diff --git a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-bin-monitor.c b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-bin-monitor.c
index b44b28ecb1..ce6649a2b8 100644
--- a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-bin-monitor.c
+++ b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-bin-monitor.c
@@ -56,6 +56,9 @@ gst_qa_bin_monitor_dispose (GObject * object)
   if (bin && monitor->element_added_id)
     g_signal_handler_disconnect (bin, monitor->element_added_id);
 
+  if (monitor->scenario)
+    g_object_unref (monitor->scenario);
+
   g_list_free_full (monitor->element_monitors, g_object_unref);
 
   G_OBJECT_CLASS (parent_class)->dispose (object);
@@ -81,6 +84,22 @@ gst_qa_bin_monitor_init (GstQaBinMonitor * bin_monitor)
 {
 }
 
+static void
+gst_qa_bin_monitor_create_scenarios (GstQaBinMonitor * monitor)
+{
+  /* scenarios currently only make sense for pipelines */
+  if (GST_IS_PIPELINE (GST_QA_MONITOR_GET_OBJECT (monitor))) {
+    const gchar *scenario_name;
+
+    if ((scenario_name = g_getenv ("GST_QA_SCENARIO"))) {
+      monitor->scenario =
+          gst_qa_scenario_factory_create (GST_QA_MONITOR_GET_RUNNER (monitor),
+          GST_ELEMENT_CAST (GST_QA_MONITOR_GET_OBJECT (monitor)),
+          scenario_name);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * gst_qa_bin_monitor_new:
  * @bin: (transfer-none): a #GstBin to run QA on
@@ -96,6 +115,9 @@ gst_qa_bin_monitor_new (GstBin * bin, GstQaRunner * runner,
     g_object_unref (monitor);
     return NULL;
   }
+
+  gst_qa_bin_monitor_create_scenarios (monitor);
+
   return monitor;
 }
 
diff --git a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-bin-monitor.h b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-bin-monitor.h
index 955ec2ed70..684d904d98 100644
--- a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-bin-monitor.h
+++ b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-bin-monitor.h
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include <gst/gst.h>
 #include "gst-qa-element-monitor.h"
 #include "gst-qa-runner.h"
+#include "gst-qa-scenario.h"
 
 G_BEGIN_DECLS
 
@@ -55,6 +56,8 @@ struct _GstQaBinMonitor {
 
   GList *element_monitors;
 
+  GstQaScenario *scenario;
+
   /*< private >*/
   gulong element_added_id;
 };
diff --git a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.c b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.c
index 6ef4aa4e50..445e1d13db 100644
--- a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.c
+++ b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.c
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@
 #include "gst-qa-report.h"
 #include "gst-qa-monitor-factory.h"
 #include "gst-qa-override-registry.h"
-#include "gst-qa-scenario.h"
 
 /**
  * SECTION:gst-qa-runner
@@ -57,9 +56,6 @@ gst_qa_runner_dispose (GObject * object)
 
   g_slist_free_full (runner->reports, (GDestroyNotify) gst_qa_report_unref);
 
-  if (runner->scenario)
-    g_object_unref (runner->scenario);
-
   G_OBJECT_CLASS (parent_class)->dispose (object);
 }
 
diff --git a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.h b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.h
index 14f11c62cd..454535c33a 100644
--- a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.h
+++ b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.h
@@ -58,8 +58,6 @@ struct _GstQaRunner {
   gboolean       setup;
 
   /*< private >*/
-  GstQaScenario *scenario;
-
   GSList *reports;
 };