The teams stay in France for this leg and must drive themselves to Tour de Fautea, where they face a decidedly unappetizing Local Food task: casu marzu, a traditional sheep’s milk cheese containing live maggots. Kim & Penn and Raquel & Cayla are the first teams to depart the previous location and reach the cheese challenge. Raquel & Cayla arrive shortly after Kim & Penn and manage to move ahead once they finish, prompting visible frustration from Kim & Penn in their confessional. They name Raquel & Cayla as strong rivals and say they’re eager to outperform them in the final leg.
After finishing their casu marzu, Raquel & Cayla retrieve the next clue, which sends them to a Detour with two options: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” or “Gently Down the Stream.” The “Row” option requires teams to kayak out into the ocean, unhook ten matching fish from lines, and return them to the beach. The “Gently” option is a 15-minute sightseeing cruise during which teams must spot specific fish in the water and then correctly identify the sequence once back onshore. Raquel & Cayla opt for the kayak challenge and briefly wait for Kim & Penn before leaving. When Kim & Penn finish the cheese task, they’re surprised to find Raquel & Cayla waiting; the teams agree to collaborate on the cruise Detour, preferring cooperation over splitting up for different tasks.
More teams arrive at Tour de Fautea. Ryan & Dusty and Lulu & Lala race ahead, while Arun & Natalia are delayed by trouble opening their car trunk, which drops them to last place. Ryan & Dusty are the first among this group to finish the casu marzu and choose the kayaking Detour. Lulu & Lala and Arun & Natalia follow close behind and decide to take the cruise option.
On the cruise, the water is murky, but Raquel & Cayla and Kim & Penn manage to spot the required fish and work together to memorize the correct order. They disembark, piece together the sequence, present it to the instructor, and successfully complete the Detour. That allows them to proceed to Port de Plaisance. Meanwhile, Ryan & Dusty set out in kayaks for the “Row” challenge, and Lulu & Lala and Arun & Natalia board the sightseeing cruise. Lulu & Lala and Arun & Natalia agree to cooperate on identifying the fish while watching Ryan & Dusty already paddling away on the water.
Ryan & Dusty are making good progress in their kayak, but disaster strikes when their kayak fills with water after they’ve collected eight of the ten fish. They struggle to right themselves and get back in, but they recover and press on. On the cruise, Lulu & Lala and Arun & Natalia manage to spot the fish they need and return to shore, hoping they remembered the sequence correctly.
At Port de Plaisance the remaining teams find a Roadblock: one team member must repair holes in fishing nets. Cayla and Penn take on the Roadblock for their respective teams. Ryan & Dusty complete their kayak collection and arrive in third place, ready to tackle the net repair. Lulu & Lala and Arun & Natalia, however, initially submit an incorrect fish sequence and must reboard the cruise to try again. Penn and Cayla struggle with the Roadblock, and neither finishes before Ryan & Dusty reach the dock and begin the task themselves. After a tense back-and-forth, Penn becomes the first to complete the net repairs.
Penn and Kim race on to the Pit Stop at the Bonifacio Cliffs. Phil greets them with the announcement: Kim & Penn are Team #1 and win a trip to Turkey. Raquel & Cayla reach the mat soon after and finish in second place. Back at the Roadblock, Cayla completes the net repair and, with Raquel, makes the climb to the cliffs. Arun & Natalia arrive at the Roadblock before Lulu & Lala; Natalia starts the task, while Ryan, having completed his attempt, continues toward the Pit Stop with Dusty. Lala later takes on the Roadblock for her team and finishes, allowing Lulu & Lala to head to the mat.
The finish for the last two teams is tight. Ryan & Dusty secure third place at the Pit Stop. Lulu & Lala arrive minutes before Arun & Natalia, who touch down last. Phil delivers relief to the final team: this is another non-elimination leg, so Arun & Natalia are spared elimination and continue in the race.
Leg Summary
1st place: Kim & Penn (Trip to Turkey)
2nd place: Raquel & Cayla
3rd place: Ryan & Dusty
4th place: Lulu & Lala
5th place: Arun & Natalia
That concludes this episode of The Amazing Race. The leg combined uncomfortable local cuisine, physical challenges on sea and land, and strategic alliances that shifted the pace of the competition. Check back next week for a full recap of the next episode.