Almost every week of this season, I’ve remarked at how difficult The Amazing Race Canada challenges have been. It’s made for some pretty compelling footage, but after this week and last I have to wonder: did the producers make things too hard?

For the second week in a row—this time in Saskatoon—more than one team chose to take penalties rather than stick with the challenge at hand. And in the case of Neil and Kristin, it meant they were eliminated. I may make a similar decision in the heat of the moment—after frustration or thirst has set in—but from the safety of my couch I’d rather keep going rather than rely on other teams to stumble along the way.

One need only look as far as Ope and Simi for proof of that. Rather than team up with the other pairs at the airport to work out the 25-hour flight formula, they figured it out themselves. Rather than get frustrated with each other, they played cheerleader. The result? They came in second-to-last place and continue, proving to the other Racers that they’re a team to contend with.

Meanwhile, birthday boy Brent and his brother Sean celebrated the big day with a first-place spot. The siblings smartly played their Express Pass to skip the flight-time challenge and dry-heaved their way to the mat in front of Jon Montgomery. This was Brent and Sean’s first-ever top spot, though not for lack of trying. They gamely soldier on, scoring consistent Top 5 finishes.

As for Gino and Jesse, the Race‘s strongest duo to date blew through this Leg’s tests with flying colours and placed second to Brent and Sean.

Here’s how the teams finished this Leg:

1. Brent and Sean (used the Express Pass)
2. Gino and Jesse
3. Dujean and Leilani (penalty)
4. Brian and Cynthia
5. Nick and Matt
6. Simi and Ope
7. Neil and Kristin (penalty, eliminated)

Notes and quotes

• “I gotta take off my shoes to count past 10.” — Brian
• I wanted to hear more of Ope’s story about wanting to be a pilot.
• Cynthia and Brian’s plan to have more fun sure backfired, didn’t it?

The Amazing Race Canada airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

In the end, Alex Trebek only hung around long enough to welcome the first five teams to the mat during Wednesday’s adventures in his hometown of Sudbury, Ont. I’m guessing he had a plane to catch or the bugs got to be too bad. Either way, despite his early exit, several teams were in jeopardy, with Nic and Sabrina seeing their luck on The Amazing Race Canada run out.

The pair have been travelling with horseshoes in their back pockets since Week 2, and Nic’s frustration during the Analyze Detour and CPR Roadblock took them off their game.

“Who is Alex Trebek?” served notice to Brian and Cynthia—despite landing third-place—that just because you have prior experience at something doesn’t guarantee instant success. Like Nic did during blind soccer a few weeks back, the police pair assumed their experience in law enforcement would serve them well during the forensic challenge at Laurentian University. Instead, they saw wrestlers Matt and Nick complete the task first. Then Cynthia beamed as she entered the CPR Road Block, thinking her past as a paramedic would mean an early triumph. Not so. Still, they did land in third place for the week.

Meanwhile, Gino and Jesse replicated last week’s success with another first-place finish thanks to nabbing the Fast Forward clue 10 minutes ahead of their nearest competitors. They paused for just a moment while feeding their turtle bugs before agreeing to nosh down on the same crunchy critters; Jesse scarfed them down in one mouthful and they were off to the Bell Park Gazebo to check in with Jon Montgomery and Trebek.

Here’s how the teams finished this Leg:

1. Gino and Jesse
2. Nick and Matt
3. Brian and Cynthia
4. Brent and Sean
5. Simi and Ope
6. Neil and Kristin
7. Dujean and Leilani
8. Nic and Sabrina (eliminated)

Notes and quotes

• It got a little dusty during Alex Trebek’s emotional speech about the relationship he shares with his daughter.
• Sudbury is one of the happiest places in the country? Even during blackfly season?
• Kudos to the Race editors who intercut Nic and Sabrina talking about how age doesn’t matter while showing them bickering.
• “We were in a little bit of jeopardy in that one part.” Oh, Sean.

The Amazing Race Canada airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.