Mission Interrupted indeed. I’m going to miss Brian’s pithy quips, his eye-rolling and, mostly recently, his attempt at Jedi mind-tricking Kolkata’s sculpture vendor. The police officers were the latest team to be eliminated from The Amazing Race Canada on Wednesday night.

During the last few weeks, tough challenges hampered the teams; this week it was the intense heat and crowded streets of Kolkata, India, that challenged everyone perhaps more mentally than physically. Gino and Jesse bitched at each other, Ope became frustrated with Simi and Brian was downright surly to Cynthia; all were the result of humidity and frayed nerves in packed neighbourhoods.

Brothers Sean and Brent—who enjoyed a season-best first-place finish and business-class seats to India—literally crashed back down to earth during the Roll Detour involving yoga. Poor Brent went head-first into the stone paving, injuring himself and bringing tears. This is the lowest we’ve seen the spunky pair, and admit I felt badly for them. Luckily, they turned things around and live to Race another day. Gino and Jesse tumbled down the standings thanks to having a hard time finding the shops to visit during the Tuck Detour and lost precious moments. I’m so used to seeing the pride of Hamilton in first or second it was a shock for them to be so close to elimination.

The Leg’s bright spot? Dujean and Leilani, who used their dance background to full effect during the yoga challenge and landed in front of Jon Montgomery on top of the world.

Here’s how the teams finished this Leg:

1. Dujean and Leilani
2. Nick and Matt
3. Brent and Sean
4. Simi and Ope
5. Gino and Jesse
6. Brian and Cynthia (eliminated)

Notes and quotes

• Those business class seats sure looked comfy.
• “Paramount Drinks and Syrups.”
• “Can you airborne shuffle it?”
• Sulking never won a Leg of the Race, Brian.

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

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.

“We can’t expect miracles.” Sabrina’s throwaway comment midway through Wednesday’s newest episode of The Amazing Race ended up being prophetic for she and Nic, Simi and Ope and Neil and Kristin, as the trio of teams were not only saved from elimination but from serious injury too.

Who knew one of the smallest parts of Canada, Les ÃŽles-De-La-Madeleine, Que., would be the most difficult and dangerous? All of the teams suffered from bone-chilling temperatures (I spotted snow on the ground, so yeah, it was cold) but it was Kristin who was affected the most; she was taken to the hospital suffering from leg cramps after spending what looked like hours buried in cold sand. The result? They had to pass on the Kayak Hockey Face Off challenge because Kristin’s legs wouldn’t allow her to compete, incurring a four-hour penalty.

Simi and Ope suffered the same issues with cold because of the Face Off test; they spent so much time unsuccessfully fending off attackers on the water they took the four-hour penalty as well, hoping other teams would meet the same fate.

I liked the Face Off. The prospect of pitting teams head-to-head is an interesting idea and puts a certain amount of intimacy into the Race, but I think using it during the same Leg as a Double U-Turn nullified its power. I’m hoping the next Face Off is done as a stand-alone extra challenge so it matters more.

As for the Double U-Turn, I understood Gino and Jesse’s plan to flush out the Express Pass by putting Sean and Brent’s picture up there. Props to the East Coast brothers for refusing to use it and gutting out both Detours; not only did they save the Pass but they proved themselves to be fierce competitors. But Sean and Brent U-Turning the already last-place Nic and Sabrina? While I get they were making sure they’d give themselves plenty of time to complete the Ride It challenge, U-Turning the down-on-their-luck couple seemed like kicking someone when they’re down, especially since they incurred a time penalty because it was too dark to ride the horses.

Here’s how the teams finished in Season 3’s first non-elimination Leg:

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

Notes and quotes

• I’d love to know how the producers decide when teams will depart on a Leg of the Race. Why 1:30 a.m. for this Leg?
• “Married, no kids … but I still like the boys.” Brian’s comment to Cynthia made me laugh out loud.
• “Punch it, Chewie!” Brian is quickly becoming my go-to for favourite quotes.
• Can we sign a petition to have Kayak Hockey added to the Summer Olympics?
• “Come on, Gino, work those nipples.” I’m leaving that one alone.

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