BWW Recap: Elegance and Class Reign on THE AMAZING RACE

Normally, THE AMAZING RACE makes teams trek through mud and grime and through rivers and across rice fields just to get to their next pit stop. "Glitz" and "glam" are never typically associated with the Race. Tonight, however, that's all changing. Thiis week, teams trade in pretzels and lederhosen from Germany and board planes to fly to elegant Monaco.

That's not to say that this leg will be easier than others, though. In fact, if I know the Race at all (and I like to think that I know it pretty darn well), it'll be even harder than legs where teams have to...oh, I don't know, plow an entire field by guiding an ox around a pen. I wonder if Hayley is going to find something to complain about this week! (Hint: she probably will.)

Join me here tonight at 8 PM as I recap the show live on the West Coast! I'll also be hanging around Twitter @CourtHenley if you feel like joining me there.

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8:05 : See? I told you Hayley would still be annoying. And oh, look! They get to dress up in special clothes again!

Also, for the record, I'd give anything to get to Monaco via Nice, so if anybody ever wanted to buy me a surprise vacation...

8:08 : Way to GO, Mike and Rochelle! See, THAT'S a smart gamble. Seven layovers along the way? Not so smart. Nobody's done it yet, but I'm curious to see if anybody makes the classic layover mistake.

8:10 : Wait, "your suit is going to be ready tomorrow"...? Another equalizer? Darn it!

Maybe we can leave Hayley there. Can someone like...tell her the're going to hang out at the hotel one night and then just...leave?

Also, "an 8th grade dinner-dance dress?" What 8th grade dinner-dances were you going to?

8:15 : Ooh, Road Block time! One person has to pick up roses and chocolate and then deliver them to their partner, who will be waiting on one of the many many fancy Monaco yachts. Something tells me this is going to be a bit trickier than it sounds on the surface.

This challenge is great...for the person hanging out on the boat.

8:23 : You know, I've liked Mike and Rochelle from the beginning, but the more I watch, the more I like them. Last week, they kept smiling regardless, and this week, Mike ran in the complete opposite direction for a mile or two, but he kept at it and found Rochelle. They both kept positive attitudes the whole time and maintainted their second place position. Good for them.

But now, the Detour - determined entirely by roulette at the Casino Monte Carlo! Black gets you Win by a Nose, and red gets you Don't Slack Off. Each challenge is different, but both options require teams to pick up a car from the valet and drive themselves to the next stop.

8:26 : Uh oh, Mike and Rochelle need to stop and ask for directions, but Jelani and Jenny lost their map, and that's definitely going to hurt them.

Evidently, though, teams that do have maps (I'm lookin' at you, Aly and Steve) aren't having much luck self-navigating either. Maybe it won't harm them as much as I thought. We shall see.

8:33 : Aly and Steve...how do you not read where you have to go when you read the clue?

Oh well! Mike and Rochelle are now actually in the lead! They're at the Win by a Nose challenge, where they have to match original perfume recipes by scent and scent alone (OK, they get some instructions, too) under the guidance of master perfumists. (Perfumists, is that even a word? Oh well. It is now.)

Wait. Wait. Wait. They get to zip line and then walk back across over the cliffs of Monaco?!??!? Words simply cannot express how insanely jealous I am of the teams that get to complete that challenge.

8:39 : See, now, I don't know how I feel about this gamble of a Detour. Maybe it's just because I'm not much of a "let's leave it up to fate to decide" kind of person in general, but I don't think it's fair that the Detour is chosen by luck. The zip line one is clearly easier than the perfume one, and had teams had the choice, I bet they would have chosen differently. And now, because of that, certain teams lost their lead because fate gave them a lousy lot.

Darn roulette.

8:44 : Ugh. I'm so upset for Mike and Rochelle. They worked for their lead, and now it was taken away because they got the more difficult challenge.

8:51 : How hard is it to navigate Monaco?

8:53 : ...how annoying. Hayley and Blair are first. Aly and Steve are next, followed closely by Mike and Rochelle (thank GOSH). Everyone else is still confused.

8:55 : Matt and Ashley are safe, and so are Jelani and Jenny and Laura and Tyler.

Sadly, Jeff and Jackie are eliminated. I liked them. They were another pair that was really funny, really optimistic, and really hard-working and cooperative. Can they swap places with Hayley and Blair? Pretty please?

Who do you want to see eliminated after next week's two hour episode? We're getting closer and closer to the final leg each week. Who do you want to see make it to the finale? Let us know in the comments below or chat with me on Twitter @CourtHenley!

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