Learn, drive, and live! It’s a high speed chase in the new season of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER, as nine of the most appalling drivers from across the country fuel up and make their way to the Canada’s Worst Driver Rehabilitation Centre. The nine participants – all with a penchant for unruly driving practices – have been pulled over from the fast lane as the program tackles one of the leading causes of death on Canadian roads: excessive speed.
Lead by returning host and Discovery mainstay Andrew Younghusband, the hilarious-meets-educational Canadian original automotive series follows the nine drivers, each nominated by a friend or family member, as they attempt to prove they possess the necessary skills to graduate from rehab and escape the unfortunate title of “Canada’s Worst Driver”. The nine particpants are evaluated by a panel of driving experts: CP24’s Cam Woolley, traffic expert and former OPP sergeant; Philippe Létourneau, a professional high-performance driving instructor; expert driving instructor Tim Danter; and registered psychotherapist Shyamala Kiru. Week by week, one driver will graduate and merge back on to the open road. The final episode sees the last three drivers facing the ultimate showdown before one is ultimately crowned Season 11’s “Worst Driver”.
And in a series first, Younghusband will don his own racing suit to introduce higher-speed versions of classic CANADA’S WORST DRIVER challenges, such as “Eye of the Needle” and the “Water Tank”, as well as new tasks designed to demonstrate the real-life risks of high-speed driving and its effect on precision and judgement.
Alex
Age: 25
Nominated by: Friend, Elysha
Alex has some strange logic. For him, “conforming” to road rules is selling out and he calls his dangerous driving “efficient” rather than what it really is…illegal. Super impatient, Alex hates traffic so much he literally chose a job with irregular hours to avoid rush hour. His worst habits are speeding and tail-gating, which he calls a “friendly reminder” to other cars to get out of his way. He takes turning lanes to get ahead, speeds dangerously to make lights, blows through stop signs, and cuts people off to make a turn. He also avoids reversing like the plague and has no idea how to parallel park. Long-time friend Elysha, says near misses are the norm and claims that every time she gets in the car with him, she’s afraid for her life.
Alex and Elysha
Cameron
Age: 23
Nominated by: Friend, Kristopher
Driving makes Cam so nervous that he looks at anything but the road, and can’t go five minutes without checking his phone or nervously changing lanes. Due to his anxiety he has absolutely no patience behind the wheel and will do anything to get where he’s going. Due to his bad driving skills, Cam has only driven a handful of times in the past four years. But with his career as a news anchor taking off, he’s now in the market for a car and is ready to face his fear once and for all. Confident in all things but driving, Cameron desperately wants to get over his fear. He is joined at rehab by his best bud, Kristopher, who nominated him.
Cameron and Kristopher
Jillian
Age: 24
Nominated by: Fiancé, Mitchell
Jillian hates driving. So much so, she bought a $30,000 car which almost immediately went to her fiancé Mitchell. Jillian has deep anxiety after being involved in two accidents in one day. Jillian will only drive from home to work and refuses to drive outside of her comfort zone. When she started her current job, Mitchell and his dad mapped out the easiest route to get her there, and made her practice five times before doing it alone!
Jillian and Mitchell
Jordan
Age: 25
Nominated by: Mother, Lorraine
When driving, Jordan believes he should always have the right of way and as a result misses lights, cuts people off, ignores pedestrians, and has been involved in many minor hit and runs. Extremely vain and proud of it, he’ll do anything from texting, to applying bronzer, to plucking his eyebrows. Lorraine knows that it’s only a matter of time before Jordan gets himself into some serious trouble.
Jordan and Lorraine
Polly
Age: 61
Nominated by: Son-in-law, Jeff
For Polly, one must never value safety over style. With her mirrors permanently pointed towards her face, this glamorous grandma not only puts on lipstick behind the wheel, she also uses a curling iron and paints her nails. Addicted to Facebook, Polly constantly surfs and updates her status while driving! Having driven in a small town for so long, Polly doesn’t understand basic street signs or road rules. She is extremely nervous merging and avoids major highways like the plague. Polly also drives with two feet and relies on her optimism, rather than her mirrors to reverse or change lanes. Son-in-law Jeff has brought Polly to rehab to ensure she becomes a safer driver for her grandchildren.
Polly and Jeff
Shmuel and Sholom
Age: 30 and 26
Nominated by: each other
In a CANADA’S WORST DRIVER first, siblings Shmuel and Sholom have nominated each other for the title. This high-strung duo grew up in New York and Montréal, never needing to drive, until now. Currently living in Calgary, obtaining a license was critical to both brothers. Both brothers have been driving under a year, with no clue where their wheels are, can’t park, have difficulty reversing, and easily will yell at anyone who is listening – which most of the time is each other.
Shmuel and Sholom
Shmuel and Sholom
Shmuel
Renee
Age: 26
Nominated by: Cousin, Jacque
Renee is literally trapped in her fear. A single mother of a five-year-old boy, Renee is afraid to drive the speed limit. So nervous behind the wheel, she will only drive to work and daycare and she stays off the highway. Jacque is extremely concerned about her cousin and desperately wants Renee to overcome her debilitating fear of driving.
Tina
Age: 46
Nominated by: Daughter, Ashley
Tina is a busy mother with six children and six grandchildren. She is always on the go and nothing enrages her more than “bad drivers.” Tina never wears her seat belt, rarely signals, and speeds constantly. Unable to maneuver her enormous truck properly, Tina will bulldoze her way into a spot rather than reverse park. Her daughter Ashley is concerned for her mother’s safety and is embarrassed by her actions.
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 over the years, with the most common offence having changed from DUI to distracted driving over the previous decade. 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 Letourneau is a veteran high-speed driving instructor, who counts BMW and Ferrari among his clients. Since he joined the show in Canada's Worst Driver 3, 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 psychologist and relationship expert, a position which has become more demanding each year since she joined the show in Canada's Worst Driver 7, 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 Canada's Worst Driver 8. In this position he not only gives the drivers help and instructions for challenges, but gives them further lessons off-screen.
