<Tr> <Td> ← Previous "The One with Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss" </Td> <Td> Next → "The One Where Ross Can't Flirt" </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Friends (season 5) List of Friends episodes </Td> </Tr> <P> "The One Where Rachel Smokes" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of Friends and 115th overall . It first aired on NBC in the United States on April 8, 1999 . In the episode, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) starts her new job at Ralph Lauren and soon feels left out because all the decision making takes place on smoking breaks and she does not smoke . Rachel attempts to solve the problem by taking up the habit, which proves difficult . Meanwhile, Ben auditions for a soup commercial and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) decides to come along to try for a part as well . When both are paired with different actors, the auditions become competitive . Elsewhere, Monica (Courteney Cox) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) plan a surprise party for Rachel . </P> <P> The episode was directed by Todd Holland and written by Michael Curtis . Although Aniston's character Rachel was not a smoker, the actress at the time of filming was, who often said she planned to quit . In its original broadcast, "The One Where Rachel Smokes" acquired a Nielsen rating of 14.8, finishing the week ranked third . </P>

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