Season 1

Robertson gets his first set of coordinates and as his plane touches down in quiet Fort Macleod, Alberta, he discovers that he is to be a ranch hand for a couple of days looking after a private cattle operation. After a morning getting used to the saddle, the afternoon is a lesson in calf wrestling where he learns how to run beside the roped steers and pull them to the ground with his hands. Once down, he keeps the calf calm while the other ranchers teach him how to brand, inoculate and castrate them. There is no room for error when handling 300 cattle between only a few horsemen. When his cell phone rings with another set of coordinates, it’s off to Welland, Ontario, where he will work in a welding shop. But his new boss is not impressed to learn that Robertson has no experience. With a column to be built and Robertson here to do it, a day of welding, cutting and grinding is in store.

In this episode, Robertson flies into Hamilton, Ontario, and finds himself at CFL training camp with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It only takes a few minutes for him to remember that in high school he spent a lot more time in the band room than on the field. When he’s so battered and bruised that he just can’t take anymore, the coaches evaluate his performance. Will he make the cut, or should he keep his dayjob? After confirming that no bones are broken, Robertson is off to Steelcare, a steel plant in Hamilton, where he must load and unload trucks and trains full of heavy, raw steel, straight from the mills. A giant warehouse serves as a dangerous backdrop and the “steel jockeys” training him delight in tearing him apart – almost literally.

The plane touches down in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Robertson is immediately put into action at Survival Systems, a company specializing in emergency simulation devices and safety survival training programs for the offshore, marine, aviation and industrial sectors. For every person who wants to work offshore, passing this training is mandatory and can mean the difference between life and death. While the program teaches the skills required to survive crashing a small craft in the ocean, Robertson takes the training very seriously. Next, he’s off to Red Lake, Ontario to work with a forester clearing trees for mine and resource development. With a chainsaw in hand, he better be on the ball or risk losing his fingers – and his livelihood. If he can impress the boss he will work his way up to driving the big clearing machines – and away from the back-breaking labour of cutting by hand.

In this episode, Robertson is invited to work at a tree-planting camp for a day. After landing his Cessna, a helicopter takes him to a remote area where he is given what seems like a reasonable amount of trees to plant. After a few hours of planting, his work is audited and his morale is at an all-time low from the monotony of this dreadful work. His day goes from bad to worse when his self-proclaimed skills are put to the test. When the boss finds out just how he has done, this Barenaked Lady better have a song and dance ready.

With a new set of GPS coordinates Robertson touches down in Wiarton, Ontario for a day of working in a rock quarry. Not just any rock quarry: a flag stone quarry, where the product has to be handled by hand to preserve its condition and its market price. He uses hand tools to separate the layers and shape the slabs and then heads into the cutting room to help make the bigger slabs and blocks. He’s dusty, sweaty and exhausted, but grateful that he has never had to resort to doing this for a living. Then, in North West River, Labrador, Robertson faces a tough new boss and even greater challenges at the local saw mill. A full day of cutting the trees and dragging them to the truck by hand is topped off by a hand sawing and log splitting competition – just for the fun of it.

GPS coordinates lead Robertson to Kingston, Ontario, where he is ushered to the Collin’s Bay Penitentiary. He’s almost immediately thrown up against a mat, with his arm twisted behind his back and he quickly realizes that in this challenge, he better keep his wits about him. After training, he is put to work guarding the general population. Keeping the peace takes on a whole new meaning in this life and death scenario. Upon receiving his next set of coordinates, it’s off to the remote corner of Labrador to join the biggest highway construction project in the region’s history. The bridge and causeway that they are building will cross the Churchill River, spanning 244 metres. Nine metres off the ground, Robertson works securing sections of the bridge while a giant crane swings the pieces – each weighing 20 tonnes – into place.

In The Pas, Manitoba, Robertson joins the region’s forest fire fighters “initial attack crew.” After learning helicopter hover exits, he has to run through the forest with a fully loaded backpack weighing 34 kilograms and join the crew in a simulation complete with smoke canisters and water bombers. While they arrive on site to set up and extinguish the fire, the water bombers prepare to douse the entire area in foam. Complete concentration and nerves of steel are required while this exercise unfolds. The next set of mystery coordinates lead to Thunder Bay, Ontario, where Robertson works at a massive grain silo on the shores of Lake Superior. This is dusty, sweaty work unloading train cars, pushing conveyer belt controls and rolling the shoots to different silos. But he better stay on the ball or risk serious injury.

Upon arrival in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Robertson finds out that this is going to be an excruciating day: working with one the most elite units within the Canadian Navy. This unit (called the “fleet diving unit”) uses their skills to protect, maintain and repair the navy’s ocean vessels from threats including underwater mines, damage from collisions and fires. He begins his day with a jog that would exhaust an experienced runner. Then a 45-minute swim in a heavy, restrictive wetsuit pushes Robertson to the brink. Will he sink or swim? In the afternoon, he is suited up and sent into the dunk tank for underwater problem-solving training. As his body reacts to the increased pressure underwater, his mind has to remain focused. A small mistake here could be dangerous in a reallife situation. Back on dry land and in the fire simulator, Robertson fights a real blaze inside of a mock-up of a battle ship.

Robertson’s coordinates take him to a deserted strip in Hermitage, Newfoundland. Here, fishing is a way of life. He sets out on a commercial cod fishing boat where he has to work fast getting the fish out of the tangled nets. When they get back to port, Robertson follows his catch into processing and packaging. The next day, Robertson’s off to Cove-Boxy, Newfoundland, to work on a fish farm. His job is to maintain farmed fish in their open water penned habitats. From feeding to disease control, he finds out just how difficult it is keeping the fish happy.

Robertson arrives at Camp Aldershot, which the Canadian Armed Forces refers to as “Battle School.” This is where army recruits who have completed basic training go to prepare them for active duty in Afghanistan. He follows the soldiers through various obstacle courses and combat scenarios complete with live ammunition, screaming sergeants and a face painted in camouflage. As the grenades explode around him, Robertson is grateful for his peaceful nonconfrontational music career.

With a new set of coordinates, Robertson is off to the General Motors plant in Oshawa, Ontario to learn how to build a car. After a brief training session, he must correctly install dashboards, mount tires and then drive the cars in the test lane. Keeping up with the fast-moving line, while doing everything correctly will prove to be tougher than he expected. Following the GM plant, Robertson is off to Banff National Park in Alberta where he will work on the park’s search and rescue crew. He is immediately rushed off to participate in a simulated cliff side rescue and after two hours of hiking up a mountain, then suspended over the edge, Robertson becomes an integral part of the rescue unit. After this experience, he’s ready for just about anything.

Robertson lands in Timmins, Ontario, where he discovers that he’ll be spending a day mining for gold. He meets a couple of prospectors who take him deep in the bush to begin their search. A hard day’s work takes on a new meaning when they have to clear their own path through the forest with an axe. During the quest, Robertson learns how to stake a claim, prep the zone and set a charge for explosives. With his ears ringing, all that is left at the end of the day is a pile of rubble and a karaoke machine! Next, hundreds of miles to the north, Robertson travels to Moosonee for a day working on a rail gang replacing rail ties. It is grueling work, but essential in order to keep Canada’s trains running smoothly. Near the end of the day, there is no better way to celebrate than to rip apart a beaver dam before the flooded waters cause serious damage.

In the season finale of Ed’s Up, it’s the home stretch for Robertson as he lands in Malpeque, Prince Edward Island. His last job is a doosy: harvesting mussels. The crew explains that today, they will be working on rougher seas than they usually encounter, so Robertson better brace himself. Watch as he strains to load 36 kg of mussels on board the boat. After loading 5,897 kg of mussels, the crew returns to port for grading, sorting, weighing and cleaning. This job is not only difficult, but it’s also dirty, cold and wet. This is the perfect reality check for a pampered rock star. After cleaning up, Robertson sets off for Camp Oochigeas in Parry Sound, Ontario, where he’ll work as a camp counsellor. At the end of the day, Robertson is joined by his bandmates and together, The Barenaked Ladies play a live, private concert for the kids. This is a day that the kids of “Camp Ooch” won’t soon forget.