Canada's Worst Driver - General Discussion

[Taeolas]

Well if she is getting help, then hopefully she has turned a corner. I think it was obvious to everyone that there was something off about her mentally through the show. Only time will tell if these lessons take, but it is promising at least; so I'll give her a kudos for that at least. 

[Random Noise]

Krystal's day job is mental health facilitator?

“When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.” -- Will Rogers

[piequinn35]

Krystal's car insurance was $10,000 per year, what is her job by the way?

[Ciarrai]

On 2017-01-20 at 4:21 PM, piequinn35 said:

Krystal's car insurance was $10,000 per year, what is her job by the way?

Apparently a mental health facilitator, which is rich.

[piequinn35]

Mental health facilitator?! and she is mental. lol

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

Eight of the most appalling drivers from across the nation make their way to the Rehabilitation Centre; drivers demonstrate their basic driving skills in the Assessment Challenge.

[Pepper the Cat]

Yippee! Can't wait. 

And TV Gods? Enough on Monday. I now have 4

 shows at 10:00 Monday I want to watch. Thank goodness for time shifting!

Edited October 21, 2017 by Pepper the Cat

[Pepper the Cat]

Interesting mix of characters. 2 have fears related to personal injuries that will need a lot of support. The lady with the 4 children also faces some special challenges.

[Taeolas]

From what I could tell, this should be a refreshing season... There doesn't seem to be any "Bad guy" drivers. 

 

You have your standard mix of neurotics and criers and distracted drivers and speed demons and untrained drivers... but none of them seem to be particularly hostile about being on the show. It's still too early to tell which will be the Worst Driver; but all of them (so far) seem to have potential to graduate as long as they pay attention. Some may/will need extra help outside the show I'm sure.

 

I'm surprised they listed the lady with the 4 children as being from Oromocto. Oromocto is a town not even 10 minutes outside of my city (Fredericton), so I would have expected to see them just say she's from Fredericton. Then again, Oromocto is a military town (CFB Gagetown's main buildings/main entrance is just outside of town), so that may give it more familiarity than most small towns would get. It was interesting to see some road sights (like the roundabout sign) I'm very familiar with. :)

 

Also, I wonder how much having a former CWD driver as a nominator affected Ashley(?)'s nomination from Newfoundland. From the drive and the skills challenge, she certainly seems to be a valid nominee. I did like how Andrew (and the show) basically just said "Hi again Jill, you doing good?" then refocused on the Driver. The nominees should rarely be the focus, unless they are part of the reason for the bad driving. Still, I hope they have Jill give more of an update later on in the season. (Was it Jill?I'm horrible with names and too lazy to look them up. :P )

[Ciarrai]

So far I'm not a fan of the cast of this season. Most of them were nervous horrible drivers with the exception of the speeding guy and the girl who was putting makeup and texting in the car. It's far easier to rehab a bad driver than it is to rehab an anxious neurotic one.

[Pepper the Cat]

I think the Grandma of one of the nervous girls is going to be my favourite. She's the one that when the girl was panicking about dieing said "There's a cemetery over there"

[OlfinBedwere]

17 hours ago, Taeolas said:

From what I could tell, this should be a refreshing season... There doesn't seem to be any "Bad guy" drivers.

There's Joe, but he looks to be the stereotypical person who does have some skills but acts like a complete jerk, so I'm guessing he'll graduate somewhere around Episode 4. Unless he pulls a Scott and manages to get kicked out.

I'm guessing that either Shayne or Travis is going to be this year's worst, as surely there's no way they can have another female worst driver for the fourth season in a row (though having said that, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ashley or Breanna named the worst, going purely by their initial test).

Edited October 25, 2017 by OlfinBedwere

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

Drivers attempt to drive the elevated rails, complete a clean run in reverse, and demonstrate the proper method of checking their blind spot.

[Ciarrai]

Of course he would be the first one to graduate; it's almost always the speedsters who "repent" their ways and get to leave early in the season.

[Taeolas]

I have no doubts he'll be a speed demon on the roads again... but he also clearly knows how to drive. CWD training would be wasted on him ultimately. If he lasts a few months at a more sane speed, then the show probably did all it could. They're better off focusing on those who need the training and the skills improvements. 

Julie was the other maybe and she has a good chance of getting out next week. 

 

I do like the show has acknowledged the new perks that are increasingly common in cars nowadays, like backup cameras.  It's good to teach them the right way to do things like backing up; but it's also important to learn how to use the new common tools people have nowadays. (I just got a new car myself, and it's got the backup camera and blind spot detection, and lane departure warning, and all three perks are fantastic... but I'm glad I know how not to use them too.)

[MrWhyt]

dammit I always forget to check when this comes back. Catching up now, of course there's 2 people from Edmonton, I don't think there has been a single season where my city wasn't represented.

[MrWhyt]

On 10/31/2017 at 8:05 PM, Taeolas said:

I have no doubts he'll be a speed demon on the roads again... but he also clearly knows how to drive. CWD training would be wasted on him ultimately. If he lasts a few months at a more sane speed, then the show probably did all it could. They're better off focusing on those who need the training and the skills improvements. 

yeah he's clearly just a jerk and not lacking in skill. They need to have 1 or 2 of that kind of driver per year just as an example to viewers, but it's more fun to watch once they get through and we focus on those with little to no ability.

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

Drivers use their side mirrors to reverse around a long turn figure-eight course in a stretch limousine, attempt the Trough Challenge, and look where they want to go in the Eye of the Needle Challenge.

[MrWhyt]

poor camaro. At least no one this year is as toxic as Krystal (yet).  I'm going to call Travis as being this years "winner".

[Taeolas]

I wish they would move the distracted driving challenge up earlier in the schedule. Often times, the distracted drivers are among the first ones to graduate (like this year), but they just as often graduate before the challenges that show off their issues; so I have a hard time believing they actually learned anything significant. 

 

Still, I'm glad they pointed out the footwear again this year. It'll probably be just a short term lesson learned but hopefully it will work a bit.

 

And finally, poor, poor Bumblebee. We hardly knew ye. And the worst is yet to come. :)

[boaty mcboatface]

I think they need to start having one of the nominators demonstrate the challenges, so there's a real point of comparison for the viewer, an average driver new to the task. Because after 13 years of this plus all the other crazy programs he does, Andrew is not exactly a bog standard driver anymore.  

This seems to be the season of the nervous wreck. Not really anybody infuriatingly oblivious to how badly they suck like Dale or Kevin or Angelina. 

Shayne needs a neuropsychological evaluation. Something obviously happened to his brain when he was hit by that car. 

[OlfinBedwere]

Guessing that Adam'll be next week's graduate. Or possibly Breanna, as she does slowly seem to be showing some signs of getting it together.

Melanie's not doing particularly well, but she's not looking like the worst either. So, it's looking like a three-way battle between Ashley, Shayne and Travis for the bottom spot.

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

The remaining six drivers parallel park a Chevrolet Caprice, test their pedal control in the Teeter Totter Challenge, and attempt the Swerve and Avoid Challenge.

[OlfinBedwere]

I'd had a feeling that Adam and Breanna would be up there for this episode's graduation. Shayne was the surprise package this week; he's clearly a much better driver than he's been letting on. In fact, most of the drivers had a good week, though Travis and Melanie still look pretty bad, and Ashley seems able to hold it together in the slower-paced challenges, but not the high-speed ones.

[OlfinBedwere]

I'd had a feeling that Adam and Breanna would be up there for this episode's graduation. Shayne was the surprise package this week; he's clearly a much better driver than he's been letting on. In fact, most of the drivers had a good week, though Travis and Melanie still look pretty bad, and Ashley seems able to hold it together in the slower-paced challenges, but not the high-speed ones.

[boaty mcboatface]

I liked that they went with an automatic instead of the usual stick shift for the teeter-totter challenge. None of these people should ever drive stick (or a car with no ABS, for that matter) and the primary concern is pedal control.

Baba G will be missed. What a cool woman.

[Pepper the Cat]

I'm glad Brianna graduated, but I will miss Baba G

[Taeolas]

Yeah, I almost want Baba G to nominate a few more people just so she can come back. :) But otherwise, Brianna was the proper graduate. I'm glad they did do a highway challenge just for her. She rightfully relaxed enough to have fun driving which is an important thing. 

 

I'm glad they are updating the cars now. Backup cameras are increasingly the norm, so using them to park with is natural now. And stickshifts are getting rarer and rarer; while it's a good skill to learn, it is less and less a necessary skill.

I agree with another post earlier; they should get the nominees to do the challenges now. Andrew is just too practiced with them now. 

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

The remaining drivers tackle the Longest Reverse in the World Challenge, the Water Tank Challenge, and drive in circles for the Reverse Flick Challenge.

[OlfinBedwere]

Okay, I know the fifth episode of a season is always the one where no-one graduates, but seriously, that was a dick move by Andrew.

I wouldn't have thought it two episodes ago, but Melanie's looking like she might actually be the worst of the group now. While Ashley might be worse in terms of being a nervous wreck, and Travis might be the worst from a technical standpoint, Melanie doesn't even seem to want to make the effort.

[Taeolas]

Agreed about Melanie, which is scary... She's from my neck of the woods and drives in my area (theoretically). Maybe the show will give her an epiphany, but I'm not holding my breath about it. 

[The Crazed Spruce]

Season 14 premiers tonight!

[Pepper the Cat]

2 hours ago, The Crazed Spruce said:

Season 14 premiers tonight!

Yippee!! 

Can’t wait!

[MrWhyt]

nobody from Edmonton this year! yay. Each year is usually a mix of idiots, assholes and crybabies, this year it seems we only got 1 idiot, 1 crybaby and the rest are assholes. Do not agree with letting someone out in the first episode, no matter the improvement. Do they have a reduced episode order this season? only 7 candidates is less than what they usually do.

Edited October 30, 2018 by MrWhyt

[Steph J]

How does someone manage to get into five accidents bad enough that a car had to be completely written off each time within the span of ten effing months and not lose their licence?

[Pepper the Cat]

A little disappointed with the small number. With so many people to chose from, I wonder why so few were actually picked.

Looks like the one lady has an epic breakdown next week.

[boaty mcboatface]

How do these people still have auto insurance? What are they paying for it? Surely after you've had 30+ accidents in a 10-month period, your insurance would just drop you? 50 speeding tickets? Written off 5+ vehicles? I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Aside from the infamous Dale who said she'd hit over 1500 things in her driving career, I can't remember a crop quite this destructive. 

[Taeolas]

I suspect their "Modern Technology" theme this year may have crimped the budget a bit; they can't use as many old clunkers for the tests as they used to since the cars will need Rear cameras and other 'modern' quirks. That said I'm glad they are doing that theme now; tech has certainly changed how driving is done in many ways now. 

 

Also their recruiting team may have flubbed up a bit as well. The guy who broke his arm was an unforeseen circumstance, so I'm glad they're trying to roll with it (but I suspect he'll get a medical boot in the next ep or two). 

 

The real flub was the Episode 1 graduation. When filming the profile footage, they should've seen he was changed enough to not need to be on the show and swapped him out (maybe for someone from Edmonton :) ), but they let him go through anyway.  I don't have any problem with him graduating in the first ep; I only wish they'd graduated him right off the bat and gotten someone else who would learn more from the show. 

 

As for how most of these people stay on the road? I suspect many legally shouldn't be on the road, but they turn on the waterworks, and beg and plead for "one more chance". That or they have family who pays the insurance, probably complaining about how high the insurance is, but who also refuse to do anything about it. 

[satrunrose]

I'm going to guess that they will have a non-graduation episode later. Everyone (except for early grad and Death wish Mommy issues) seems pretty bad so far.

[boaty mcboatface]

Another scary episode. Brandon is the only driver in his family--do they not have taxis in St. John's, NB? Seems like it would be much cheaper to take a cab everywhere than to write of 5 cars in 10 months. I looked it up and it appears Uber does not operate there yet, but this show is like a one-man advertisement for changing the rules. 

Alexis may be the first contestant in the show's history to be unable to even drive between 2 cones in a training session. I thought after 13 seasons with the likes of Flora, Kevin, Angelina, and Dale, everything had already been seen or done, but I guess not. Philippe Letourneau is like a Francophone Buddha--over a decade on the show and I've never seen him once raise his voice or get frustrated, even with people who cannot do the most basic things and make the same mistake over and over and don't listen. Watching her hit the same cone over and over again had me screaming in anger from my couch and he was cool as a cucumber. Even Andrew loses it now and then. 

[Taeolas]

It is Saint John. Saint John's is out on a rock in the Atlantic. :) 

And yes, SJ does have taxis, they just shifted from zone to time based billing a few years back but they are available. Uber and similar services are not available anywhere in the province; we're just too small for it, but we might be on Uber's radar for Soon(tm). 

That said, SJ does have a decent enough transit system and not too bad of a highway system. The buses should be able to handle most of their transportation needs, and even if he does have to drive, there isn't too much hard driving to do in the city, as long as you stay out of the downtown. Uptown Saint John (as it is called) is classic pre-automobile city, with lots of hills, narrow roads and other tricky corners. But outside of that area, it's standard neighbourhood grids. 

 

There is certainly a lot of emotional baggage this season; I think Shyamala Kiru has her work cut out for her this season.  Darris does feel like he'll get graduated soon. His driving skills are fine, and I don't think the show is properly equiped to help him mentally. Hopefully they'll let him go next week with a promise to continue seeking help. 

[MrWhyt]

well I guess they're going to compensate for less drivers by having more non-elimination episodes. Daris probably should go in the next episode, barring some kind of back slide in his attitude, nobody else has any skills.

[Astylis]

I thought it was weird how few drivers they started with this year, now I see the non-graduation trend. I think it's silly to keep Darris around. He can drive, and unless he gets therapy 10 times a day the show is doing nothing for him. Given what happened with his brother, the entire family has some issues that a driving show just can't fix.

Alexis though, wow. I don't think she's teachable.

[Pepper the Cat]

I do think Andrew was mocking the woman having the anxiety attack. Anxiety attacks are a real thing and something she needs help with. Making fun of her is I called for.

[boaty mcboatface]

They should do cognitive testing on all the contestants after the first episode. Give them the WAIS or something. Some of them seriously seem to have deficits in visual-spatial skills, or processing speed, or working memory. Or all three. It might tell them something about themselves. I refuse to believe that people who have this much trouble with problem-solving or following instructions during a driver training course don't also have issues in other areas of life. 

[MrWhyt]

I don't think Darris is even 10% sincere but either way he had to go just so the team can focus on the other bad drivers who are actually lacking in skills.

[Pepper the Cat]

Well crap. That was depressing. And I was really pulling for Purple Hair Lady

Edited December 4, 2018 by Pepper the Cat

[Taeolas]

So close. But I think the show had done all it could do. She did improve, but she wouldn't recognize it. I'm no expert, but she may have some elements of bipolarism as well, considering how much she flipped from the road test and J-Turn to the water tank challenge. 

The other drivers are starting to show improvement; I think Brandon might actually pull through a graduation next week, though I can also see him staying. 

[boaty mcboatface]

That was very disappointing from Karlene. I think there is something much deeper going on with her. And I'm sorry, I try to give these contestants a long rope, but being verbally abusive to Andrew and showering him with profanity is not on and she should be ashamed of that display. 

[MrWhyt]

well that went as expected.