Canada's Worst Driver Ever
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (June 2024) |
Canada's Worst Driver Ever | |
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No. of episodes | 8 |
Release | |
Original network | Discovery Channel |
Original release | October 28 December 16, 2013 | –
Season chronology |
Canada's Worst Driver Ever is the ninth season of the Canadian reality TV show Canada's Worst Driver, which aired on the Discovery Channel. As with previous years, eight people, nominated by their family or friends, enter the Driver Rehabilitation Centre to improve their driving skills. This season brought back nine former contestants, who were either named Canada's Worst Driver or failed to graduate in the final episode of their respective seasons, giving them one more chance to improve their driving and avoid being named Canada's Worst Driver Ever.[1] This year, the Driver Rehabilitation Centre is located at the now-defunct Dunnville Airport in Dunnville, Ontario for the fourth straight season. The initial drive started in Thorold, Ontario and the final road test occurred in Hamilton, Ontario.
Experts
[edit]- Cam Woolley is the show's longest-serving expert, having been present in every season except the first and has seen the habits of Canadian drivers change drastically since 2000, with the most common offense having changed from DUI to distracted driving over the previous decade. He is the traffic expert on CP24 in Toronto and had a 25-year career as a traffic sergeant with the Ontario Provincial Police. As the longest-serving expert on the panel, Cam is already familiar with every returning driver except Chris.
- Philippe Letourneau is a veteran high-speed driving instructor who counts BMW and Ferrari among his clients. Since joining the show in the third season, the average car has gained considerably in speed and acceleration, with the high-speed emphasis of this season making his job a particularly important one. As the second-longest-serving expert on the panel behind Cam, Philippe is already familiar with every returning driver except Chris, Henrietta and Michael.
- Shyamala Kiru is the show's resident psychotherapist and relationship expert, a position which has become more demanding each year since joining the show in the seventh season, as the stresses in driving and everyday life seem to always be on the increase. As the second-shortest-serving expert on the panel behind Tim, the only returning drivers Shyamala is already familiar with are Kevin, Shirley and Sly. With Shyamala returning for her third season, that ties her with Dr. Louisa Gembora, the psychologist from seasons three-five of Canada's Worst Driver, as the longest-serving psychologist so far.
- Tim Danter is in his second season as the show's head driving instructor. In this position, he not only gives the drivers help and instructions for challenges, but gives them further lessons off-screen. As the shortest-serving expert on the panel, the only returning driver Tim is already familiar with is Kevin. With Tim returning for his second season, that officially makes Dan Bagyan, the head instructor from the fourth season, the shortest-serving head instructor in Canada's Worst Driver history.
Contestants
[edit]This season saw nine former contestants returning from previous seasons. However, it also has the fewest graduates so far with only four. Six of them returned with their original nominators and two (Dale and, initially, Michael) joined with new nominators, while Chris returned without a nominator with him. The only season to see no contestants returning is Canada's Worst Driver 4.
- Shelby D'Souza, 37 and licensed for 11 years, from Calgary, Alberta, was nominally the runner-up in the third season, though, in a way, was the "worst driver" from that season since the actual worst, Jason Zhang, immediately gave up driving for good following his terrible road test performance in Barrie that included stopping while merging onto Ontario Highway 400. Shelby and his brother, Elerick, feel that regardless of the outcome, he is now a much better driver. He drives a black Chevrolet Avalanche and drove a black Mitsubishi Outlander to the rehab centre.
- Christopher "Chris" Ferguson, 40 and licensed for 21 years, from Malton, Ontario, was the first-ever person to be judged the worst in the first season due to a terrible road test performance in Montreal despite a strong start. In the eight years since, however, he believes that he has hugely improved as a driver and will have much better luck this time around. His wife, Michelle, was his nominator, but she did not accompany him during his second appearance on the show. He drives a black Mazda 5 and drove a white Pontiac G6 to the rehab centre.
- Henrietta Gallant, 68 and licensed for 42 years, from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, was judged the worst in the second season due to a terrible road test performance in Toronto—which she failed to complete, no less—and refusing to admit fault for her mistakes. While her husband, Andy, acknowledges that she has at least learned to take responsibility for her errors in the seven years since, both of them fear that it may be too late for her to learn what she needs to (at 68, Henrietta is also the show's oldest-ever contestant). She drives a gray Chevrolet Impala.
- Sly Grosjean, 42 and licensed for 19 years, from Red Deer, Alberta (moved to Nanaimo, British Columbia on Vancouver Island), was the runner-up in the seventh season thanks to a decent road test performance, despite a terrible overall track record in the competition. His brother-in-law, Fred Hillyer, disagrees with the experts, and believes that Sly avoided being named the worst simply through luck (an opinion Andrew himself shared during that season's finale) and points to Sly's continued use of handheld electronic gadgets while driving as proof that he learned nothing from his original appearance. He drives a silver Jeep Patriot and drove a purple Pontiac Montana SV6 to the rehab centre.
- Angelina Marcantognini, 30, from Sudbury, Ontario, was judged the worst in the fifth season after a horrific overall performance, which saw her fail all but one challenge during that season (the Reverse Flick was the only challenge she passed, albeit with Andrew's help) and, like Henrietta Gallant in the second season, fail to complete the road test, in turn causing Andrew to informally judge her to be the show's worst-ever driver in the Canada's Worst Driver: U Asked! special prior to the start of the previous season. Angelina is determined to prove Andrew wrong, but her best friend, Christine Latondress Andrews, has seen little to no improvement whatsoever in the years since and is worried she'll just prove him right. She drives a black Chevrolet Malibu.
- Dale Pitton, 65, from St. Catharines, Ontario, was the runner-up in the sixth season, thanks to finishing the road test in Niagara Falls, unlike the actual worst, Lance Morin. Her disregarding the experts' recommendation that she quit driving caused a rift between Dale and her original nominator and nephew, John, midway through that season, subsequently forcing her to call on another nephew, Danny, to accompany her to rehab this time around. She drives a blue Chevrolet Cavalier.
- Shirley Sampson, 62 and licensed for 47 years, from Donkin, Nova Scotia, performed reasonably well for most of the seventh season, only to be named the worst after a disastrous road test performance in Hamilton that included stopping while merging onto and merging off the Chedoke Expressway. In the two years since, she has continued to improve her driving and now, she and her daughter, Janis Wall, are both determined to prove that she had a bad day when she was named the worst. She drives a blue Toyota Matrix and drove an orange Chevrolet Cobalt to the rehab centre.
- Kevin Simmons, 26, from Burnaby, British Columbia (near Vancouver), fresh from being named the joint-worst (with Flora Wang) in the previous season, has been brought straight back to rehab by his boyfriend, Lenny Stone. Since the previous season, Kevin has already been involved in another serious accident and Lenny is starting to feel that Kevin should follow Jason Zhang's lead from the third season and give up driving for good (something Kevin said was stupid during his original appearance). He drives a white Ford Crown Victoria and drove a blue Chevrolet Malibu to the rehab centre.
- Michael Telford, 47 and licensed for 31 years, from Vancouver Island, was the runner-up in the second season, performing reasonably well for most of the season, but ultimately turning in a poor road test, in which, despite committing the fewest moving violations with six, he took just over three hours to complete. His longtime friend, Yolanda Kozak (the wife of his original nominator, Eric, who was originally unable to return for health reasons), believes that Michael's driving is now even worse than his first appearance, and that he will get involved in a fatal accident unless he returns to rehab. However, after learning that Yolanda was constantly giving negative feedback, the producers decided to send her home and bring back Eric, who had since recovered. Michael drives a green Lincoln Continental and drove a black Chevrolet HHR to the rehab centre.
Synopsis
[edit]Contestant | 1 | 2 | 3[1] | 4 | 5[2] | 6 | 7 | 8[3] |
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Kevin Simmons | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | CWDE |
Dale Pitton | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | LEFT | RUNNER-UP |
Sly Grosjean | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 2ND RUNNER-UP |
Michael Telford | IN | IN | IN | NOM | IN | IN | IN | OUT |
Shelby D'Souza | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||
Angelina Marcantognini | IN | IN | IN | PSYCH | ||||
Shirley Sampson | IN | OUT | ||||||
Chris Ferguson | OUT | |||||||
Henrietta Gallant | DISQ |
- The contestant became Canada's Worst Driver Ever.
- The contestant was runner-up for Canada's Worst Driver Ever.
- The contestant was on the panel's shortlist.
- The contestant left the show without permission, sustained an injury, and was therefore unable to continue in the competition.
- The contestant graduated.
- The contestant was sent from the Driver Rehabilitation Centre to a psychological clinic and is out of the running for Canada's Worst Driver Ever.
- The contestant was deemed ineligible to take part in the show and sent home.
- The contestant's nominator was changed during the show.
- The contestant was not the worst driver or even the runner-up, but failed to graduate from rehab.
- ^1 Non-Elimination Week, due to all contestants wanting to remain at the Driver Rehabilitation Centre.
- ^2 Non-Elimination Week, due to all contestants failing The Longest Reversing Challenge Ever.
- ^3 Although Dale was expelled from the Driver Rehabilitation Centre, she was brought back for the trophy presentation because the experts believed she could have been named Canada's Worst Driver Ever even though she didn't participate in the final challenges.
Episodes
[edit]No. | Title | Original air date | |
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0 | "Remember..." | October 21, 2013 | |
Andrew introduces each of the returning drivers through a review of their performances during the final road test in their original appearances. At the end of the episode, he briefly outlines the challenges that they will face and restates his personal belief that Angelina is Canada's Worst Driver Ever, though says that he is willing to be proven wrong. | |||
1 | "They're Back!" | October 28, 2013 | |
The drivers then have their initial meeting with the experts. Michael asks Philippe to go over the footage of his slalom spin-out with him and Philippe tells him his mistake was driving too fast and not looking where he wanted to go, instead directly staring at the foam people. Sly is also called out for making the same mistake in his run. Henrietta admits that since Andy retired shortly after Canada's Worst Driver 2 aired, he usually drives the couple everywhere and she doesn't usually drive more than a dozen times per year. Shelby thinks he might be Canada's Worst Driver Ever; Andrew tells him that he probably isn't that bad, but that he could still benefit from more rehab (Shelby also expresses shock that Angelina really is as bad as her reputation suggests). The remaining drivers all deny that they may be Canada's Worst Driver Ever. Due to the exceptionally awful performances by most of the drivers, the experts agree to graduate one person immediately so as to give the remainder their full attention and very quickly decide on Chris. However, Cam raises the issue that Henrietta would not realistically benefit from rehab, since she drives so rarely and that they would be better served sending her home, graduating Chris and focusing on the remaining seven. Ultimately, Andrew gives Henrietta her license back, after which Andy drives her away. Andrew then further surprises the drivers by announcing that Chris, clearly the most skilled of the group, goes from being the first-ever worst driver to the first graduate. Note: This episode did not display an opening title screen or broadcast the opening animation. | |||
2 | "Where's Your Blind Spot?" | November 4, 2013 | |
Angelina has a lengthy discussion with the judges and admits that she is no longer on anti-depressants due to her original psychiatrist having retired and her being unable to find another in Sudbury. Shyamala tells Angelina that while she can't prescribe drugs, she can help her deal with her issues and Angelina agrees to as many therapy sessions as it'll take. Along with Angelina, Sly, Dale and Kevin all admit that there's no way they'll be graduating this episode, as they didn't pass a single challenge between them. This leaves Michael, Shelby and Shirley, who each had some degree of success in each challenge this episode, as the pool of potential graduates. Despite all three wanting to graduate, the judges decide that there is no need whatsoever for a discussion; Shirley, who was regarded as the most capable driver of the group (apart from Chris) even before rehab and the only driver who fully passed every challenge this episode, becomes the next graduate, with Andrew describing her as "inspirational" and saying that his only regret is that she can't be around longer. Note: This episode did not display an opening title screen or broadcast the opening animation. | |||
3 | "Splish-Splash!" | November 11, 2013 | |
The experts tell Dale that she actually failed her second run on the Swerve and Avoid and Dale admits she truly believed she saw the foam car, which Shyamala feels could be a sign of a more serious overall problem. None of the drivers want to graduate, but the experts decide to draw up a shortlist anyway. Despite it being noted that Michael and Kevin did well in the Limo Figure-Eight Challenge (and Michael also had the best run in the Water-Tank Challenge), Cam persuades the others that the Swerve and Avoid is such an important skill that anyone who failed it should automatically be barred from graduating this episode, which makes Shelby the only nominee by default as he was the only one to pass the challenge. In the end, Andrew tells Shelby that he has been the best performer until now and that the experts could have seen a case for him graduating this episode, but since he said he didn't want to, he'll stay in rehab and so will everyone else. Note: This episode did not display an opening title screen or broadcast the opening animation. | |||
4 | "Easy as 1-2-3" | November 18, 2013 | |
After the challenge ends, Shyamala takes Angelina aside and gently tells her that, one way or another, her time on the show is over. Angelina is further told that she has been booked a 60-day stay at a specialist psychiatric clinic and is initially indignant about this, but ultimately accepts the offer, in part due to the strong implication that she will simply be expelled from rehab if she refuses the treatment, which would have made her the third contestant to be expelled from rehab (after Colin Sheppard in the second season and Scott Schurink in the sixth season) and the second by the experts. Angelina thus leaves the show in a taxi, as a tearful Christine waves her goodbye. However, Angelina's departure is not the only issue facing the judges, as it's also clear that Yolanda's excessive negativity and unrealistic expectations are proving detrimental to Michael's learning. Andrew tells Michael that Eric's health has sufficiently improved for him to take over from Yolanda as nominator, while Yolanda's has been failing due to pulled muscles sustained in the first episode; Michael tells the judges that while he'd be grateful to have Eric around again, he also thinks that allowing him to graduate this episode would resolve two issues at once. Kevin is the only other driver who shows any desire to graduate, though he quickly retracts his request and says that he'd benefit more from staying in rehab (a decision Kevin would later regret, as he would eventually end up in the finale); the remaining drivers all admit they don't deserve to graduate. Ultimately, the experts decide to deny Michael's request to graduate and all five stay in rehab. Andrew closes out the episode by saying that Angelina isn't really Canada's Worst Driver Ever and that, unfortunately, her problems go far beyond a simple lack of skill at the wheel. Before the credits, the show listed details of support available for those suffering depression and other mental health issues. Note: This episode did not display an opening title screen or broadcast the opening animation. | |||
5 | "They Shoot! They Score!" | November 25, 2013 | |
After the challenge, Kevin sends another letter to the experts, again apologizing for his actions and vowing to improve. However, this time, the experts don't buy it for a minute and demand to know Kevin's motives in sending the two letters. Despite his performance in the episode, Kevin feels that he has learned enough to graduate, but the experts tell him that, based simply on his dreadful performance in the previous challenge, he has officially blown whatever goodwill he earned in the previous two episodes and that they are now less inclined to graduate him than they ever had been during that span. Dale, Shelby and Sly once again admit that they shouldn't graduate and while Michael says that he wants to graduate, he doesn't think he really deserves to. As the drivers assemble for what would have been the graduation ceremony, Andrew says that the overall standard of driving in this episode was the worst in the entire history of the show. For the second episode in a row, Michael is the only nominee, but even then, Andrew says that the experts refused to even contemplate graduating him given that he only did especially well in The Trough, leaving Michael visibly exasperated. For the first time in the show's history, three consecutive episodes pass without a single graduation. | |||
6 | "Slip and Slide" | December 2, 2013 | |
Kevin thinks he deserves to graduate, but the experts and Lenny quickly shoot him down, telling him that one comparatively good challenge result isn't worthy of graduating. Shelby and Michael both say they'd like to graduate, but are uncertain whether or not they should actually do so. Meanwhile, Dale and Sly are told that the experts don't believe they will ever improve and that both should give up driving sooner rather than later, but they are both adamant they will continue to drive even if named Canada's Worst Driver Ever. Once again, Shelby and Michael are the nominees. While Cam favours Michael for doing well in the Icy Corner challenge, the one he feels is most likely to save a life in the real world, the other experts all agree that Michael's mistake on his final Reverse Flick run (hitting the accelerator instead of the brake) was such a severe error that he should be barred from graduating. Therefore, Shelby, who would have graduated in the fifth episode of Canada's Worst Driver 3 if Dr. Louisa Gembora, the show's psychologist that season, hadn't convinced Phillipe, Cam (who was still a traffic sergeant at the time), Andrew and then-head instructor Scott Marshall to graduate Billie-Jean Leslie, believing that Shelby would benefit more from staying in rehab longer (a decision that led to Shelby ultimately being named the runner-up to begin with), becomes only the third graduate of the season and the first of the runners-up to successfully do so. As Shelby and Elerick drive away, Michael, who officially joins Canada's Worst Driver 4 "winner" Ashley van Ham as the only contestants in Canada's Worst Driver history with at least three nominations without graduating (Ashley was shortlisted four times without graduating before ultimately being named the worst), is left increasingly despondent and wondering whether he'll ever graduate. Note: This episode did not display an opening title screen or broadcast the opening animation. | |||
7 | "What Happened?" | December 9, 2013 | |
In the customary meeting with the experts, Sly immediately admits that, despite a rare challenge pass, he's destined for the final. Kevin initially wants to graduate, but quickly withdraws his request upon Andrew pointing out that he failed every single challenge this episode. Michael admits he didn't do especially well this episode, though doesn't think he's Canada's Worst Driver Ever. However, Dale fails to show up for her meeting with the experts and, upon further investigation by the production team, it turns out that immediately after the Slalom Challenge, she checked out of the drivers' hotel and caught a cab ride home. Much later, Dale returns sporting a heavily bandaged left hand and reveals that she has severed a tendon in one of her fingers. The experts ask how it happened and Dale initially claims not to remember, but, on further questioning, reveals that upon returning home, she found that her husband, John (one of the six people who nominated Dale three years earlier and has now since died), was not there and, in frustration, broke the front door window in an attempt to get in the house, severely cutting her hand and severing the tendon in the process. Dale attempts to claim that her actions weren't really a big deal, but Andrew points out that she attempted to quit the show, resulting in Dale giving the experts a rambling, incomprehensible speech about "personal realities" and how she sometimes exists in a different world to everyone else, causing the experts to point out that, aside from the obvious problem of her hand injury—which will take months to heal—making it impossible for her to continue, it now becomes painfully clear that Dale is not mentally competent to drive and they unanimously recommend that she give up driving, an idea Dale scoffs at and says that she will continue to drive until she is no longer physically able to. Because of her attempting to quit and refusing to take responsibility for her actions, the experts decide not to even afford Dale a medical-based departure—they afforded one for Angelina three episodes earlier, with the alternative being that Angelina would be expelled otherwise—and instead simply expel her from rehab (joining Canada's Worst Driver 2 contestant Colin Sheppard as the only person to be expelled by the experts, although Colin was expelled for an unwillingness to change), with Cam even implying an intention to contact the Ontario Ministry of Transport and ask that Dale's driver's license be put up for review. At what would have been the penultimate graduation ceremony, Andrew shocks the drivers by appearing to destroy Dale's driver's license, but reveals that what he actually destroyed was just a copy and hands the real license over to Danny, who agrees to drive Dale back home, setting the stage for an all-male finale (the first-ever instance of such in the show's history and the second to have three people of the same gender after the all-female finale in the fourth season), as Andrew announces that either Kevin, Michael or Sly will be Canada's Worst Driver Ever. During the preview at the end of the show, however, it was revealed that Dale had returned for the final graduation ceremony, leaving viewers to question whether Cam carried out his threat of contacting the Ontario Ministry of Transport to ask them for a review of Dale's license or if Dale is named Canada's Worst Driver Ever. | |||
8 | "The Envelope, Please!" | December 16, 2013 | |
In his final meeting with the judges, Kevin gives a rather unconvincing answer when asked if he intends to follow through with his promise of quitting driving, prompting Andrew to call in Lenny, who in turn reveals that Kevin told him he would only temporarily give up driving and take lessons to improve his skills (a far cry from what Lenny said in the audition video that "he's made a vow to me-- referring to Kevin-- that if he doesn't graduate this year or if the panel says stop driving, he will stop driving altogether and cut up his license"), leaving the experts disconcerted by Kevin's actions and Lenny is shown a video of Kevin's final drive to show just how unfit to drive he is. Michael is convinced that he is not the worst, while Sly admits that, despite his road test performance, he honestly doesn't believe he is a better driver than either Kevin or Michael. In the final discussion as to who is the worst, Shyamala and Philippe make a shocking suggestion—that, despite having been expelled the previous episode, Dale should still be named Canada's Worst Driver Ever for not even participating in the final challenges and road test and her unstable behaviour during both her stints in rehab. However, Andrew and Cam believe that Kevin is worse, with Cam noting that he had a serious accident within the past year (as Kevin admitted to Andrew at the beginning of the season) and that, for all her faults, Dale hasn't had any such serious accidents in recent years, leaving Tim with the deciding vote. As Kevin, Michael and Sly assemble for the trophy presentation, a van pulls up and Dale gets out, surprising everybody. Andrew begins by announcing that Michael is not Canada's Worst Driver Ever and returns his license to him. As Michael and Eric drive away, Andrew's voiceover notes that while he still has a lot of improving to do, Michael is clearly a much better driver now than in his original appearance and definitely not Canada's Worst Driver Ever. History then repeats itself, as Sly's strong final drive manages to override his horrible track record in the contest and saves him from being named the worst (as previously happened in the seventh season). Due to his poor overall performance and the fact that he ultimately showed no improvement over his previous appearance, however, Andrew asks Fred to drive Sly home, while recommending that Sly only drive when absolutely necessary from now on. Despite believing she will be named the worst, history repeats itself for Dale as well, as she avoids the title due to the experts feeling she was a little more aware of the dangers of driving than Kevin and Cam predicting that her license will soon be revoked anyway. Therefore, Kevin is named the outright worst this time and Andrew presents him with the trophy, then lights a road flare and asks Kevin to use it to destroy his license. Kevin initially refuses to do so, but Lenny forces him to go through with it and the license is completely burned away by the flare, after which Lenny drives Kevin away. In an ending voiceover, Andrew reveals that while Kevin hasn't driven since the show was filmed, he has both failed to sell his existing car and bought a replacement. |