This leg of the race began with Phil telling us that teams will fly to Nice, then receive a professional fitting at Hotel Westminster before boarding a helicopter to Monaco. The olympians book a flight arriving at 5:05 pm, the hairdressers will arrive at 6:15 pm, JJ, the lawyers, Hayley & Blair, and Laura & Tyler are on a flight arriving at 5:55 pm, and Mike & Rochelle are scheduled to land in Nice at 8:45 pm. Mike & Rochelle go downstairs to look for computers when they see the olympians boarding, and they manage to get tickets on the same flight as the olympians, making them tied for first place! It just goes to show how smart thinking can save you in the race; especially since Matt & Ashley went
from first to last thanks to bad tickets. In Nice, the teams get fitted in gorgeous outfits, but Ashley is a little rude, saying how much she dislikes her dress while she’s getting fitted. In the morning, teams take helicopters according to the order in which they arrived at the hotel, and they face a roadblock in Monaco. Roses and Chocolates requires one team member to have a mini scavenger hunt where they must pick up roses and chocolates, then find their partner on a luxury yacht. This roadblock doesn’t seem particularly challenging, but it does offer pretty spectacular views of Monaco.
Jenny is the only person who uses a map instead of relying on locals for directions. She and Laura decide to 
team up, which makes me happy because I love both of them! Steve arrives at the yacht and receives his next clue, which instructs them to go to the Casino De Monte Carlo. Mike is struggling to find the yacht, as instead of going down and searching among them, he for some reason decided to look at them from above. The flags are pretty small, so there’s no way he’ll be able to see them from a distance. Finally, Mike goes down to the yachts and asks a local for help, who tells him that he is in the wrong quay. He eventually makes it to the yacht, where Rochelle happily greets him. At the casino, Phil tells us that teams will gamble in order to choose which side of the detour they will perform; a black number means they will do Win By A Nose, while a red number means they will perform Don’t Slack Off. Both detours require teams to pick up a Ford Fiesta from the valet and drive it to their next destination.
As teams leave the casino to do the detour, Laura tells Tyler that she has Jenny’s map, and he says not to worry about it. This could lead to tension between the two teams. Jenny realizes that she doesn’t have the map, and Laura starts to go over to her, but Tyler pulls her away. I don’t really blame Tyler, because it gives them an edge, but I would like to see the two teams working together. The lawyers continue to argue about the map in the car, but Jenny doesn’t realize that Laura has it. Since they’re so fancy, Tyler & Laura decide they need alter ego names, so they go by their middle names – Magdalena and Hays. They’re just so adorable! The olympians are very lost – they asked several locals for directions, and parked in front of a random church before realizing they were at the wrong place. Mike & Rochelle make it to the detour first. Win By A Nose requires teams to make a bottle of signature perfume and cologne. They must use 12 essences per fragrance to match the original recipes. The lawyers arrive at Don’t Slack Off, in which they must zipline 2,000 feet above the city and then walk on a wire back to the start, where they will receive their next clue. This seems scarier, but ultimately easier, than the other detour.
Tensions rise between Mike & Rochelle as Rochelle keeps messing up, and pressure is added when 
Laura & Tyler arrive. Jenny’s attitude towards the detour just makes me like her even more, because she’s so enthusiastic, and you can tell she really appreciates this experience. Hayley & Blair were both chemistry minors in college, although they don’t have any chemistry together (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Most teams are doing Win By A Nose, and the olympians finally arrive. It turns out that 12 of the fragrances aren’t labeled, so teams just have to go by smell. Jelani & Jenny finish the detour and are off to the pit stop at Plage De Passable. Rochelle’s perfume is approved by the judge, but the judge says that Mike’s cologne isn’t correct. Laura & Tyler get turned down by the judge as well. The hairdressers and JJ finish the detour, and the remaining teams are all trying to complete Win By A Nose. Laura asks Hayley which scent is caramel, and Hayley tells her that it is #4, which helps them tremendously. The olympians finish the detour, followed by Laura & Tyler, and then Hayley & Blair. Mike & Rochelle went from first to last place, but they’ve finally completed the detour and are now racing to the pit stop.
Right now, it seems to be anyone’s game. Teams are getting lost, so whoever gets the best directions will be in first place. Somehow, Blair & Hayley ended up getting to the pit stop first, and they win a trip to South Africa! I have to say, Hayley & Blair worked really well together this leg, and they definitely deserved first place. Aly & Steve are team number two, and in a shocking development, Mike & Rochelle are the third team to arrive! I really have no clue who will be eliminated now, this leg is pretty unpredictable. Matt & Ashley are in 4th place, the lawyers are 5th, and Laura & Tyler are 6th place. Laura & Tyler got the Date Night Pass again, which hopefully will lead to sparks flying! Jeff & Jackie come in last place and are eliminated. I’m disappointed about this, they worked well together and were a cute couple.
What did you think about tonight’s episode? Were you as surprised as I was about the order in which teams arrived at the pit stop? I have to say, out of all 26 seasons, this was one of the episodes where I was most shocked as to who was eliminated. It just goes to show you that one of the most important things on TAR is being able to navigate well. Next week’s episode will be two hours long (which probably means that the first part will be a non-elimination leg), and teams will travel to Africa! Let me know who you think will be eliminated next in the comments below.
