Hey folks, PCR here with some more TV that went under the radar (at least in the US)
I stumbled upon this first one on Netflix a while ago, and while they only had 2 seasons listed, there are a whopping FOURTEEN seasons available on Youtube. I’m talking about “Canada’s Worst Driver”. This show is equal parts hilarious and terrifying… hilarious in the way that, for those of us who drive (and have common sense) it’s crazy that there are people out there that have the thoughts and beliefs about driving (and driving laws) they actually have. it is also terrifying in the way that…. or those of us who drive (and have common sense) it’s crazy that there are people out there that have the thoughts and beliefs about driving (and driving laws) they actually have. 8 people get nominated by friends and/or relatives as “Canada’s Worst Driver” and are sent to a “Rehabilitation Centre” where they learn driving skills. Each episode, the driver who has improved the most… gets sent home… until there are only 3 left, and one of them end up getting named “Canada’s Worst”, complete with trophy and all.
The second show I’ll mention, “Canada’s Worst Handyman” (which has all 6 seasons also on Youtube) is the spiritual sister show of CWD. In CWH, there are only 5 competitors, and no one goes home each week… instead they all stay the whole season. The worst each week “hangs their head in shame” (hangs an actual portrait of themselves on the wall of shame), and the most improved becomes “The Foreman” for the group challenge they all work on throughout the season. It’s a bit less scary (at times) than CWD, although watching someone take over 170 swings to hammer a nail is like watching a car wreck.
The thing these shows have in common is their host, Andrew Younghusband.
This man is destined for Sainthood. The patience he has with people who either can’t learn, or are too stubborn to learn because ‘they know better’ (yet… here they are…) is something most of us should surely aspire to. To balance the job of ‘being host of a show that is… for all intents and purposes.. comedy’, and yet still honestly want to teach these people to ‘be better’, is not an easy thing to do, and Younghusband does it with ease. Even as the seasons of CWD continued on, and you watch him transform from ‘spry young host’ to ‘older and wiser’ (and could be bitter) host… he doesn’t. As Chris Rock once said “I’ll never hit a woman. I’ll shake the shit out of one tho…” it’s amazing that Andrew never even comes close to that with any of the contestants based of the people he interacts with.
That being said, do yourself a favor and check out at least an episode of each, and I assure you that you will almost certainly feel better about your own skills.
– PCR
