This season in general was okay, I would rank it before Season 3, but after the others.
For the route:
I like the mix of Canada/International (I would prefer all international but that's not going to happen). Loved both Asian legs, and the Panama leg was good also (the tasks). I would prefer 6 legs in Canada and 5 international.
As for the Canadian Legs:
Love: Western Newfoundland, Fort McMurray, Sault Ste Marie
meh: Castelgar (Like it was nice but SOO many BC legs, like it's ridiculous), Regina/Moose Jaw
No: Ottawa/Gatineau, Vancouver, Québec City
I liked the starting line, but I really didn't understand the logic behind it... Why not start in another province if you are going to come back to Newfoundland later in the race? They should have started in Fredericton, New-Brunswick (the only provincial capital not visited), and that would have check another province on the list for this season. This was also the thirst time for Vancouver and Quebec city... And I wished they would have went to the north (Jon said coast to coast to coast, but that was a bit of a lie). Maybe a visit in Nunavut after Ottawa?
The tasks:
Some good and some bad... I liked the concept of Canada 150, but i think they should have done them also at the international level (Play Hockey in Beijing, Eat at the Montreal Deli in Shangai, something in Panama). I didn't mind the product placement (The campbell soup was good, and the sinorama was not THAT bad)
Loved the tasks of the premiere and the finale. In between there was some good task : Puppet show in Thailand, the medicine task in Beijing, helicopter task in Alberta, etc. It's fun to have task are not 100% physical or dancing all the time. What makes a good route in my opinion is a mix of physical, logic, luck, knowledge, agility, etc.
The teams:
I don't really know what the problem with the teams this year was... For some reason they were all nice but there was no big personalities (beside Giver's, which I was not a fan).
I think the mother/son and the cousins had potential but they left too soon. I hated the youtubers, father/son were bland (Nice team but bland). Same with the girls (Ebonie and Andrea), we saw them as a little fiesty with the U-Turn drama, but that was it. Likes Adam and Andrea and Karen and Burt. Korey and Ivana, I don't know I just didn't relate that much to them.. I think the fact that Sam and Paul won 6 legs didn't help, and when I team dominates like that, it takes away the fun a little. Sam and Paul were okay also,but not like OMG my favorite team ever. It was a bit redundant to see them win (and sometime they got super lucky, like in Saskatchewan, and to a limit in Panama)
I feel like the only 2 teams that could come back are giver and Adam/Andrea...
Overall, was a good season and I hope we get a season 6, (not All-Star)
Season Ranking:
- Season 2 (the best in my mind)
- Season 1
- Season 4
- Season 5 (close to 4)
- Season 3 (the worst one IMO)
Winners Ranking:
- Tie: Steph/Kristen and Sam/Paul (Both teams are similar: young good-looking LGBT couple who dominated)
- Mickey and Pete
- Tim and Tim
- Gino and Jesse (not that they didn't deserve it, it's just a team I don't like)