Canada's Worst Driver 13
Canada's Worst Driver 13 | |
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Season 13 | |
Release | |
Original network | Discovery Channel |
Original release | October 23 December 11, 2017 | –
Season chronology |
Canada's Worst Driver 13 is the thirteenth 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. The focus of this season was on the Fears of Driving and the number 13. This year, the Driver Rehabilitation Centre is located at the Dunnville Airport in Dunnville, Ontario for the eighth straight season. The initial drive started in St. Catharines, Ontario and the final road test occurred in Hamilton, Ontario.
Experts
- 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. He is the traffic expert on CP24 in Toronto and had a 25-year career as a traffic sergeant with the Ontario Provincial Police.
- Philippe Létourneau 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.
- 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.
- Tim Danter is the show's head driving instructor, a position he has held since joining the show in the eighth season. In this position, he not only gives the drivers help and instructions for challenges, but gives them further lessons off-screen.
Contestants
- Adam Bourré, 25 and licensed for eight years, from Kitchener, Ontario, is a grocery store clerk who lost his confidence behind the wheel after he skidded on ice and nearly slid into a mailbox. This has caused him such anxiety that he often has to pull over during the short drive to work in order to relax and his father, Pat Bourré, has nominated him out of concern that his stress issues may cost his son his dream job as a Chauffeured Limousine Driver. He drives a silver Hyundai Elantra.
- Ashley Dunne, 26, from The Goulds, Newfoundland and Labrador, only recently earned a driving license and the stress of driving causes her to have severe trouble even managing the short, familiar drive to work, to say nothing of driving elsewhere. Her story is all too familiar to that of her friend, Canada's Worst Driver 11 "winner" Jillian Kieley (née Matthews), who has become the first contestant from a previous season to return as the nominator of a new contestant. She drives a black Hyundai Tucson and drove a black Ford Escape to the rehab centre.
- Shayne Greer, 36 and licensed for three years, from Nepean, Ontario, was involved in a serious traffic accident in 1994 at the age of 13, nearly costing him his legs. He subsequently spent many years recuperating and didn't learn how to drive until 2014, only to have an accident within weeks after getting his license and his first car. He is currently living with his sister, Shanna Boudreau, who wants Shayne to have the independence he has never known, especially so that he can more easily visit his new girlfriend in Ottawa. He drives a silver Chevrolet Sonic.
- Mélanie Lautard, 27, from Oromocto, New Brunswick, is a single mother of four who used to rely on her ex-husband to do all the family's driving, but has now found herself tasked with that responsibility following her divorce. Her inexperience and panicky nature has led her best friend, Christina Harrison, to nominate her. She drives a black Dodge Grand Caravan.
- Travis Murray, 36, from Edmonton, Alberta, only recently earned a driving license after 17 years with a learner's permit, yet he never made a real effort to get one after moving out of his parents' home, only taking the test when his wife, Apryl Murray, threatened not to marry him until he got a full license (though she still did, even though he failed the test badly). With the couple thinking of starting a family, Apryl has brought him to rehab in an effort to finally get him a proper driving education. He drives a black Fiat 500L and drove a gray Kia Rio to the rehab centre.
- Joe Palozzi, 50, from Maple, Ontario, sees the road as his personal racing circuit and is prone to speeding, road raging, running red lights and many other moving violations. His business partner, Tony Mancini, no longer feels safe being in the car with him and brought him to rehab with hopes that rehab will make him see that he isn't as good of a driver as he thinks. He drives a white Ford F-250.
- Breanna Pratley, 19, from Milton, Ontario, is a university student who finds driving a highly stressful experience, in part due to her being used to being in control of situations, something that doesn't translate to sharing the road with other drivers and also because she was involved in an accident three years ago. Her grandmother, Georgina (known as Baba G on the show), wants to see her get over her fears and gain her independence. She drives a blue BMW X5.
- Julie Wrzesien, 37, from Edmonton, Alberta, has earned herself the nickname "Crash" for her accident-prone nature behind the wheel, having been in about 16 accidents, writing off four cars (although she told Andrew before heading for rehab she was in 13 accidents). Her best friend, Lara Petersen, no longer sees Julie's bad driving as a laughing matter and has nominated her for the sake of her five-year-old son. She drives a white Toyota 4Runner and drove a white Toyota RAV4 to the rehab centre.
Synopsis
Contestant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
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Mélanie Lautard | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | CWD |
Ashley Dunne | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP |
Adam Bourré | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT |
Shayne Greer | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |
Travis Murray | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||
Breanna Pratley | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||||
Julie Wrzesien | IN | IN | OUT | |||||
Joe Palozzi | IN | OUT |
- The contestant became Canada's Worst Driver.
- The contestant was the runner-up for Canada's Worst Driver.
- The contestant was on the panel's shortlist.
- The contestant graduated.
Episodes
No. | Title | Original air date | |
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1 | "It All Begins Now" | October 23, 2017 | |
In their first meeting with the experts, Mélanie states that she wants to improve as a driver for the sake of her four children, while Shayne is told that, despite what Andrew has told past contestants, slower doesn't necessarily mean safer. Shayne is also willing to admit that he might be Canada's Worst Driver, as are Ashley and Breanna. The other drivers deny that they might be the worst. As is usual for the show, no one graduates in the first episode, as this was merely a skills evaluation. | |||
2 | "Look Here" | October 30, 2017 | |
When meeting with the experts, Julie makes a strong case for being the season's first graduate, admitting that she's learned a lot and needs to grow up. Joe also expresses a desire to graduate, but damages his chances by admitting that he probably won't slow down if he's allowed to go home and then admits that even if his daughter was in the car in front, he wouldn't slow down. To Joe's shock, his daughter, Kristen, is then brought into the studio and she's able to persuade him to promise to be a safe driver, for his own sake as well as his family's. With it obvious that there's nothing the experts can really teach Joe in terms of technical skills, the discussion quickly turns into one of how he should leave rehab; Tim does not believe his promise to slow down and advocates expelling him rather than letting him graduate. However, the other experts are ultimately convinced enough by Joe's promise to Kristen to allow him to graduate. Before he leaves, Joe is given a rear-view mirror air freshener with Kristen's photograph on it to remind him never to speed again. | |||
3 | "Threading" | November 6, 2017 | |
When meeting with the experts, Ashley admits that the experience of the previous challenge made her physically ill. Julie is the only person who expresses any wish to graduate and vows never to be distracted at the wheel again. In the end, the experts agree that the decision facing them is obvious and no discussion is needed—Julie, who only narrowly missed graduating the previous episode on the grounds that Kristin convinced Joe to promise that he would no longer speed, is the panel's unanimous choice to graduate this time around. | |||
4 | "Look Out!" | November 13, 2017 | |
While the experts consider Shayne to be the episode's best performer overall, for being the only driver who passed all three challenges, he tells them that he doesn't want to graduate just yet, feeling that he has more to learn. As it turns out, nobody wants to graduate. The experts shortlist Adam (for finishing the Teeter-Totter in the fastest time), Breanna (for performing relatively well on both Parallel Parking and the Swerve and Avoid) and Shayne (for passing all three challenges and the clear improvement in his outlook). After a lengthy discussion, the experts agree that, since Breanna's only real problem is her nervousness on the highway, whereas both Adam and Shayne have deeper underlying issues, they'll offer Breanna a highway drive with Tim and if she can successfully complete it, she'll be allowed to graduate; otherwise, no one will graduate this episode. The drive in question subsequently goes with no issues and, on her return, Breanna is given back her license and becomes the third graduate, ensuring that, for the ninth year in a row, there will not be an all-female finale. | |||
5 | "All Wet!" | November 20, 2017 | |
For the second episode in a row, none of the drivers have any wish to graduate. Despite this, Shayne and Travis admit that regardless of how much they've improved as drivers, their whole outlook on life is being changed for the better by the experience. With Adam having been the best performer in all three challenges, the experts immediately agree that he's the only even remotely feasible graduate this episode. However, his lack of desire to graduate causes Andrew to override their decision and he tells Adam that he'll only graduate when he feels ready to. Thus, the episode ends, as per usual for the fifth episode of a Canada's Worst Driver season, with no one graduating. Note: This episode did not display an opening title screen or broadcast the opening animation. | |||
6 | "No Parking" | November 27, 2017 | |
Though Mélanie is brought back to rehab for a talk with the experts, she proves too unwell to even manage that and is sent back to her hotel room. All of the other drivers (barring Ashley) express their wish to graduate, though the experts are perturbed by what Shayne tells them, namely that during a public drive on the Chedoke Expressway with Tim in-between the first and second challenges, he could feel an episode of road rage coming on after being challenged by another driver and likely would have cut the other driver off to prove a point had Tim not been there. Adam, Shayne and Travis are all nominated, leading to an intense discussion by the experts. At the graduation ceremony (with Mélanie still absent), while Andrew commends Shayne for his honesty in admitting to his road rage, he also says that after hearing that, there was no way the experts could seriously consider graduating him this week, despite being the only driver who passed all three challenges. That leaves Adam and Travis and despite Adam being considered the best overall driver of the group, Travis' performing better than Adam in every challenge this week and seeming more assured than Adam in his own public drive with Tim ends up swinging the decision his way, making Travis the latest graduate. Note: The credits that rolled after the conclusion of "The Trailer Parking Boys" credited Canada's Worst Driver 2 "runner-up" Michael Telford as "super computer," Canada's Worst Driver 3 "winner" Jason Zhang as "the quitter," Canada's Worst Driver 5 "runner-up" Michael "Mike" Butt as "muffler murderer," Canada's Worst Driver 6 "winner" Lance Morin as "worst actor," Canada's Worst Driver 7 "runner-up" Sly Grosjean as "Dunnville destroyer," Canada's Worst Driver 10 "winner" Chanie Richard as "the cheerleader," Canada's Worst Driver 12 "winner" Krystal McCann as "potato" and Advanced Motoring Bureau instructor Peter Mellor as "the South African Guy from Seasons 5, 6 and 7," among others. The credits also stated that "no antique vehicles were harmed during the filming of this production. This unreal driving is a piece of work." | |||
7 | "Ice, Ice, Maybe" | December 4, 2017 | |
When meeting with the experts, Melanie is sharply criticized by Tim for her repeated failure to apply the lessons he's repeatedly being trying to teach her in their public drives and she admits that she's destined for the finale, as does Ashley. Both Adam and Shayne do want to graduate, however, leading to both being shortlisted. Cam and Philippe both vote for Shayne to graduate, for performing as well as or better than Adam in all of the challenges this episode, while Andrew and Shayamala vote that it should be Adam, citing Shayne's failure in the initial part of the Know Your Limits challenge, leaving Tim with the deciding vote. Despite being shortlisted for the fourth week in a row, Adam misses out on graduation on the grounds that one of the other drivers was just that bit better, making Shayne, who only missed graduating the previous episode on the grounds that he admitted to the experts that he felt an episode of road rage coming on during his public drive with Tim and the fact that Travis performed better than Adam in every challenge and seeming more assured in his own public drive, the season's penultimate graduate and sending Adam into the finale with Mélanie and Ashley, with Adam joining Canada's Worst Driver 4 "winner" Ashley van Ham for the most shortlistings in the Canada's Worst Driver history and not once graduating. | |||
8 | "Drum Roll, Please..." | December 11, 2017 | |
In their final meeting with the experts, Ashley openly admits that, had Andrew not been with her, she would more than likely have hit the pedestrian during her drive. Despite this, not only does Ashley believe she is not Canada's Worst Driver, she actually claims that she deserves to be the final graduate. Adam also feels that he deserves to graduate, more justifiably in the eyes of the experts. Mélanie, however, admits that she might be Canada's Worst Driver and that, due to being a single mother, she can't realistically afford more driving tuition. In the ensuing discussions, the panel seems to quickly come to the agreement that Adam, who had been shortlisted four weeks in a row, only to narrowly miss graduating each episode on the grounds that Breanna successfully completed her highway drive with Tim, his lack of desire to graduate despite being the only feasible graduate, Travis performing better in every challenge and seeming more assured in his own public drive and Shayne performing as well as or better than Adam in every challenge, is the final graduate, while Mélanie is Canada's Worst Driver for never making a serious effort to improve throughout the season. However, Philippe then dissents and deems Ashley the worst for her dismal Mega-Challenge performance and nearly causing a serious accident in the road test and Cam sides with him, pointing out that, as poor and negative as Mélanie's attitude in the final drive was, her mistakes were comparatively minor. To Andrew's shock, Shyamala then changes her own mind and agrees with Cam and Philippe in that Ashley is Canada's Worst Driver. Tim, however, sticks to his initial decision and judges Mélanie to be the worst, something Andrew agrees with, leaving Shyamala, who Andrew feels is still somewhat on the fence, with the final decision. At the trophy ceremony, Andrew names Adam as the final graduate for his solid road test and generally performing well throughout the season and Adam leaves, declaring that his next stop is the Ferris wheel in Niagara Falls. This, therefore, leaves Mélanie and Ashley as the final two. After Adam leaves, Andrew makes the announcement that, in the end, Mélanie is named Canada's Worst Driver, judging her general lack of effort and bad attitude throughout the season to be a worse sin than Ashley's mistake in her final run, especially considering that Mélanie has four children who depend on her. While Ashley leaves without graduating, both Andrew and Jillian give her words of encouragement for avoiding Jillian's fate during her own appearance on the show, where she was named the worst after being unable to even attempt the Road Test on her own and Ashley is at least able to drive herself away, something Jillian was not able to do during her own appearance, as Mitchell had to drive her away. As for Melanie, despite being named the worst, she does get one bit of good news in that, since the experts do not believe she is such a bad driver that she should give up driving completely (especially given the consequences doing so would have for her children), they have arranged for her to have driving lessons when she gets home. Despite this, Mélanie gives Andrew the finger as Christina drives her away as the thirteenth person (and final woman) to be awarded the trophy, with Andrew's closing voiceover revealing that, despite the show paying for extra lessons in advance, Mélanie never once bothered using them. |