Canada's Worst Handyman 5

Canada's Worst Handyman 5
Developed by	Proper Television
Starring	Andrew Younghusband
Narrated by	Andrew Younghusband
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
No. of episodes	7
Production
Executive producer	Guy O'Sullivan
Running time	60 minutes (including commercials)
Original release
Network	Discovery Channel Canada
Release	May 3 – June 14, 2010
Related
Canada's Worst Driver Britain's Worst Driver

Canada's Worst Handyman 5 is the fifth season of the Canada's Worst Handyman series, a Canadian series which attempts to improve the handyman skills of five contestants, nominated by their peers. It airs on Discovery Channel Canada.

In this season, the Handyman Rehabilitation Centre is located at the Delta Upsilon fraternity house in London, Ontario. As with the past season, contestants must purchase the supplies they need, this time to renovate individual rooms in the frat house. Group challenges this season center on the renovation of a central kitchen.

There are several changes that were made for this season: contestants were allowed full access to a computer during challenges for informational purposes, and nominators were not permitted to make suggestions to their nominees. It is also the first time since the first season that the nominators are not present at the end of the episode when the most improved and the worst are named.

Contestants

This season's contestants are:

• Angela Finseth, from Spruce Grove, Alberta, has been bitten by the decoration bug, but the quality of her redecoration leaves much to be desired. In fact, her nominator, husband Matt Hanley, is said to be disgusted by her workmanship.
• Deen Flett, from High Prairie, Alberta (at the time of taping; they have since moved to Stony Plain, Alberta at the time of airing), is completely clueless when it comes to tools - not knowing what they are and what they are used for. Twin brother Doug Flett is putting him in rehab, because he does not want to bail him out of handiwork trouble again. Deen is also distantly related to past contestant Merle Auger from the first season, Merle being the cousin to Deen's brother-in-law.
• Cory Goertzen, from Burns Lake, British Columbia, is a person who rushes through projects to finish them. His short temper has led his fiancée Kim Pettigrew to nominate him based on his attitude, and he accepted simply to prove her wrong.
• Simon Larade, from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, is a retiree with a passion for renovation. According to his wife Linda Larade, the passion may be there, but the skill needed to get things done is not - so much so that she has barred him from doing projects on the ground floor of their home.
• Matt Webb, from Elmsdale, Nova Scotia, is a self-described hillbilly. Handiwork is in his blood - he had built his house from the ground up. His friend Keith MacNeil (referred to as Silent Keith on the show), however, thinks that it is all for naught, as his house is crooked and nothing is properly done.

Experts

Along with host Andrew Younghusband, two experts will teach the contestants and evaluate their progress. Both experts return from the previous season:

• Gail Prosser-Craig is the show's carpentry expert. She was trained in finish carpentry, and currently operates a renovation company entirely staffed by women.
• Geoff Woodmansey has been in the trades for most of his life, and among one of his most projects between seasons was an experiment where he had to be renovate a loft using only recycled materials.

Synopsis

Episode 1: The Frat Pack

Original airdate: May 3, 2010

The contestants arrive at the Handyman Rehabilitation Centre, where the nominators await them with their colour-coded hats: Angela in pink, Simon in red, Cory in yellow, Matt in orange, and Deen in blue. They are also greeted at the door by Andrew, and over a video monitor by former Delta Upsilon alumnus Alan Thicke, who had lived in the house during his education at nearby University of Western Ontario. The second floor of Canada's Worst Frat House contains the five rooms they are to renovate. Inside each room is a binder consisting of a description of every challenge that the nominees will do, as well as a monitor with a picture of Alan Thicke.

• Entering - The first task is to enter the rooms, which have all been boarded up on the outside. Whereas Matt enters easily by kicking the door open from behind the boards, Deen tries to prod the door open with a hockey stick before changing gears and cutting the boards with a circular saw. Cory gets in by ripping all the wood apart with a chain saw. Simon and Angela both enter by undoing the screws holding the boards to the door frame, but Simon finishes much faster.
• Shopping - The contestants are given $4000 to purchase the 245 tools that they will need in every subsequent challenge. Cory (who tried to cheat by soliciting a Canadian Tire staffer to pick all his tools) manages to get creative with accounting, and goes slightly over-budget, but enough that the difference is covered by the Canadian Tire money he earns from the purchase. Matt gets 180 of the 245 items, and a few items not on the list, intending to build a bar in the room. Simon (104 items) goes over budget, while nominator Matt's insistence of buying more expensive tools (and other arguing) causes them to also go over budget. Deen (54 items) has the worst trip, getting only 57 of the items - all of which were gathered by Doug.
• Home Challenge: The Trunk - The contestants are tasked to, prior to entering rehab, build a trunk that can support their own weight out of a sheet of plywood and an assortment of hinges, handles, and other fasteners. Despite promising starts by all (Matt's plan involves not wasting wood), all of them fail when they discover that their lids are too small for the boxes they have made. In addition, Angela cuts the floor to her garage when she uses a circular saw to cut her plywood that's placed on the ground, Cory cutting his wood with a chain saw, Simon with multiple saws after frustration over the operation of a table saw leads him to switch to a jig saw.
• The Workbench - The contestants must build a workbench to start their project. Cory is first to finish, but his bench only consists of a plywood board and four 2x4s for legs. Matt's workbench is a single sawhorse, which must combined with his ladder and a piece of plywood to form a bench. Deen's idea of a cube with a top is a pass, even supporting Andrew's weight. Simon's workbench is too low, but otherwise fine. Angela fails when it is "slightly too wobbly" due to a short leg.
• Group Challenge: Demolition - Group challenges this year are centred around the demolition of the kitchen on the first floor. Everyone begins ripping things apart, with Matt and Cory tearing the dishwasher while the plumbing and electricity is still connected, creating a potentially lethal hazard. After being chastised by Andrew on electrical safety, the team continues going in an ad-hoc style, earning the team another chastising by the experts when a vent hood nearly falls on them.

In final inspections, Cory's workbench is harshly critiqued, and admits that he does not take criticism easily (though Andrew and the experts make the point that brutal honesty will be given in spades over the course of the series). Praise is given to Deen's workbench, while Angela's workbench is given a minor critique for not making the legs flush to the floor. Simon admits that he lacks organization, and Matt admits that he was the worst of the episode after the group challenge, as he felt that his effort in both his workbench (which he rebuilt, but still failed) and the group challenge was "half-assed". The experts agree that the worst is based on who made more safety violations in the episode - Geoff choosing Matt for disconnecting a running dishwasher without switching off the power and standing on a stove, and Gail choosing Cory for using a chainsaw indoors in a tight space. In the end, Matt is declared the worst, while Deen is named the most improved of the episode, due to building the workbench that exceeded the "non-trunk". For his homework challenge, Matt is forced to build a new workbench and paint the phrase "Am I Finished?" on the walls of his room until he believed it is properly complete. While doing so, he admits to various incomplete projects around the house.

Web extras for this episode:

• Andrew Responds to Your Questions - Between seasons, viewers could ask Andrew questions regarding either Canada's Worst Handyman or Canada's Worst Driver on the Discovery Channel website, which he would answer on the show. Questions answered included the following:
  • With regards to a "worst of the worst" series, Andrew replies that it has been floated around but never acted upon. He does note that there would be five contestants that would have been named Canada's Worst Handyman at the end of this season, so a "worst of the worst" season for Canada's Worst Handyman could come as early as next year.
  • With regards to who the worst of the four contestants named Canada's Worst Handyman so far, Andrew simply defers the answer to the outcome of a "worst of the worst" season.
  • With regards to why there has not been a contestant for Canada's Worst Driver or Canada's Worst Handyman from Newfoundland and Labrador (the only province so far unrepresented in the history of the two shows combined - none of the territories have also been represented on the show as well), Andrew states that there has not been a "fellow Newfie" who has even come close in the nomination process, and thus he believes that Newfoundlanders are simply better drivers and handymen.
  • With regards to how the experts interact with the contestants, Gail states that the contestants often leave messes lying about when doing their work, making the worksite seem unprofessional. However, she also defends the contestants, stating that they need to be nurtured with respect to their skills.
• The New Nominees - Andrew gives his opinions on the new nominees, in particular, that the nominees (Deen aside) are more experienced (in terms of having done handiwork) but less skilled. More specifically, the nominees, having not had any direction into what the right and wrong way to do things, and thus accept mistakes as being correct due to not knowing otherwise. (As a result, the experts often demand a higher standard compared to previous years.) As with previous years, he also gives a quick rundown on each of the contestants and their quirks.
• Geoff's Take (2) - Geoff, after numerous glitches, manage to give his take on the contestants. He notes that the number of mishaps, including tools catching on fire, is a major issue this season. Another major issue this year was the age of the house, which is especially prominent during the upcoming electrical challenges, where the various different styles of wiring was revealed that the electrical wiring was considered dangerous for the house, not just the contestants.

Episode 2: Lofty Ideas

Original Airdate: May 10, 2010

At the start of the episode, Andrew notes that the house in question was abandoned by Delta Upsilon two years before the series was filmed. Furthermore, filming had to be stopped at various points in the first episode by the cameramen due to unsafe tool use by the contestants, leading the experts to teach the contestants a lesson on tool safety.

• The Loft Bed - After a lesson on framing, the contestants must build a loft bed (essentially, an indoor deck), complete with lag bolts to secure the frame to a post, from which a plywood board is placed on top, to support the bed's mattress. Matt does this easily, as he is experienced at building decks. Deen also passes after some work, though he mismeasures his plywood covering. The rest, however, do not fare as well. Simon admits to failing after failing to support the outside corner. Cory, ambitious to decorate the posts after quickly finishing the structure, fails after admitting to not reading the instructions to the post covering. Angela fails after her husband Matt gets her to tear down the walls in order to mount the bed to the wall.
• The Loft Bed Ladder - The contestants, to complete the loft bed, must build a ladder out of ABS plumbing pipes. Deen got pipes, but not T joints to make the rungs - some were provided to him so he would not fail. After Andrew lashes out at everyone (Simon in particular) for not reading the instructions to the adhesive when assembling the ladder. Matt fails as he had purchased PVC adhesive instead of ABS adhesive (which would mean that the adhesion was, at best, only temporary). Cory fails as his adhesive sets before he assembles the whole ladder. Deen also fails when he admitted that he had never closed the adhesive can lid the whole time he was using it, which allowed the adhesive to set. Angela and Simon also fail, though Simon learns an important lesson on reading the instructions.
• The Closet Door - The contestants must resize a hollow core door for their closet, before having to hang it. Deen, however, asks for his lesson (taught by Gail) on how to cut open the door to resize it to be repeated before he begins. After the resizing itself goes without incident, the contestants take a break for the day before installing the door the next day. Deen fails as his closet door fails to close due to the hinges being not properly installed, and a similar outcome awaits Angela. Matt discovers his door had been cut too short, while Cory discovers that his door had been cut too narrow. Simon also fails due to not getting the door to latch.
• The Cabinet - The contestants must assemble a prefab MasterCraft industrial-grade cabinet. Matt fails as he accidentally installs a component upside-down. Cory, after being repeatedly convinced to read the instructions by Kim, passes quickly. Angela discovers that her doors were installed upside-down, and fails. Simon also fails tue to not reading instructions, while Deen fails after wanting to put off his cabinet until the group challenge.
• Group Challenge: The Kitchen Cabinets - Deen and his "wolf pack" must frame the kitchen island, as well as hang the cabinets. Cory gets cracking on Deen's unfinished cabinet, while Simon and Angela gets to mounting the other four cabinets and Matt gets framing. However, Deen's disappearance after giving his initial orders leads Matt and Cory to mutiny, leading Angela and Simon, who have accomplished nothing in frustration, to also mutiny. Deen returns to none of the other four at work, and none of the work is done in the three hours allotted to the challenge even after the other four return.

In final inspections, Simon and Deen both admit to defeat. Geoff is not present for the final inspection due to personal matters, so Gail and Andrew do the final inspections without him. Matt thanks Gail for giving him a "butt kicking" after the glue debacle (being forced to reassemble the ladder with the proper adhesive on his own time), while Cory manages to fix his projects on his own time. Simon and Angela are chastized for beds which fall apart, while Deen admits to Gail a growing passion for building. Cory is named the most improved for finding the time to fix his failures, while Simon is named the worst for not following instructions (despite Andrew asserting that Deen's lack of leadership was much worse). As homework, Simon must read instructions on how to read instructions.

Episode 3: On a Bender

Original Airdate: May 17, 2010

Since the last episode, Deen's "Wolf Pack" name has stuck with everyone else, with the group challenges this season being nicknamed "wolf pack challenges". Even the golden hard hat is adorned with the label "wolf pack leader" (and the most improved being named as such), and the trophy for Canada's Worst Handyman adopting the "wolf pack" theme.

• The Metal Studs - The contestants, after a lesson on how to build using metal studs, must build a wall using these studs. However, during the lesson, one key portion was omitted the detail on how to attach a strengthening channel to the wall. Despite this, all of the contestants easily determine how the strengthening channel is to be installed. Despite some minor difficulties in aligning the holes in the studs for the channel as well as attaching the stud wall to the room's walls, all of them eventually pass.
• The Drywall - The contestants, after another lesson, must attach drywall to their new stud wall as well as add a coat of plaster. Silent Keith takes the opportunity to nap, as Matt easily passes without his assistance. Cory initially has a scary moment when cutting corner bead almost cost his eye, but afterwards he fails due to mixing his drywall mud by hand instead of using his drill. Angela passes despite her husband, while Deen, after having realized he built his wall three inches too tall for his liking, fails as he runs out of time. For Simon, who chose to close a hole in the wall with his wall, he must also attach a steel mesh to close the sizeable gap between the wall's edge and the wall. When on plastering he realizes that steel mesh is not the most appropriate job, he writes off his challenge, claiming that he would need 5 coats of plaster instead of the usual 3.
• The Frat House Bender - The contestants must bend electrical conduit to form a frame for a chair, before attaching old skateboards to the frame for the seat and back. In addition, the experts' chair can be used as a reference model. Matt chooses to deviate from the design a little, so as to facilitate lap dances, and manages (with Linda demonstrating Matt's intent) to pass. Deen also chooses to deviate from the chair entirely, by building a bench. He fails. Cory builds the chair exactly according to the reference model and passes, but he feels somewhat unsatisfied from the ordeal (Cory later attributes this from not getting a lap dance). Simon, who at one point tried to drill a hole with the bit in reverse, fails when he runs out of time. Once again, Angela and Matt's negativity causes the couple to fail.
• The Motorized Shelf - The contestants must install a shelving unit that raises and lowers using an electrical motor. Key to passing is locating the ceiling joists, which Matt finds easily with small drill holes with a screw (instead of a drill bit) after failing to find the joists with a stud finder. Assembly quickly follows, and he passes easily. The others, in finding the joists, make much larger holes: Angela and Simon with drywall saws, Deen and Cory with sledgehammers. Because of the cost of repairing the plastered ceiling, the rest fail even if their shelves function. Deen, however, also fails as he decides to cut his mounting bracket, voiding the unit's warranty. Simon fails due to running out of time.
• Group Challenge: The Kitchen Island - Cory's "wolf pack challenge" requires him to lead the group into permanently mounting the kitchen island, adding aluminum sheeting to the framing, and installing the island's plumbing. While Geoff supervises Deen and Simon on cutting the plating (Geoff teaching Deen how to use a metal grinder and reciprocating saw), Andrew teaches Matt how to use plastic plumbing pipes. After a while, he pulls Angela to assist him. Cory's hands-on leadership pays off in spades, as the challenge is finished on time.

In final inspections, Simon admits that nothing worked and that everything is disorganized. Angela is commended for following instructions, while Cory admits he has no excuse for opening up too much of his ceiling, while Deen is taken to task for modifying his lift. No serious criticisms were handed to Matt, but Angela is named the most improved over Matt since Matt had arguably done all of his tasks before. As for the worst, Simon gets the worst for the second episode in a row. For homework, Simon must give himself a report card on his own progress.

Web extras for this episode:

• Angela and Simon: The Best and the Worst: Angela, in the confessional, comments on how her being the most improved was a shock to her, as she thought highly of everyone else's work. She also mentions how it inspires her to do her best and learn how to do better wolf howls (following the tradition of starting and ending group challenges with a wolf howl, starting with Deen and continuing with Cory). Angela also comments on how Simon deserved to be named the worst, with Simon agreeing due to tiring out in the middle of the day. He admits the challenges are easy enough, but he lacks the concentration and focus to do well. On his homework challenge, he gave himself an A+ for working well with a group, though he admitted failing at everything else. He also speaks highly of Andrew, and he believes that he is falling short of Andrew's expectations of him.

Episode 4: Spark an Interest

Original airdate: May 24, 2010

• The Metal Bench - The contestants, after a lesson on how to use an arc welder, must build a bench with the frame consisting of metal tubing. Cory is a mechanic by trade, and as such he passes easily. Simon's frustration with the welding process leads him to get assistance from both Geoff and Cory, but his persistence pays off and he passes. The bench is also not a problem for Matt, as he also passes. Angela starts her cushion started before she finishes her frame, and fails as the legs are wobbly as a result. Deen fails as his legs fall off and he had injured himself with a stapler while creating the cushion.
• The Window Frame - After Andrew "vandalizes" the glass window above everyone's doors, everyone is taught how to replace the glass on the existing window frame. Deen appeared to not pay attention, but he had in fact paid perfect attention, and easily passes. Cory destroys his window frame in the process of removing it, and fails as a result. Prior to this challenge, Matt had his helmet modified to include a mohawk by the show's crew in his honour (for passing so many challenges), and his streak of passing continues with this one. Angela fails, as her window glazing is rough in various areas. Simon finishes his window without incident, but he has trouble remounting his window, which has a hinge. That is termed a failure.
• The Disco Ball - The contestants must install a disco ball and laser lights in their rooms. Cory fails due to poor design, along with the fact that his disco ball does not spin. Deen was also a victim of poor planning, as one of his lights missed the disco ball. Angela fails as she sets the lights without mounting them, thus not technically finishing, as her husband Matt points out. As for nominee Matt, he had planned to install a bar in his room, and had purchased extra equipment that was not in the shopping list (such as a blender and black lights) to that effect. Along with the disco ball and lights, he also takes the time to install all these things in his new "VIP lounge" under the loft bed. The disco ball and lights also work as intended, and easily complement a stripper pole that is to be installed in a later challenge. Simon also passes, though he has a sloppy arrangement for routing all his electrical wires.
• Group Challenge: The Kegerator - Angela leads the wolf pack in creating a kegerator out of an old fridge, as well as installing the island's countertop (including the sink) in this edition of the "wolf pack challenge". While Deen finishes the kitchen backsplash and Matt finishes preparing the countertop for the countertop installation, the other three get started on the kegerator. Though there were a few small mishaps with the kegerator (resulting in Andrew nearly flipping out at Cory for not reading instructions), the kegerator is eventually finished. The same cannot be said of the island, as everyone struggles on the size of hole that needed to be cut for the sink (Simon having accidentally thrown out the template to trace for the right size two episodes ago when Deen had led everyone in framing the island) as well as how to keep the sink in place (as the instructions in doing so was also thrown out). Deen is forced to stop when he is repeatedly shocked after the connection between his angle grinder and an extension cord falls into a puddle of water.

In inspections, Deen is taken to task for his disco ball and frame, which were both incomplete. Angela is also taken to task for arguably doing 95% of all her tasks. Gail complements Matt's room as being "sexier and sexier" every time the experts enter, and the same is said for Simon, who at least finished all his challenges. Cory takes pride in his bench with its "extra-curricular" back, but isn't as proud of his other failures. The experts are split as to who is the worst: in Gail's eyes, it is Cory for rushing through his work, while Deen is Geoff's choice for the worst due to repeated failures in welding. Andrew doesn't support either Gail's or Geoff's views, instead naming Angela as the episode's worst for not finishing. Simon, for finishing all his challenges, is named the most improved, and the new leader of the wolf pack. For homework, Angela must pick an incomplete challenge and complete it. Angela chooses to complete her bench.

Reception

Canada's Worst Handyman 5 has been a ratings success for Discovery Channel, with a record 500,000 viewers tuning in on its first airing, more than any other non-sports show on a specialty channel airing on the same day.