Tried the cold pan bacon trick and it made the worst mess of my life

I always cooked bacon in a hot pan. That's how my dad did it, that's how everyone does it. Then some guy at the auto parts counter in Akron told me to start bacon in a cold pan with a splash of water. Said it renders the fat slow and comes out flat every time. So I tried it Sunday morning. Put 6 strips in a cold skillet, added maybe 3 tablespoons of water, turned the heat to medium. For the first few minutes it looked great. Then the water cooked off and the grease started popping like crazy. I had hot fat on my stove, on my backsplash, on my forearm. The bacon still curled up on the ends anyway. Cleanup took me 25 minutes. My wife walked in and just pointed at the ceiling. So what am I doing wrong here? Did I use too much heat or is this whole cold pan thing just internet nonsense?