Ep 1. No Way Jose

In the first episode of Catch A Contractor season 1, titled No Way Jose, host and master carpenter Adam Carolla and his team take on a homeowner named Mary who was left with a completely unusable and unsafe backyard by a contractor named Jose.

Mary's backyard, which was previously her oasis for relaxation and hosting parties, has become a serious hazard due to Jose's shoddy workmanship. The retaining wall he built has collapsed, leaving a steep drop-off from the patio to the yard below. The fence he installed is falling over, making it impossible for Mary to let her dogs outside. The patio itself is sloping towards the house, creating a risk for water damage and drainage issues. And on top of all that, Jose took Mary's money and never came back to finish the job.

Adam and his team set out to catch Jose and make him accountable for his actions. They install hidden cameras at Mary's house and use a fake job posting to lure him in. Jose falls for the bait and arrives at the house, but when he realizes he's been caught, he tries to make a quick escape. Adam and his team follow him to a nearby gas station and confront him.

At first, Jose tries to deny any wrongdoing and blame Mary for the issues with the backyard. But when Adam shows him the footage from the hidden cameras and explains how his work is endangering Mary and her family, Jose starts to realize the gravity of the situation. He agrees to come back and finish the job, but Adam isn't convinced. He tells Jose that he needs to prove himself by completing a smaller job first, to show that he's capable of doing quality work.

Jose agrees to this plan, and Adam's team helps him fix a different homeowner's backyard to show his workmanship. After he successfully completes the job, Adam invites him back to Mary's house to finish what he started. Over the course of a few days, Jose and Adam's team work to repair the retaining wall, fix the fence, and level out the patio. Mary is thrilled with the results and grateful to have her backyard back.

In the end, Adam sits down with Jose to discuss what went wrong and how he can prevent similar situations from happening in the future. Jose admits that he took on too many jobs at once and didn't have the necessary skills to complete them all. He also acknowledges that he took advantage of Mary's trust and made promises he couldn't keep. Adam encourages him to seek out training and education to improve his skills, and to be more transparent with homeowners in the future.

Overall, the first episode of Catch A Contractor is a heartwarming and informative look at the consequences of bad contracting practices and the importance of holding contractors accountable for their work. Through his humor and expertise, Adam Carolla helps both Mary and Jose come to a resolution that benefits everyone involved.