the thin air. The teams camp beside a local statue and then take a newspaper delivery

At the Pit Stop in La Paz, Bolivia, frustrations continue to build between two teams. The remaining teams receive a clue instructing them to fly 6,900 miles to Auckland, New Zealand. There, the teams face tricky nighttime navigation to the Gulf Harbor, where they must untie a Gordian knot

The seven remaining teams take off from their Pit Stop at Summer Hill in New Zealand and receive a clue instructing them to fly over 5,600 miles to Siem Reap, Cambodia. The teams scramble for flights, with one team that was running behind catching a critical flight that enables them to catch up with all other teams. In Siem Reap, the teams travel to a roadside pumping station where they're instructed to use a hand pump to fill a truck with 25 liters of fuel to receive their next clue

The six remaining teams take off from their Pit Stop at the Bayon Temple in Siem Reap Cambodia and receive a clue instructing them to fly 2,000 miles to Delhi, India and then find a place called Moonlight Motors. All teams secure the same flight, but difficulties arise for some teams throughout the leg as they try to navigate the complicated streets of India. At Moonlight Motors, the racers face a Roadblock that requires one member of each team to spray-paint a car

The remaining teams take off from their Pit Stop at the Baha'i House and receive a clue instructing them to travel to Deshbandhu Apartments. Once there, they participate in a Roadblock that frustrates several racers (including some not actually participating in the task) as they are pelted with various colored dyes. Upon completing this trial, the teams receive a clue instructing them to travel into Old Delhi and find the Charity Birds Hospital and search through cages of injured birds for their next clue

The remaining teams set off from their Pit Stop at Humayun's Tomb in Old Delhi, India and receive a clue instructing them to fly Almaty, Kazakhstan and then find a chicken factory. A mad scramble for flights ensues, but is ultimately rendering meaningless when all teams make the 7 A.M

At the Old Square in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the four teams racing in the ninth leg receive a clue instructing them to fly nearly 2,000 miles to Moscow, Russia. All teams make the same flight and then travel to a monastery, lighting a candle to receive their next clue. Along the way, one team begins experiencing taxi difficulties that persist throughout the leg

The remaining teams set off from their Pit Stop in a public park in Moscow, Russia and receive a clue instructing them to travel a retired Russian nuclear submarine and find an actor that appeared in the film The Hunt for Red October. Upon completing this task, the teams receive a clue directing them to the Park Iskusstv, also known as the Graveyard of Fallen Monuments. Here, one member of each team takes part in a Roadblock that tests powers of observation

The final three teams, Nick & Starr Spangler, Andrew Lappitt & Dan Honig amd Ken & Tina Greene set off from their Pit Stop at VDNKh Park and receive a clue instructing them to fly to their final destination city: Portland, Oregon. All teams make the same flight, connecting them through Frankfurt, to reach Portland. Once there, the teams travel to a local adventure park