Canada's Worst Driver 12 is the twelfth 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. The focus of this season was on the dangers of speeding.
Canada's Worst Driver 12 | |
---|---|
Season 12 | |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Release | |
Original network | Discovery Channel |
Original release | October 24 December 12, 2016 | –
Season chronology |
This year, the Driver Rehabilitation Centre is located at the Dunnville Airport in Dunnville, Ontario for the seventh straight season. The initial drive started in Niagara Falls, Ontario and the final road test occurred in Hamilton, Ontario. This season notably featured reckless and texting while driving contestant Krystal McCann, who not only drove in a way that was rude, inconsiderate, selfish and unacceptable,[1] but also became the first-ever Canada's Worst Driver "winner" to not receive the trophy due to her refusal to learn.[2] Reactions towards Krystal's behaviour on the show was overwhelmingly negative, due to her overall equally negative appearance, especially her rudeness noted towards host Andrew Younghusband.[3] In an interview, Krystal revealed that she had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder after the show, in an attempt to explain her volatile attitude.[4]
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. 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
editThis season features eight contestants, down from the nine featured in the eleventh season:[5]
- Mike Adrain, 44, from Renfrew, Ontario (near Ottawa), suffered a serious brain injury in a traffic accident in September 2003, when he was hit head-on by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel. While Mike's driving license was subsequently revoked in medical grounds, he was able to earn it back in recent years. However, his wife and nominator, Christian Adrain, is increasingly questioning whether Mike would have been better staying off the roads, as he has experienced many accidents in the time since he regained his license. He drives a red Dodge Ram 1500 and drove a brown Chevrolet Malibu to the rehab centre.
- Amrinder Dua, 25, from Hamilton, Ontario, originally learned to drive in his native India and managed to earn a Canadian driving license with little effort. However, his lack of familiarity with Canadian road laws has resulted in him earning several suspensions and crashing a new car that his best friend, Akash, had only bought two days prior was the final straw, leading to Akash's nominating him. He drives a silver Dodge Grand Caravan.
- Tyler Dupont, 44, from Innisfail, Alberta (near Red Deer), is by his own admission an accomplished welder but a poor driver. The stress that driving causes him, likely originating from his being badly hurt in a crash a decade prior, has resulted in him increasingly resorting to driving while under the influence of alcohol, which in turn has resulted in him committing at least 20 hit-and-run offenses over the previous year. This has caused his wife, Jana Dupont, to nominate him for the show as a last-ditch effort to get him to reform. It was revealed by Jana that Tyler also received a brain injury from a past traffic collision and that it ultimately affects his driving ability. He drives a gray Dodge Grand Caravan and drove a purple Pontiac Montana SV6 to the rehab centre.
- Daniella Florica, 30, from Kitchener, Ontario, lacks confidence when it comes to driving. She purposefully sought out a job that allowed her to work from home; this allows her to drive as little as possible. After relying on friends and family to drive her everywhere, Daniella now feels she is a liability on the road; which is her excuse for her disinterest and limited knowledge of driving. She has been known to suffer panic attacks when attempting to merge onto the highway. Her sister, Chantal Scapinello, has brought Daniella to rehab to help her gain the confidence she needs to start driving assertively. She drives a silver Ford Escape.
- Diana Hutchings, 33, from Edmonton, Alberta, is a substitute teacher who relies more on spiritual energies than the rules of the road, sometimes even burning incense and reciting mantras while at the wheel. Her brother-in-law, Joedy, is less than convinced by her approach, however, especially since she has twice had her driving license suspended for dangerous driving, leading to him nominating her in an effort to give her a wake-up call. She drives a black Honda Insight and drove a blue Toyota Yaris to the rehab centre.
- Cody Jensen, 28, from East St. Paul, Manitoba (near Winnipeg), has already had his driving license suspended five times and is just one ticket away from a sixth suspension. He attributes his reckless driving habits to the adrenaline rush that he gets from driving at extreme speeds, and is able to get away with repeatedly wrecking his vehicles thanks to his mechanical expertise, which allows him to repair even severe damage. His girlfriend, Sarah, has had enough of his reckless habits and has nominated him with the ultimatum of either making an effort to improve or ending their relationship. He drives a blue Dodge Ram 3500 and a silver Cadillac STS and drove a black Dodge Magnum to the rehab centre.
- Krystal McCann, 28, from Edmonton, Alberta, never had any formal driving education, and was able to get her driving license with her prior experience mostly consisting of joyriding with cars stolen from her neighbours, something she was doing as early as the age of 13. Despite her past, Krystal has too much over confidence in her abilities behind the wheel and her brother, Steven McCann, has nominated her in an effort to finally give her a proper education in driving. She drives a blue Jeep Renegade and drove a black Saturn Vue to the rehab centre.
- Lou Valcourt, 41, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, only got her driving license a year ago after having a learner's permit for 15 years. She lost any desire to drive at an early age, when her best friend was killed by a speeding driver and has driven four times in her entire life. Her common-law husband, Derek Trevor Lambert, has nominated her in an effort to give her the confidence boost she needs to be an independent driver. She drives a red Ford Expedition and drove a white Toyota RAV4 to the rehab centre.
Synopsis
editContestant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Krystal McCann | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | CWD |
Daniella Florica | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP |
Tyler Dupont | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT[a] |
Lou Valcourt | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |
Mike Adrain | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||
Diana Hutchings | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||||
Amrinder Dua | IN | IN | OUT | |||||
Cody Jensen | 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
editNo. | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | TBA | October 24, 2016 | |
The experts have harsh words for Krystal and Tyler, due to their confrontational attitude and drunk-driving habits, respectively. Tyler admits from the start that he might be Canada's Worst Driver, but Krystal angrily denies that she is the worst and the experts are perturbed by her repeated claims that she is not really a bad driver because she has never severely injured anyone. As usual, no one graduates this episode, as it serves merely as a skills evaluation. Note: This episode did not display an opening title screen or broadcast the opening animation. | |||
2 | TBA | October 31, 2016 | |
When meeting with the experts, Krystal complains that Andrew is being unduly harsh on her, but the experts are unsympathetic and say that so far, she has proved his criticisms to be correct. Despite this, she believes that she deserves to graduate and that her only problem as a driver was not knowing how to reverse, much to the panel's disbelief. Cody also tells the panel what he has learned in the episode, and that he now fully understands what is at stake if he continues to drive recklessly. While Andrew's opinion is that Cody is just telling the panel what they want to hear, the experts feel that he has learned enough to graduate. Cody therefore becomes the season's first graduate and, before leaving, is given a Mike-shaped rear-view air freshener to remind him of what could happen if he lapses back into his speeding habits. | |||
3 | TBA | November 7, 2016 | |
Tyler admits to the judges that this episode has been a wake-up call, both in terms of the other drivers' reaction to his drinking and driving (particularly Lou, who continued to remind him about her deceased friend off-camera) and realizing that he is not as good of a driver as he thinks he is. Krystal again wants to graduate, but is immediately shot down by the judges and does not help her cause by implying that nothing Tim has taught her has been of any use. Amrinder and Diana put themselves forward for graduation and the judges consider both, due to the former being the only person to pass two challenges this episode and the latter's exemplary Eye of the Needle performance. Tim and Shyamala back Amrinder to graduate for being the more technically skilled of the two and believing that Diana was still too distracted, while Andrew and Philippe back Diana, as they are unconvinced that Amrinder has reformed his speeding habits, but are satisfied that Diana has learned to drive without distractions. This leaves Cam with the deciding vote, which he casts in favour of Amrinder, who not only becomes the season's second graduate, but also wins a $20 bet with Krystal that he would graduate before her. | |||
4 | TBA | November 14, 2016 | |
Diana puts herself forward for graduation and admits that she is finally ready to give up her distracted driving. Krystal also puts herself forward yet again, but continues to claim that she is skilled enough to text and drive and when Andrew and Cam call her out on this, she storms out of the meeting with the experts, flipping off Andrew and angrily yelling obscenities at him and Cam even hints Krystal will eventually end up being the "winner." Despite Krystal's outburst, the experts decide that her actions are not worthy of expulsion and immediately come to the unanimous decision to graduate Diana for her near-flawless performance in this episode. | |||
5 | TBA | November 21, 2016 | |
Though Daniella and Mike are noted to have been the two best performers in both of the episode's challenges, Mike says that he still does not feel ready to graduate, while Daniella's admission that she occasionally "blacks out" at the wheel instantly destroys any chance of her graduating this episode. Lou and Tyler both admit that they are nowhere near ready to graduate, while Krystal, for the first time this season, finally admits that she is a poor driver and needs a lot more help. Mike is the only person who makes the experts' shortlist, but they immediately decide to honour his wish to stay. As a result, the episode ends—as usual for the fifth episode of a Canada's Worst Driver season—with no one graduating. | |||
6 | TBA | November 28, 2016 | |
While the experts consider Daniella to be the overall best performer in this episode and praise her for researching how to properly reverse a trailer on her own time, she admits that she still finds highway driving an immensely stressful experience and is not yet ready to graduate. Mike also does not want to graduate despite having done reasonably well so far, but is confident that he is not Canada's Worst Driver. Krystal does not believe she is Canada's Worst Driver and claims that Tyler is the worst of the group, something that Tyler himself actually admits might be the case. For the second episode in a row, Mike is the only person to be shortlisted. Despite his wish to stay in rehab, the lack of any other feasible graduate and Tim's positive feedback about his performance in the highway drives between challenges sees Mike become the next graduate. | |||
7 | TBA | December 5, 2016 | |
Before the episode begins, Andrew hosts a short skit commemorating this being the show's 100th episode (assuming the Canada's Worst Drivers vs. the World, 147 Driving Don'ts, Why Accidents Happen: 101 Problems on Canadian Roads and Canada's Worst Driver: U Asked! specials are counted).
When Krystal meets the experts, they tell her that had she not displayed such a blatantly poor attitude in the last challenge, she would almost certainly have been shortlisted to graduate this week. In response, Krystal blames Andrew, accusing him of being unhelpful and overly negative. Daniella declines to graduate, feeling that she needs to take part in the final road test to fully prove herself, but both Lou and Tyler feel that they have learned enough to graduate. Lou and Tyler are both shortlisted. Tim and Shyamala back Lou, feeling that she has the best attitude of the remaining drivers and the safest approach toward driving, while Philippe and Cam back Tyler for an overall better performance in this episode, leaving Andrew with the deciding vote and, in a 3–2 split decision (Tim and Shyamala backing Lou and Philippe and Cam backing Tyler), Lou becomes the season's penultimate graduate, though it is Tim's feedback on her public drives that ultimately seals the deal, sending Tyler into the finale with Daniella and Krystal. | |||
8 | TBA | December 12, 2016 | |
In his final meeting with the experts, Tyler confidently declares that he is not Canada's Worst Driver, while Daniella admits that, despite having improved as a driver, she still feels far too nervous to drive on the highway. Krystal, meanwhile, remains defiant until the end. Ultimately, the experts agree that there is no need for a discussion over who is the worst of the final three; while Tyler made some major errors on his final drive and Daniella's poor track record, alongside her dangerous indecisiveness on the highway, may have caused her to be named the worst in many previous seasons, Krystal is agreed to be obviously the worst for her hostility and refusal to learn. Andrew, however, does express disappointment that they could not reach through to Krystal properly and feels that they failed as teachers this season. Cam, however, tells him not to feel that way, reminding him and the other experts that there have been others like Krystal that were given an opportunity to make a change, but never took it seriously enough. At the usual trophy presentation, Andrew says that he and the experts decided that, while not yet naming her the worst, Krystal did not deserve the traditional trophy normally awarded to the show's "winner," due to her behavior. Instead, the trophy is turned into a "Final Graduate" trophy and awarded to Tyler. Though Andrew notes that his final drive proves he still has a lot to learn, he also congratulates Tyler for having turned himself around during the course of the season. This, therefore, leaves Krystal and Daniella as the final two (only the fourth time in the show's history that both of the final two are women and the third season in a row). After Tyler leaves, Andrew tells Daniella that while she is not Canada's Worst Driver, she still fails to graduate due to her ultimately being unable to drive on the highway unaided, the one thing she wanted most out of rehab and leaves disappointed at this outcome. In the end, Krystal is named Canada's Worst Driver and not only becomes the twelfth person (eighth woman) to be named as such, but also the first "winner" not to be awarded the trophy, after which she shrugs and flips off Andrew when he turns away from her and then checks her phone. |
Notes
edit- ^ Since Krystal wasn't worthy of the trophy, Tyler subsequently received the trophy instead as the "Final Graduate" trophy
References
edit- ^ "WE'RE HITTING THE ROAD TO FIND CANADA'S WORST DRIVER". Proper Television. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ "From one of the worst to most improved". Innisfail Province. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ "Krystal Mccann hasn't got a Clue!". Shoutout Edmonton. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ^ Snowdon, Wallis (December 14, 2016). "After mental health journey, 'Canada's worst driver' back on the road in Edmonton". CBC Edmonton News. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ Bell Media