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Just as they begin to rise, the Plateaus lose their lead singer to an accident. The remaining members decide to carry on, creating a hilarious parody of a band trying to climb the ladder of success, and failing at every turn.

A wealthy tenant subdues a burglar robbing his downtown Toronto condo, but loses control of the situation right before the cops arrive.

Krystal and Chris both grew up poor and say they've never learned how to handle their money. Gail wholeheartedly agrees. These two love to spend cash on tanning salons, hair care and entertainment, and rack up $60 bills at convenience stores on cigarettes and candy. They're financing their lifestyle with credit card advances and payday loans, leaving them thousands of dollars in debt and bewildered about where to begin to fix things. Looking over their litany of bad habits, Gail is wondering the same thing.

Lori and Greg have had two babies very close together. When their first child was born, they weren't prepared for the hit Lori's maternity leave would have on their income. Now Baby #2 has left them financially breathless. Greg can't understand why they're in debt and blames Lori. With a newborn and toddler at home, a fresh start is critical. That's where Gail comes in...

Married Roxanne and Shawn have different views of money and credit. Having a zero balance or less in savings scares Roxanne, whereas Shawn believes why pay for something now if you can pay for it later. As such, Roxanne has begun not to be totally honest with Shawn about money, i.e. she hides money from him. Their money problems began when they bought their house - which happened a year earlier than they anticipated - a step they saw as working toward their goal of starting a family. But all those hidden costs of home ownership without curbing their other spending, such as frequent meals out, have threatened that goal of children in the near future. Gail wants them to plan what their life will be like with a baby, which means not only researching costs, but living on what will be their reduced income due to maternity leave. Gail gives them an even more realistic taste of what that life will be like. Gail makes them look more clearly at the entire notion of "buy now, pay later" plans, which means for their life now finding money to pay for their latest "pay later" purchase. And she wants them to set priorities for their spending whenever they do have any fun money with which to splurge.

Rick and Jennifer are constantly battling about money. Between them they make 90 thousand dollar a year. But Jennifer's impulsive spending and "consumeritis" have already led to two bankruptcies and they fear a third. Jennifer has trouble saying no to her teenage daughter and even keeps a separate bank account so Rick can't monitor her buying. Rick's sister, an accountant, has tried to put them on track. Can Gail succeed where family has failed?

Wendy and Dan have been married less than a year and have a 6 month-old daughter. They also have significant debt, loans from family that have ruined relationships, and a baby who needs special formula that costs $200 a week. Dan is working all the time to make ends meet, and Wendy, a dance instructor, is contributing a little cash by teaching. But their tiny income, disgruntled creditors and their inability to meet their bills could be the curtain call on their relationship.

High school sweethearts Selena and Eryk finally got back together and married years after they graduated. Since then, they've moved across the country and back while Eryk has jumped from job to job. He manages all the money, and he's done a lousy job of it. Selena's returned to work, but still doesn't get any say in how their money is spent. Their financial situation never seems to get any better and their both about to break down from the stress. When Gail steps in, she finds herself in the middle of a domestic meltdown.

Approaching age fifty, married couple Gail and Tony should be at the point in their lives of thinking about retirement and planning for it. Instead, they are mired in $80,000 of consumer debt, with no savings for retirement beyond their government pensions. Gail had no debt when she and Tony got together nine years ago, but she, who handles all the household finances, has allowed Tony many indulgences as he did not have many of those available to him the better part of his life. They bought a $22,000 timeshare with on-going fees on credit which they have never used. But their biggest extravagance is their vehicles. They belong to a car club, which means putting a lot of money into their show car. Tony also trades up his vehicle on average once a year. Gail has thought about leaving Tony because of the money issues, the extent of the problem of which Tony is, although not totally oblivious, unaware by choice. Gail Vaz-Oxlade (GVO) wants them to match their spending to their income, which means either earning more money and/or selling the luxury asset(s) in their lives, namely the timeshare, Tony's truck and/or the show car. GVO wants them to find other hobbies that they can still do together but that don't cost a lot of money. And GVO shows them what their retirement life will look like if they don't plan for it and make the necessary changes.

Bill and Tasia are sinking deeper into debt every month and they just can't figure out why. They agreed that Tasia would stay at home with their two small children. So the couple is living on Bill's part-time income while he tries to get his own business off the ground. To friends and family, they appear to be a couple perfectly in control. But Bill's health and their relationship are crumbling under the stress.

Ronald and Vivian were on the verge of calling it quits. Vivian's gambling at the casino and Ronald's frequent fleeing to a hotel was driving them into crushing debt. With four children at home, this house of cards was on the verge of collapsing. Then, just days before Gail arrives to help, they get the notice of foreclosure on their house. Can this family be saved?

Sharon thinks of herself as the breadwinner, even though she only makes forty bucks more a month than Dennis. Dennis supplements his income with payday loans. Neither has any idea of where the money is really going. In five years, they want to own a house and a catering business, and become parents -big plans for a couple with $18 in their account. It's a classic case of freshly minted young adults on their own for the first time. Can Gail save them from a financial freefall?

Erica and Andrew live a seemingly perfect life, with a beautiful home and huge wardrobes. But what lurks beneath the surface are mounting debts, unpaid taxes and a growing hostility towards each other. She's sick of cleaning up the mess he's mad of his business expenses. He's sick of her nagging. They both say that Andrew is largely to blame for their financial situation - but does Gail agree?

Cheryl and Richard both work long hours. Richard spoils their two kids to make up for it, while Cheryl indulges in pedicures. Meanwhile, they're on their third consolidation loan and their $40,000 of debt just won't go away. Gail steps in to show this couple that to get out of debt, they need to get back in step with each other.

Alina's privileged upbringing hasn't prepared her to stand on her own two feet. Dan is a man who loves to play and likes a good deal. He has a $250/month gym membership he's never used. Their parents seem determined to step into this couple's struggle, but it's time for them to go it alone. Can Gail show them how?

In three short years, Lorna and Richard met, married, had a baby and bought a house. They won't even slow down to cook dinner - and order in almost every night. They're on the highway to a hellish amount of debt. With a surprise second baby on the way, it's time for these two to get out of the fast lane and start thinking before they spend.

Janet and Ian were happily enjoying their double-income-no-kids lifestyle until their first child was born. Both want Janet to be able to stay home full time, but they're worried about the $20,000 debt they've amassed in a year and a half. And then there's their 40 year old home, which needs some major repairs. It's up to Gail to show this couple how to manage their money so their house doesn't become a money pit.

When John married Elizabeth, he became a stepfather to her four children. After three years of marriage, they have a new baby together and there's a lot of love in their house. But after messy divorces, neither of them has wanted to put their new relationship to the test of a money conversation. That's led their debt to get dangerously out of control. Gail has a blunt warning: Love won't keep them together, not if the money sucks.

Nell is contemplating walking out on her eleven year marriage to Darrell because of their consumer debt, which currently sits at $60,000. Nell handles all their household finances, and thus feels the weight of dealing with that issue all on her own. While Nell and Darrell have a joint bank account, Darrell also has his own bank account, from which he indiscriminately spends. To protect herself, Nell has secretly been stashing away $100 a month in a workplace savings plan about which Darrell knows nothing. When Nell tries to talk to him about their finances, the conversation, which generally leads to a yelling match, ends with Darrell making a joke. He does it in an effort to diffuse the situation, not fully comprehending how badly that makes Nell feel as she doesn't see their finances as a laughing matter. Their nine year old daughter Aprielle is also affected. Aprielle sees and hears her parents' constant fighting, Nell feels ashamed for always having to say no to Aprielle for anything that Aprielle may ask for, and Nell and Darrell have so far taken $6,000 out of Aprielle's education fund to deal with their debt. Gail wants this couple to balance out their finances in every respect, meaning that Nell should have what Darrell has, or conversely Darrell should give up what Nell already forgoes. She also wants them to do whatever it takes to give back to Aprielle what she has been missing or given up in her life, which probably means they have to find ways to make more than their current combined $60,000 per annum income.

Gerry is a financial analyst but the books at home just don't balance. This is a second marriage for both Kelley and Gerry and they're both trying hard to avoid control issues they faced in past relationships. But, with three kids and seven years of uncontrolled spending under their belts, they're sinking fast.

Rob is a physician who feels entitled to the nice things in life because he works hard and earns a good annual income, in the range of $100,000 to $125,000. However, his excessive spending has put their family in total debt of about $320,000. His wife of twenty-five years Yvonne owns a scrap-booking store, which sometimes will go through slow periods when she will not take an income. She initially allowed him his excesses because she felt she could do nothing about them. Finally fed up only a few months ago, she inserted herself into the household financial management, which has not seemed to help, largely because of Rob not wanting anyone to question what he feels he and their family deserve. She has vowed to dissolve their marriage if their financial situation keeps on going downward, as she feels she needs more consistency and order in her life. Gail believes they need to organize their lives, largely by decluttering their house and their finances. She needs Rob to get over the issue that he has to maintain an image, while she needs Yvonne to treat the store as a business and not a hobby. And she wants to see if they have the same life goals, which may determine whether they stay together as a couple or not, which, if they do stay together, means working together as a team.

Newlyweds Natalie and Matt have accumulated $25,000 in consumer debt, and they haven't even celebrated their first anniversary. Natalie's so stressed out, she's taken a leave of absence from work. Meanwhile, Matt's an overgrown teenager who spends more time playing sports and drinking beer with buddies than he does working. Gail needs to show these two how to grow up.

Kristy and Dean are newly-weds with two kids who are completely stressed about their cash-strapped situation. They're sinking fast - as soon as their pay comes in, it goes straight out again. This young couple is down-trodden and exhausted. They need Gail to give them a road-map to help get them out of this mess.

Single mom Tammy is 35 years old - and still spends her money like a spoiled teenager. When she runs out of cash, she turns to her parents to pay her monthly living expenses. Even Tammy's 15 year old daughter knows her mom's a mess when it comes to managing money. Gail shows Tammy the hard truths she has to face up to, including Tammy's biggest fear - declaring personal bankruptcy.

Nicole and Russell are new parents who are trapped in a quagmire of spiraling credit card debt. Russell's $40K income at a big box store barely covers rent and the credit card minimums. As a small business owner, Nicole can't even venture a guess how much she makes a year. They hope that Gail will be able to help them figure out how to create a viable business that allows Russell to join Nicole in the design business full time. Her business is at stake - and so is their relationship.