Canada's Worst Driver

Canada's Worst Driver is a Canadian television series on Discovery Channel, based on Britain's Worst Driver. It and sister series Canada's Worst Handyman are the two highest-rated programs on Discovery Channel. The series is produced by Proper Television, whose president, Guy O'Sullivan, was the director for the original Britain's Worst Driver series; as such, Canada's Worst Driver is considered to be the production company's flagship show.

Unlike other Worst series around the world, the Canadian version emphasizes the learning process of the contestants and the science of driving, and as such is often more serious than the other Worst shows around the world, which are mainly played for laughs. It is the longest running of any Worst series to date.

Format

In each season, eight drivers and their nominators are taken to the Driver Rehabilitation Centre, where they compete in challenges designed to improve their driving skills, in an effort to not be named Canada's Worst Driver. In the first challenge, the contestants begin at a location about an hour's drive from the Driver Rehabilitation Centre; for the contestants' first challenge, they must drive to the Driver Rehabilitation Centre, following the directions that are given to each contestant. After arriving at the Driver Rehabilitation Centre, the driver's licence of each contestant is confiscated (for the first two seasons, their car keys were confiscated instead). The first episode concludes with an obstacle course challenge, meant to evaluate the skills of the individual drivers.

The series is well known for their obstacle course challenges; contestants must routinely maneuver their cars through tight spaces with less than an inch of clearance on either side. To show that the challenge can be done without hitting obstacles by an average driver, host Andrew Younghusband performs each challenge before any contestant attempts the challenge.

Beginning with the end of the second episode, each contestant meets with a panel of four experts and Andrew for an evaluation of their performance, and after all remaining contestants are interviewed, the judges and Andrew deliberate on which contestant and nominator pair have improved enough to graduate from the Driver Rehabilitation Centre. The driver who has graduated is eliminated from the competition, and is sent home with their licenses returned to them; the contestants typically drive off with their nominators in the car that they used to arrive at the Driver Rehabilitation Centre. The experts also reserve the right to not graduate anyone for any episode, or to graduate multiple contestants at the same time. The experts may also choose to expel any contestant who does not show any incentive to learn, or who the experts believe should not continue driving; the licenses are returned. In this case, the contestant is eliminated from the competition and their licenses are returned, and they are given a ride home.

The elimination process continues until only three contestants remain (the original intent was for only two drivers remain in the first season, but due to an episode where no one graduated, three remained for the final episode; every season since has had challenges until three remained). The three remaining contestants are then given the Mega-Challenge, an obstacle course challenge with elements of every previous challenge, as well as a standard driver's examination through the busy streets of a major urban centre in Canada. Based on these two challenges, the experts determine which among the three is named Canada's Worst Driver. With the exception of the second season, the contestant who fared the second worst is deemed to not have graduated from the Driver Rehabilitation Centre, while the third contestant is considered a graduate.

Unlike other versions of the Worst Driver series around the world, where being eliminated early or being the Worst Driver is either rewarded with a new car or had their car destroyed, no prizes are given for being eliminated early or for being named Canada's Worst Driver, aside from a commemorative trophy in the latter case.

Challenges

With the exception of the challenges in the first and last episodes, challenges are specifically tailored to each contestant, designed by show host Andrew Younghusband and the driving school sponsoring the series (whose head instructor is one of the judges). Challenges typically range from traditional driving school lessons such as parallel parking, reversing, and driving with a trailer, to those not normally found in a beginner's driving course, such as driving a standard transmission vehicle and extreme driving manoeuvres. However, there are some challenges that are reused from year to year.

• The Shoulder Check Challenge is a challenge where contestants must drive in a straight line until they pass a sign on each side. The signs determine which of the two exits the contestants must take when the road forks ahead, but the signs are posted in the reverse direction, so the contestants must briefly look behind them to read the signs. If neither exit is permitted, they are simply instructed to stop in front of the fork in the road. The lesson of this challenge is to only turn the head when performing a shoulder check.
• Distracted Driving is a challenge introduced in the second season that was so unusually effective on one contestant that it has been used in every season since. In this challenge, drivers must drive around in a circle while having to do a series of tasks such as eating a sandwich, inserting a CD, and so on. Often, these tasks are tailored to each contestant's vices. The lesson is to not do these things while at the wheel, as it would cause car accidents.
• Swerve and Avoid is a challenge where contestants must drive towards a wall at high speeds, only to turn away (that is, swerve) at the last moment to avoid hitting the wall. Typically, there are two exits to each side of the wall, which will either initially be blocked before one or both open at the last moment, or initially be open before one or neither are blocked in the last moment. The lesson is to avoid touching the brake pedal, as putting the foot down on the brake would severely limit the car's steering ability.
• The Cornering Challenge is a challenge where contestants must drive towards a wall of foam blocks at high speed before braking hard, releasing the brake, and then turning away from the wall. The lesson in this challenge is to release the brake so as to not lose steering input to the car when it is needed. In some years, a tarp may also be laid out on the ground in front of the wall, to simulate icy or slippery conditions.
• The Three-Point Turn Challenge is a challenge where contestants must enter a small space and make a three-point turn, returning in the direction that they entered. The entrance may be off to one side of the area (as it is in earlier seasons) or to the centre of the area (as it is in later seasons). A key lesson in this challenge is to make use of the space available to the car in order to do the turn efficiently; in some years, obstacles may ring the outer perimeter of the area to give the contestants a better visual cue.
• The Eye of the Needle is a perennial challenge where contestants must navigate through a series of archways at a minimum speed. The intended lesson is to have the driver look where they want to go, in the middle of the archways rather than at the feet on one side of the archway.
• The Figure-Eight Challenge is a perennial challenge where drivers must reverse their car around a course in the shape of an 8. There are two versions of this challenge: one version, originally featured in the second season, has a pair of contestants perform the challenge simultaneously: both cars begin in one end of the course, and contestants must reverse their cars to where the other contestant began, with the only passing spaces available at the centre and opposite end of the course. The second version, featured in the fourth season, has each contestant do one lap in reverse with the remaining contestants as passengers.
• The Parking Lot Challenge is a version of musical chairs where drivers must find spaces to park. The parking lot is filled with cars, and may have blocker cars that attempt to frustrate the contestants, and cars that may open up new parking spaces. Any driving violation (such as parking in a no parking zone) typically will send the contestant out of the parking lot in a time penalty. The challenge ends when all but one contestant finish.
• The Water Tank Challenge is a perennial favourite in which the contestants must navigate a car around a tight obstacle course while the car has a roof-mounted water tank; should the contestants stop too abruptly, the contents of the tank will spill over into the cab of the vehicle, soaking its occupants. In earlier years, this was done with a pipe system, though in later years open-top cars or cars with a sunroof are used. Portions of the obstacle course will include a slow forward section, sudden stops due to last-minute reactions (such as a hidden stop sign or a pop-out car), a hump (infamous for repeatedly soaking Andrew in his demonstration runs), and optionally an acceleration portion. The intended lesson is on smooth threshold braking: should the contestants brake poorly or navigate too quickly, the water in the tank will spill, soaking the contestant and nominator inside.
• The Handbrake Turn Challenge is a challenge that has contestants perform a handbrake turn around a foam figure, while in a confined space. The intent of this challenge is for contestants to learn the distribution of weight in a car, as well as a lesson on how to properly control a car in a skid.
• The Reverse Flick is a challenge that has contestants perform the namesake technique in a confined space; it is in essence the handbrake turn in reverse, and without the use of the handbrake. The intent of this challenge is similar to the handbrake turn challenge, but also introduces elements of driving in reverse at speed.
• Drifting Donuts is a challenge where contestants must drive in a wide donut around a figure; key to this challenge is countersteering partway through in order to allow the car to continue drifting, eventually towards a designated exit point. The lesson behind this challenge is on extreme maneuvers as well as avoiding target fixation.
• The Trough is a challenge used in later seasons where contestants must get their car to move across the namesake trough, a series of concrete barriers placed on their side, without the car leaving the rails and hitting the ground. The lesson behind this challenge is that the rear wheels will generally not turn as dramatically as the front wheels; key to this challenge is to take wide turns and allow the car to hug the edges of the concrete rails.
• The Teeter-Totter is a challenge that has contestants balance a manual transmission car atop a teeter-totter, such that both ends are off of the ground. The lesson of this challenge is on starting manual transmission cars on slopes. The Gimbal is a variation of the teeter-totter challenge, where lateral motion is also introduced.

Nomination

The contestants are chosen by nominations submitted to Proper Television. Canada's Worst Driver and Canada's Worst Handyman are filmed alternately, with one season of Driver followed by one season of Handyman. Currently, Driver is filmed during the summer and Handyman in winter. Nominations for the next season of one are accepted shortly before the airing of a season of the other on Discovery Channel. Candidates may be nominated by multiple nominators, though only one nominator accompanies the contestant to the Driver Rehabilitation Centre.

Home Video/Internet Availablity

Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are currently available for download from iTunes in Standard Definition (480i/p) Anamorphic widescreen. Each season has also been posted on Discovery Channel's Canadian website in the past for streaming, with only Seasons 5 and 6 currently being available. There has been no news on whether the series will be released on DVD/Blu-ray.

Seasons

• Canada's Worst Driver (2005) took place at CFB Picton (currently operating as Picton Airport), a decommissioned military base near Picton, Ontario, with the final challenge taking place in the streets of Old Montreal. The theme of the season was on winter driving (every season since has been filmed in the summer), and Chris Ferguson was named Canada's Worst Driver for his inexperience on the road.
• Canada's Worst Driver 2 (2006) took place within the grounds of CFB Borden, with the final challenge taking place in downtown Toronto. The theme of the season is on summer driving, and Henrietta Gallant was named Canada's Worst Driver due to her vision issues and her insistence on not wearing glasses. The season also saw the first expulsion in any Worst Driver series when Colin Sheppard was expelled due to his unwillingness to learn.
• Canada's Worst Driver 3 (2007) took place in the ghost town of Edgar, Ontario, with the final challenge taking place in Barrie, Ontario. The theme of the season is on extreme driving manoeuvres, and Jason Zhang was named Canada's Worst Driver for his dangerous performance, stopping in the middle of a highway.
• Canada's Worst Driver 4 (2008) took place in an abandoned prison in Guelph, Ontario, with the final challenge taking place in downtown Toronto. The theme of the season is the legal consequences of bad driving, and Ashley van Ham was named Canada's Worst Driver for having never addressed her frustrations with her nominator. The season also saw the first expulsion in any Worst Driver series due to the experts' belief that the contestant should no longer be driving: Donna Hicks was eliminated in this manner, in part due to angina.
• Canada's Worst Driver 5 (2009) took place at CFB Borden, with the road test in downtown Toronto. The theme of the season is "driving boot camp". This season saw the first time a contestant, Crystal Farao, leave due to a personal (and ironically, driving-related) tragedy. Anxiety-riddled Angelina Marcantognini ended up as Canada's Worst Driver this season.
• Canada's Worst Driver 6 (2010) took place at Dunnville Airport, the local airport of Dunnville, Ontario, with the road test in Niagara Falls, Ontario. A racing theme was employed this season, with every challenge being ones that were used in previous years, but at higher speeds. Being inexperienced and having denied that his anxiety had anything to do with his driving, Lance Morin was named Canada's Worst Driver.
• Canada's Worst Driver 7 (2011) started from the Ontario Street parking garage in St. Catharines, Ontario on June 18, 2011, with the Driver Rehabilitation Centre located at Dunnville Airport for the second year in a row.^[2] The theme of the season is the uniquely Canadian aspects of driving, and the final road test was taken in Hamilton, Ontario. Despite an overall good challenge performance, an ultimately disastrous road test was what caused Shirley Sampson to be named Canada's Worst Driver.

See also

• Britain's Worst Driver
• World's Worst Driver

References

External links

• Official website
• Canada's Worst Driver on watch.discoverychannel.ca
• Canada's Worst Driver on iTunes
• Canada's Worst Driver at the Internet Movie Database
• Canada's Worst Driver at TV.com