Canada's Worst Driver 7
Canada's Worst Driver 7 | |
---|---|
Season 7 | |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Release | |
Original network | Discovery Channel |
Original release | October 24 December 13, 2011 | –
Season chronology |
Canada's Worst Driver 7 is the seventh 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 makes a particular emphasis on the uniquely Canadian nature of driving, rather than having any driving-related motifs as in past years. This year, the Driver Rehabilitation Centre is located at the Dunnville Airport in Dunnville, Ontario for the second straight season. The initial drive started in St. Catharines, Ontario and the final road test occurred in Hamilton, Ontario. This season is the first to be broadcast in high definition, owing to the launch of the high-definition simulcast of Discovery Channel. As part of the promotion for this season, a special Monday edition of The Alan Nursall Experience, a segment on Daily Planet (which normally airs on Tuesdays and Thursdays), takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Driver Rehabilitation Centre.
The Discovery Channel reported that it had received roughly 900 driver nominations for the show's seventh season.[1] One of the drivers nominated was a driver who had difficulty with directions, whose family believed he relied too heavily on his phone's GPS system.[1]
Experts
Three experts return from Canada's Worst Driver 6, though Dr. Lauren Kennedy-Smith, psychologist from the past season, is not among them.
- 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 an expert on interpersonal relationships and how they can cause emotional breakdowns in drivers. Her experiences have brought her to every corner of the globe.
- Peter Mellor is the show's head driving instructor, a position he has held since joining the show in the fifth season. With Peter returning for his third season, that ties him with Scott Marshall (the head instructor from the first three seasons of Canada's Worst Driver) as the longest-serving head instructor so far.
Contestants
- Lauri Bencharski, 37, from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, is an animal lover, but for her fiancé and nominator, Shaun, her love of animals goes a bit too far: she regularly drives with her two dogs, a cat and a bird, all of which he believes is too much of a distraction. She drives a white Dodge Ram and a silver Chrysler Intrepid and drove a grey Ford Five Hundred to the rehab centre.
- Aaron Cheshire, 30 and licensed for ten years, from Calgary, Alberta, is a former parking lot attendant who was once a victim of an accident caused by a distracted driver in June 2005 that left him in a two-month-long coma. Though he has recovered, he was never the same since in terms of his skills on the road. His father and nominator, Lee, hopes that the Driver Rehabilitation Centre will be the last step towards total recovery. He drives a silver Smart Fortwo and drove a beige Mitsubishi Pajero to the rehab centre.
- Sly Grosjean, 40 and licensed for 17 years, from Lethbridge, Alberta (moved to Red Deer, Alberta; now lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia on Vancouver Island), is a technophile who never goes anywhere without his cell phone GPS; it is a necessity for his job as a deliveryman. However, his brother-in-law and nominator, Fred Hillyer, believes that he is too reliant on new technologies and can't otherwise drive without them. He suffers from non-verbal learning disorder, which impedes his ability to learn. He drives a green Pontiac Grand Am and drove a blue Chevrolet Optra to the rehab centre.
- Afiya Lassy, 25, from Montreal, Quebec, is a road rager out to prove her loved ones, including her friend and nominator, Cindy, wrong—those around her believe that she is a hazard on the road by running red lights and hogging the road; she begs to differ. She drives a red Kia Rio and drove a beige Nissan Altima to the rehab centre.
- Tabitha "Tab" Parks, 39, from Calgary, Alberta, is a former school bus driver who is a nervous wreck when she is uncomfortable behind the wheel. Her boyfriend, Matt, hopes that the Driver Rehabilitation Centre can help her conquer her fears. She drives a black Acura EL and drove a blue Ford Focus to the rehab centre.
- Jonathan "Jon" Parsons, 24 and licensed for eight years, from Bowmanville, Ontario (near Oshawa), has a cocky attitude due to the adrenaline rush brought forth from driving. His girlfriend and nominator, Elise, believes that this can possibly come back to haunt him as they begin the next phase in their ongoing relationship—starting a family. He drives a red Chevrolet Corvette.
- Benjamin "Ben" Reiman, 36, from Surrey, British Columbia (near Vancouver) believes that driving is becoming a major point of contention to their relationship—so much so that he and his wife and nominator, Jan, never drive together anymore. He drives a grey Hyundai Accent and drove a grey Ford Focus to the rehab centre.
- Shirley Sampson, 60 and licensed for 45 years, from Port Caledonia, Nova Scotia (on Cape Breton; now lives in Donkin, Nova Scotia), is a retired elementary school teacher who is comfortable driving around the small towns of rural Nova Scotia; she just merely detests driving into Halifax where her daughter and nominator, Janis Wall, lives. She breaks down entirely on the highway, even going so far as to stop on the highway in place when she is confused. She drives a grey Kia Rio5 and drove a red Ford Focus to the rehab centre.
Synopsis
Contestant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
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Shirley Sampson | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | CWD |
Sly Grosjean | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP |
Aaron Cheshire | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT |
Afiya Lassy | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |
Tab Parks | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||
Ben Reiman | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||||
Lauri Bencharski | IN | IN | OUT | |||||
Jon Parsons | IN | OUT |
- (CWD) The contestant became Canada's Worst Driver.
- (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was runner-up for Canada's Worst Driver.
- (OUT) The contestant graduated.
- (IN) The contestant was shortlisted for graduation.
Episodes
No. | Title | Original air date | |
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1 | "Take Off, Eh!" | October 24, 2011 | |
When the experts interview the contestants, the experts question Tab on her nerves, Ben on his relationship, Jon on humility and Shirley on confidence. Lauri, who has seen past seasons on the show, is quietly confident; while Sly admits to confidence issues. Afiya is ignorant as to why she was nominated, while Aaron breaks down when talking to the experts. He admits that maybe if he can share his pain to the world, he will be able to recover. As usual, no one graduates this episode, as it serves merely as a skills evaluation.
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2 | "Use Your Mirrors, Eh?" | October 31, 2011 | |
In deliberation, Ben admits he will not be the first to graduate, while Shirley and Tab both admit to needing more improvement. Philippe believes that the root of Tab's problems is that she is looking not far enough ahead. Afiya admits to wanting to go home, with learning as an afterthought. Lauri believes that she should be first to graduate, but she also wants to stay longer to learn more. She breaks down when they discuss how in keeping her pets in the car may injure them without proper safety precautions, from which Cam suggests that she disable the passenger-side airbag and get specialized safety gear if she wants to continue riding with her pets. Jon wants to graduate, after a long talk with Aaron's life story earlier in the day in the confessional. Aaron, in return, is grateful for the news. The experts are divided on Jon and Lauri on being the first graduate; Cam and Philippe wants Jon to graduate based on his dealings with Aaron, while Andrew and Shyamala both want Lauri to go home because Lauri did better in all the challenges, leaving Peter with the deciding vote. In the end, the experts agree to honour Lauri's request to stick around and Jon becomes the first graduate.
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3 | "Dangerous Driving" | November 7, 2011 | |
In deliberation, Aaron doesn't want to graduate, if only to further make an impact on the other contestants. Afiya in particular is moved by Aaron. Tab, Lauri and Ben all feel that because of Aaron, they feel ready to graduate. Sly and Shirley are also moved by Aaron, but also vowed to stay. The experts make their deliberation short by granting Lauri, who only narrowly missed out on graduating in the previous episode on the grounds that she wanted to stay in rehab to learn more, the unanimous decision for graduation this episode.
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4 | "Buckle Up" | November 14, 2011 | |
In deliberation, Tab wants to stay to aid in her emotions, while Aaron does not feel that he warrants graduation. Afiya, Sly and Shirley also do not want to graduate. Ben, however, wants to graduate, having learned many things about his original licensing process, which included settling on the cheapest driving school available and being a class clown rather than focusing on fundamentals. Because only one contestant wanted to graduate, the experts debate whether they should graduate Ben: Cam and Shyamala feel that he should stay, while Philippe and Peter feel that he should graduate, leaving Andrew to cast the deciding vote and ultimately, in a 3-2 split decision (Peter and Phillipe backing Ben and Shyamala and Cam not backing anyone), Ben's vow to replace his stick-shift car with an automatic turns the tide in his favour and he becomes the next graduate, once again ensuring that there will not be three men in the finale. | |||
5 | "Park and Slide" | November 21, 2011 | |
In deliberation, Afiya apologizes to Andrew for cursing at him after failing the Trough. Cam lashes out at Sly for "gunning it" during the Trough, while Shirley is confident that she deserves to graduate. Tab also feels confident in graduating even though she went over-speed in the icy corner. Aaron, the consensus best performer in the episode, believes that he also deserves to graduate based on his performance, but he would rather stay put, as he believes his moment has not arrived. Shirley and Tab are shortlisted by the experts, but Andrew is not confident in graduating either of them. As a result, no one graduates this episode. | |||
6 | "Hard!" | November 28, 2011 | |
At the start of the episode, Andrew recalls an incident where a contestant on Canada's Worst Driver's Dutch counterpart, De Allerslechtste Chauffeur van Nederland (The Netherlands' Worst Driver), injured host Ruben Nicolai—Andrew's Dutch counterpart—and a cameraman during its Shoulder Check Challenge (the contestant, later identified only as Pim, mistook the gas pedal for the brake, closed his eyes and let go of the wheel) and how it has put him on edge (Canada's Worst Driver 7 was filmed as the Dutch series was airing in the Netherlands). The episode also opens with Tab and Afiya seeking help from Shyamala between episodes to address both Tab's driving anxiety and Afiya's lack of taking on responsibility.
The experts commend Tab and Shirley on their improved behaviour and both claim that they deserve to graduate. However, Afiya admits to being overconfident when she entered rehab and the realization of the true nature of her driving skills means that she is not ready to graduate. As for Aaron, he feels that his moment has still not arrived. Sly admits to not making any ground so far through rehabilitation. Cam believes that Tab should be the graduate while Philippe still has an issue with Tab driving too fast, so he endorses Shirley. For the second time in three episodes, Andrew is left with the deciding vote and, in another 3-2 split decision (this time, with Philippe and Shyamala backing Shirley and Peter and Cam backing Tab), Tab becomes the next graduate, as Shirley's driving was still too inconsistent for the experts' tastes. | |||
7 | "Glazed Over" | December 5, 2011 | |
At the start of the show, Andrew comments on the destruction of 14 cameras of various qualities from challenges over the previous six episodes.
Through some of the challenges, Fred had been contemplating whether Sly would have been better off quitting driving altogether, a sentiment also echoed by Andrew after the Beer Truck Challenge. Sly cannot defend his performance in any of the challenges and admits that he is bound for the final three. Shirley also admits being bound for the final three as well. Aaron also wants to be in the final three, if only to prove himself on the only test that matters to him—the final drive in Hamilton. Afiya admits to progress during this episode and it is enough for the experts to unanimously agree to graduate her. However, Andrew is still unconvinced, as he believes that she is still a pathological liar who tells the experts what they want to hear and believes that this year's final challenges should have four contestants instead of the usual three, something that, luckily for Afiya, none of the experts agree with him on. Nevertheless, Andrew gives in to peer pressure from the experts and assents to graduating Afiya, who becomes the season's penultimate graduate, sending Aaron into the finale with Shirley and Sly. | |||
8 | "Oh Canada" | December 12, 2011 | |
After a somber farewell to the Challenger (complete with a mock funeral ceremony), the experts give their final opinion. Sly admits that the road test was more comfortable than any of the challenges, but he was ultimately on edge through the test. The opposite happened for Shirley—good challenge performances but a horrible Road Test. Aaron admits that after the Road Test, he finally got everything and more out of rehab. In their final discussion, the experts immediately agree that while he still has some way to go, Aaron is not Canada's Worst Driver as, despite his composure crashing down when a police car suddenly blared its siren behind him, he improved the most. As for the remaining two, Philippe and Peter judge Sly to be Canada's Worst Driver due to his performance in the challenges, while Cam and Andrew judge Shirley as such, feeling that even though Sly stopped in the middle of an intersection on numerous occasions during his Road Test, Shirley was disastrous on hers, leaving Shyamala with the deciding vote, which swings in Sly's favour as, despite performing the worst in the Straight-Line Reversal Challenge and the Mega Challenge, the fact that Sly is considered to be able to drive away on his own, while Shirley isn't, means that Shirley is named Canada's Worst Driver and becomes the seventh person (fourth woman) to be awarded the trophy. However, Andrew tells Sly that, despite avoiding being named the worst, he has absolutely nothing to be proud about and Fred agrees, saying that Sly simply got lucky that Shirley happened to perform so poorly on the Road Test. Despite ultimately being named the worst, Shirley still leaves with parting words of encouragement from Andrew, who implores her to continue driving and, as a special mark of respect for doing so well, allows Janis to drive Shirley home instead of the usual final humiliation of being forced to catch a plane or limousine while her car is towed all the way back to her hometown. |
References
- ^ a b Sims, Alisha (23 November 2011). "Show paves the way for better driving". Sun Times. Lethbridge, Alberta. Retrieved 10 June 2024 – via ProQuest.