Canada's Worst Driver 5


Canada's Worst Driver 5 was the fifth 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 year, the Driver Rehabilitation Centre is located at CFB Borden, the military base previously used as the rehab centre for Canada's Worst Driver 2; however, it is only referred to on-air by Andrew as an "undisclosed military location." The focus of this season was on Driver's Boot Camp. The series launch was set to coincide with the launch of a new law in Ontario prohibiting the use of handheld electronic devices while driving. Similar bans have been instituted in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, with Manitoba and Saskatchewan considering similar laws. The initial drive started in Barrie, Ontario and the final road test occurred in Toronto, Ontario for the second year in a row and third in the last four seasons. This season will also be the second to be featured on the iTunes Store and the first to have new episodes one day after first airing.

Experts

Three experts return from Canada's Worst Driver 4, though Dan Bagyan, head instructor from the past season, is not among them.

Episode 1: Basic Training

Discovery Channel's web extras for this episode:
In the end, three drivers received consideration for graduation: Jakob, Jojo and Father Giles. Phillippe believes that Jakob's "punk attitude" still needs to be addressed and thus, he was eliminated from consideration. Between Jojo and Father Giles, one fared better overall and the other was "more safe." Because Jojo did better, she is the first graduate. As a reward for being first out, she does not drive home in the car she arrived to rehab; instead, she is allowed to drive away in a Mercedes-Benz.
In deliberation, Melissa reveals to the experts that Wil told her of his private drive with Andrew and how he cried for 15 minutes afterwards. Melissa and Jakob make the experts' shortlist, but Wil's attitude change proves to be the difference maker, as Melissa is named the season's second graduate, guaranteeing that there won't be an all-female finale like in the previous season.
Discovery Channel's web extras for this episode:
In deliberation, it is recognized that everyone did poorly in the donuts and water tank challenge. After the two challenges, none of the six contestants believe they deserve to graduate, a first for the series. Nevertheless, Father Giles receives consideration for graduation. The experts, in the end, agree to honour everyone's request to stay, so no one graduates.
Discovery Channel's web extras for this episode:
Angelina: 1960s Chevrolet
Mike: Ford Pinto
Arun: Buick Riviera
Jakob: Mercury Grand Marquis
Father Giles: Cadillac DeVille
Crystal: Chevrolet Camaro
Each incorrect lane change will result in requiring an additional pass of the limo. Arun gets into his habit on driving between two lanes, which Cam notes is a $110 offense for failure to stay in marked lane. Two minutes into the challenge, Father Giles is the first to finish. Jakob exits the course second much later. Angelina repeatedly makes the mistake of checking the wrong side. Arun, in the meantime, repeatedly cuts off everyone else before having to be dragged off the course for everyone else's safety. Crystal finishes after nine bad passes and Mike finishes with 19 bad passes, but both are considered to have failed the challenge due to the excessive number of bad passes they each made; the experts also did not feel that Crystal had learned anything from the exercise. Before Angelina finishes, Andrew intentionally drives off the course, but it is a while before Angelina realizes that the challenge has concluded.
In the confessionals and in front of the experts, everyone mourns over Crystal's personal tragedy and reflect on their own skills in the process. It is also revealed via footage that all of the drivers of this season fail to yield in their daily driving routines. While speaking to the panel, Father Giles, who spoke to Crystal after hearing the news, says that hearing of the tragedy has only made him more determined to improve his skills, while Jakob and Angelina admit to causing minor accidents via their own failures to yield and Mike is confronted by Cam over his excessive speed during the night driving challenge. Out of respect for Tom, not only does no one graduate this episode, but the end credits for this episode were silent and featured a dedication to Tom prior to the credits.
Discovery Channel's web extras for this episode:
In deliberation, only Father Giles and Jakob express the desire to graduate. The experts also feel similarly, but note that Father Giles' only issue, being underspeed, is fully addressed, while Jakob's issue, road rage, still needs work. Because of this, Father Giles graduates, but not before everyone salutes him with his signature two thumbs up pose.
Discovery Channel's web extras for this episode:
In deliberation, Jakob and Mike express interest in leaving. Arun does not feel ready to graduate yet, but is confident that he is not the worst of the remaining drivers, while Angelina finally starts to believe she is Canada's Worst Driver. The experts, however, are unanimous in their decision without a second thought-- Jakob, shortlisted but passed over three times due to someone else having a breakout performance, is the season's penultimate graduate, not only ensuring that there won't be three men in the finale, but also sending Mike into the finale with Arun and Angelina.
Discovery Channel's web extras for this episode:
In the end, Arun is given a round of applause by Andrew and the experts, with his status as the final graduate all but confirmed due to the Road Test and since he is the obvious final graduate, as he passed every challenge this episode. Andrew calls Arun a great example of a rehabilitated driver and Arun in turn thanks the Rehab Centre for their help and support. Far harsher words are given to Mike, who is still visibly shaken by his experience in the final drive. After Cam rails at him, Mike admits that he probably shouldn't continue to drive and Andrew challenges him to decide once and for all, by handing him back both his license and a pair of scissors. Reluctantly, Mike destroys his license, admitting that he couldn't live with himself if he killed someone through his bad driving, especially after seeing how Crystal was affected by her brother-in-law's death earlier in the season. Angelina, on the other hand, angrily refuses the notion of destroying her license, claiming that she was awarded it legitimately. Despite all four panel members strongly recommending that she give up driving, at least until she is able to better control her nerves, Angelina remains defiant to the end. While Cam, who disagrees with Andrew and the rest of the panel that Angelina should be named the worst, is unconvinced that Mike will actually stop driving and Dr. Gembora questions whether Angelina and Mike could be named the joint-worst, Andrew pushes for the panel to make a unanimous-- and ultimately, inevitable-- decision on who is the worst, as Angelina is named not just the worst driver of this season, but the worst to have appeared on any of the show's first five seasons-- even worse than Canada's Worst Driver 3 "winner" Jason Zhang, if that's even possible-- as she passed just one challenge during her time on the show, the Reverse Flick, albeit with Andrew's help. Normally, the "runner-up" would be allowed to drive home, but since Mike cut up his license, a limousine was hired to take him home, similar to that of Canada's Worst Driver 2 "winner" Henrietta Gallant. During the journey, Mike reflected on his overall attitude, vowing to reform himself and earn a new license, while Angelina's car is towed away and she is given a cab ride to a nearby airport, as the fifth person to be awarded the Canada's Worst Driver trophy.

Reception

Canada's Worst Driver 5 continues the series trend of being the most-watched show on Discovery Channel, with the first episode garnering the highest ratings in the history of Discovery Channel, and was the highest-rated non-sports specialty channel show for the night. Discovery Channel also boasted that the show's ratings routinely beat out those for conventional channels in the same timeslot, specifically naming Heroes and The National.