Canada's Worst Driver 13 Explained
Canada's Worst Driver 13 is the thirteenth 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 Fears of Driving and the number 13. This year, the Driver Rehabilitation Centre is located at the Dunnville Airport in Dunnville, Ontario for the eighth straight season. The initial drive started in St. Catharines, Ontario and the final road test occurred in Hamilton, Ontario.
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 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
- Adam Bourré, 25 and licensed for eight years, from Kitchener, Ontario, is a grocery store clerk who lost his confidence behind the wheel after he skidded on ice and nearly slid into a mailbox. This has caused him such anxiety that he often has to pull over during the short drive to work in order to relax and his father, Pat Bourré, has nominated him out of concern that his stress issues may cost his son his dream job as a Chauffeured Limousine Driver. He drives a silver Hyundai Elantra.
- Ashley Dunne, 26, from The Goulds, Newfoundland and Labrador (part of St. John's), only recently earned a driving license and the stress of driving causes her to have severe trouble even managing the short, familiar drive to work, to say nothing of driving elsewhere. Her story is all too familiar to that of her friend, Canada's Worst Driver 11 "winner" Jillian Kieley (née Matthews), who has become the first contestant from a previous season to return as the nominator of a new contestant. She drives a black Hyundai Tucson and drove a black Ford Escape to the rehab centre.
- Shayne Greer, 36 and licensed for three years, from Nepean, Ontario (part of Ottawa), was involved in a serious traffic accident in 1994 at the age of 13, nearly costing him his legs. He subsequently spent many years recuperating and didn't learn how to drive until 2014, only to have an accident within weeks after getting his license and his first car. He is currently living with his sister, Shanna Boudreau, who wants Shayne to have the independence he has never known, especially so that he can more easily visit his new girlfriend in Ottawa. He drives a silver Chevrolet Sonic hatchback.
- Mélanie Lautard, 27, from Oromocto, New Brunswick (near Fredericton), is a single mother of four who used to rely on her ex-husband to do all the family's driving, but has now found herself tasked with that responsibility following her divorce. Her inexperience and panicky nature has led her best friend, Christina Harrison, to nominate her. She drives a black Dodge Grand Caravan, modified for one of her daughters.
- Travis Murray, 36, from Edmonton, Alberta, only recently earned a driving license after 17 years with a learner's permit, yet he never made a real effort to get one after moving out of his parents' home, only taking the test when his wife, Apryl Murray, threatened not to marry him until he got a full license (though she still did, even though he failed the test badly). With the couple thinking of starting a family, Apryl has brought him to rehab in an effort to finally get him a proper driving education. He drives a black Fiat 500L and drove a gray Kia Rio to the rehab centre.
- Joe Palozzi, 50, from Maple, Ontario (near Toronto), sees the road as his personal racing circuit and is prone to speeding, road raging, running red lights and many other moving violations. His business partner, Tony Mancini, no longer feels safe being in the car with him and brought him to rehab with hopes that rehab will make him see that he isn't as good of a driver as he thinks. He drives a white Ford F-350 work truck.
- Breanna Pratley, 19, from Milton, Ontario (near Toronto), is a university student who finds driving a highly stressful experience, in part due to her being used to being in control of situations, something that doesn't translate to sharing the road with other drivers and also because she was involved in an accident three years ago. Her grandmother, Georgina (known as Baba G on the show), wants to see her get over her fears and gain her independence. She drives a blue BMW X5.
- Julie Wrzesien, 37, from Edmonton, Alberta, has earned herself the nickname "Crash" for her accident-prone nature behind the wheel, having been in about 16 accidents, writing off four cars (although she told Andrew before heading for rehab she was in 13 accidents). Her best friend, Lara Petersen, no longer sees Julie's bad driving as a laughing matter and has nominated her for the sake of her five-year-old son. She drives a white Toyota 4Runner and drove a white Toyota RAV4 to the rehab centre.
Synopsis
| Contestant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|
| Mélanie Lautard | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | CWD |
| Ashley Dunne | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP |
| Adam Bourré | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT |
| Shayne Greer | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |
| Travis Murray | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |
| Breanna Pratley | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |
| Julie Wrzesien | IN | IN | OUT | |
| Joe Palozzi | 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.
