I have mentioned my LS engine buddies many times in various threads over the years. While I’m NOT a fan of the LS engine, I do respect the capabilities and options of going that route.

My friends run a shop called Mid America Kustoms. They were selected to compete in HorsePower wars. The event is featured on YouTube, I think there are 4 episodes left. I can’t discuss the contest results until the show ends.

My question: why does the stupid drama never fail to be a constant requirement in tv?! I know everyone of the guys on the M.A.K team, everyone of them have said there was very little real drama, for the most part each team did their own thing. Yet the shows always make what little drama there was much bigger, and they also said they obviously did some creative editing to highlight the drama. Why?!?! I watch show like that for the fabrication, technical and creative knowledge. Why does today’s entertainment HAVE to include the stupid drama?! Just show the intended content and leave out the stupidity!!

While I’m not a motorcyclist, I kinda enjoyed watching OCC, just to see how some of the customization and fabrication was done. I stopped watching it when every episode had the dad and son yelling at each other, and it was ALWAYS a rush to get the bike done in time.


Graveyard Cars is another example. That guy is a walking Mopar encyclopedia and history book. I recall recently watching one episode where half the show was trying to figure out who damaged the forklift, or who didn’t fill out inventory,etc. Who cares?! Show the documentation, the disassembly, repair, etc.

I have only seen a couple episodes of street outlaws, but the ones did see had plenty of yelling/drama. Blah.

If I wanted to see drama, I’d watch any of the many varieties of The Real Housewives, the Bachelorette/Bachelor, The Kardasians, reruns of Jersey Shore, or any of the other mindless tv shows. Why is that crap “entertaining “?!

I really hope I’m not the only who feels this way. And if I’m not the only one, how many viewers thrive on that crap?!


I’m done bitching now. Have a nice evening.

 

Im w you on all these they always add faux drama plus we need to get it done by XXX. Why ? whens it s done its done. Im pretty sure even tho they say it has to be done by XX many times it isnt and they just pretend like it is.

Oh and now i just found out the one guy who watched street outlaws LOL

 

It's simple. Drama sells!

But yeah, I'm with y'all. I try to live a drama-free life and sure don't want to watch it on a car show.

 

They're trying to appeal to a larger audience than those of us who'd understand and be interested in how these projects are done. What's confusing to you is why they think a man watching a mechanical documentary would be interested in silly drama, especially if they have to create and exaggerate it. What I don't get is why they think a woman would be interested in watching a mechanical documentary, simply because it is mixed with drama. Most of what's on TV has been crap for many years. Don't get me started on dumb commercials (especially insurance co commercials), daytime and late night TV, thinly veiled leftist propaganda in dramas and so-called comedy. It's like they're all in a race to the bottom, to see who can be the most outrageously retarded.

 

I agree, the drama isn't needed, and is a big turn off. A gripe that I have is, every time they start an engine, or take a car out for the first time after a build, they have to have a damn annoying guitar riff playing over the sound of the car/engine. I want to hear the damn engine, not a guitar playing over it.

 

Amen, y'all.

Sometimes I'd get sucked into TV stupidity and after watching, wondered why I thought it would enrich my life.

Eventually when the TV stopped working, I didn't replace it. After being without TV for about 18 years, you can imagine my reaction when I do see a show. The trash value is SO obvious.

As well, I rarely watch YouTube; I only look at things with factual or educational content.

My outlook on life is healthier and I have independent juidgement because I don't participate in the fear-p0rn on what are claimed to be news programs. If there is anything important to know, I ask my friends to tell me.

 

If a "news" outlet is partisan it ain't news, it's propaganda. I watch a lot of BBC news because they're a little more objective than US news outlets. Even alJazeera reports American news better than our own media. 'Course when the news cycle consists of election, covid, racism, repeat, you can't really expect much.

Local news around here seems obsessed with covering house fires, and Liberty University gets a lot of free publicity too. Talk about a reality show... a friend referred to LU as the Kardashians go to church.

Media learned long ago to play to the lowest common denominator viewer.

I don't get why "social media influencer" has become an honorable way to make a living. I mean, they're like "community organizer". In the grand scheme of things, what good are they? Yet these otherwise nobodies have become rich, famous, and powerful doing it. SMH...

 

Well we had a community organizer become president so may a social media influencer will become president one day. Lord I hope not. I think Boyd Coddington was the worst of the drama car shows. That guy that worked for him was such an *** that I could not watch that show. I think Chip Foose and Bitchin Rides have the least amount of drama and built some of the nicest cars.

 

We already have a "a social media influencer"/"reality TV star" in the white house.

 

x2

Maybe the pressure (imagined or real) of the TV show effected it, but the camera work betrayed a lot of substandard work from the Coddington shop. They did a 56 Chevy that you could see the sand scratches in the paint. On TV no less.

One of my long-ago hotrodder boys idolized Coddington and aspired to work for him. While he was attending Wyotech streetrod program, Coddington paid a recruiting visit. Kris called me that night, very disillusioned. His comment was that BC's ******* TV persona was no act. Says Kristopher "the man is a SOB just for the sake of being one".

Am I the only one who changes the channel if Richard Rawlings appears?! Aaron Kaufman was the meat and taters of that outfit.

 

You certainly are not by yourself in changing channels if Richard Rawlings comes on. I do not like that guy. Foose seems like a nice guy and it is hard to feature him working for Coddington.

 

Glad I'm not the only one tired of the over the top drama on current TV. My wife loves watching Kindig design cars , she says the lack of fighting and excess drama makes it interesting.
I can take a few minutes of the fake time lines, and arguing before flipping off tv and heading outside where we belong anyway , there's real cars wanting our attention..and they won't scream back

 

Never watched Richard Rawlings show. While I can admire and respect the talent chip foose has, I don’t care for his style! His builds are very predictable, lots of pinstripes and multiple colors, strip off all the chrome, big rims. Basically eliminating all the characteristics and style of old iron.

 

They put it in there for the wives, otherwise husbands won't be allowed to watch and ratings will plummet.

Personally, when I want drama I watch CNN.

 

Totally agree! It's not just CNN anymore all news networks are turning into drama!

I turned Cable off about 20 years ago.

My favorite News Channel is:
"The Amish News Network"

I walk out my front door and look around I get the weather, and all my needed local news, and if kids are playing ball out front even get some sports!

I've been much more relaxed by turning of the trash and drama TV! Guess that's why it's called programming!

The first season of Chad and the Green Goblin was good. Who wouldn't like to see rusted out junk actually turned into something cool. But as season 2 got going it started to swing into more and more focus on the drama. Yes there's always gonna be some drama especially when your working so close and when your kid is involved.... but come on I'm watching a dang car show!

 

X2. I would love to beat Flo and Jamie unconscious and run over them with my Cutlass... more than once. Merry Christmas!

 

It also annoys me that they often set the stage that TIME IS RUNNING OUT to get it finished - so fake drama

 

HERES MY TAKE,
I have watched several of the custom car shows (There are many) I love the custom fabrication some of these guys do from the welding to the use of the English wheel some fine craftsman and really talented guys and gals, I can put up with some of the shop pranks between the shop guys it adds a little humor , what I hate and I really mean hate is the working against the deadline crap !!! give it a rest !!! it seams that 90% of the shows use the deadline thing !! My experience and some of my friends experience is you get it when you get it !! you may get a estimated time of return but it's wide !!
Also you never see or hear what the final cost of the build is, Id love to see that !!! there is one show that takes you in the office at the end of the build and reviews the bill and list of expenses but the name escapes me, I like it when there are suspension, brake and engine mods to improve performance, but I like it when they limit the body mods so the vehicle retains either a stock or mild custom look.

 

I'm almost sure that it was on one of his shows where he let his employees drop a crate engine into a white Cutlass. I found that to bge a great disappointment You mean Dwayne? I don't think, anyone in that shop particularly liked him. Except maybe, that old guy Roy. One good thing of which I could say about Dwayne is that he refused to butcher that museum-ripe old Chevy Bubbletop. Instead, they went out and found some rust bucket

 

I don’t recall the episode or car, but I do remember the sbc crate engine swap into a Olds. The only time I watched overhauling vid when it feature a Olds build. I turned off the tv when they mentioned the engine swap.

 

Solly, that's Fantom Works in Norfolk VA. I like that one better than most because it actually shows the guys tearing down and rebuilding- though I think some of the parts/supplies tend to be overpriced. I mean, $600 for a pound of R12? It's uncommon for sure but if it routinely sells for that I could finance another old car with my stock of it.

Both of Mike Brewer's mechanics on Wheeler Dealers have been good about show and tell too.

Chief, you're watching the wrong channels!
HIstory Channel, American Heroes, FETV etc all have good programming. I'm pretty good at tuning out sales pitches though. Mute button is the best thing on any TV remote.

For those of you who watch home renovation shows, they're cast in much the same mold. The flippers in those are the worst. Then there's one where people look at several houses, choose one and pay market value for an already nice home, then immediately dive into a gut and rebuild to "personalize" it. Damn man- just build a new house like you want it! Kinda like some "car people" eh?

 

My stepdaughter and wife occasionally watch those house renovation/flip shows, I just shake my head. While I understand gutting a house that’s already in pretty bad shape, I don’t understand tearing apart a nice house to update it.


Some of the people I work with really make me scratch my head. Why buy a nice house you want to live in, then completely tear it apart to remodel and move things?! If you didn’t like the house, why did you buy it?! Makes zero sense to me.

 

Because, Discovery Channel foots the bill for the house, whereas nobody else in their right mind would do such things So did I, since there was no point in watching further. Anybody caught dropping in crate engines into where they don't belong should get locked up for at least a couple decades

 

Extreme... but funny.

I agree with the principle. I felt that way in the 50s when I saw people putting Olds and Chev engines into Ford Street Rods.

 

Well, in that case, it was Ford's fault. However, the 430 M.E.L. did do pretty good on the drag strip

 

......because they have a "money tree" that grows $100 bills and you don't ?

 

My favorite (not) is when they show demolition of a kitchen with a sledge hammer. Pure drama, extra work for the characters and extra work for the poor SOB who has to clean up a totally unnecessary mess. It's far easier to unscrew cabinets and counter tops that can be carried outside, and either re-used elsewhere, donated (where is the politically correct crowd when needed), or tossed whole into a dumpster.

 

I really doubt that the Politicallycorrect crowd view such programs.
I see similar waste on a daily basis here, where items are either disposed of, despite they being repairable or some repairman condemns a repairable wash machine, because there's more immediate profit in selling a new one. I've rescued two expensive vaccuum cleaners (Miele brand), simply because their owners thought they were inoperative (when the bag's full, a safety device prevents the vaccuum cleaner from functioning, until the bag gets replaced). That's not to say that there aren't more to rescue. These were convenient finds.
Because we're near the Swiss border, those who work there get paid wages of which are up to four times those paid here. With so much expendable income, it should be of no surprise, as to how careless people behave towards their environment

 

"Bad" Chad from Bad Chad's customs turns a '34 Olds sedan into a dump truck powered by a Chey 292. This time around, he left the creation with most of its original charachter intact, unlike the '57 Cadillac of which he butchered:

 

WHY!!!
Because viewers .
The group of folks that would watch a purely tech/fab/build show is tiny. For a t.v. show to stay on air, they need a much bigger viewer base. They need the folks that are interested in building/fab/ or the subject matter (cars or other), but also are watching t.v. for entertainment, and THEY know EVERYONE loves drama.
You may claim otherwise, and maybe you are that one soul, but Almost everyone loves it. Guys in the shop, talking about their day, (drama) a tiff with the little lady(drama), day to day interaction with people (drama). I have been spinning wrenches in enough buddies garages to hear them tell stories, or how this or that happened the other day. (drama).
The majority of t.v. viewership are watching the tube for "entertainment" , Not so much a (in case of car shows) a history lesson , or a Shop lesson. They have a passing interest in cars, or building anything. and rather watch that over some romp com with canned laughs.
I would love A show that was no fluff, and all tech/fab ,but the pool of folks that want that is way too small.
I think the only show that was about building,restoring,craftsmanship that almost had no "producer and writer made" drama was This old house.
When I want information on how too's or tech based info. And want it in a watch how it is done, instead of reading it. I goto you tube.
Reality tv, that isn't DIY based, or car based,etc.
Are just a renamed "type" of show, ld name sicom new name reality t.v. It is about marketing
You didn't see Tool time Tee shirts, but you'll see Gas monkey garage tees at wally world. They turned the old sicom into a "brand" That can sell/ promote product from more that product placement alone , They can sell product That is show branded Tee shirts, sticker/decals.

 

This following series keeps stupid jokes down to a tolerable minimum and, unlike other shows, gets into a tear-down in detail. I hate it when I miss something, because they feel the need to go over it.
I had an older one of these with the smaller Diesel engine. Not by choice, though. It was a gift. I hated working on it and was glad on the day that I sold it on:

 

I like this, enjoy.

 

To a certain extent, I’ll agree with tolerating a LITTLE drama. However, there is a big difference between listening to a friend or coworker venting about everyday life, and the fabricated crap on the tube.

I have also spent a huge portion of my adult life in either factories, repair shops, or similar environments. I have never had a sit down office job. So I’m familiar with the people your referring to. I have found as I get older, I prefer being alone and in my “happy place”. It’s more relaxing, and a trait I wish I developed far earlier in life.

Having said that, the factory I work in now has about 11000 people. So it’s a statistical fact that eventually I’ll be around people who do live for drama, or go out of their way to stir up drama. Those people I go out of my way to avoid! Life is too short to be angry or discouraged all the time. I’m perfectly content to use my down time at work to read the newspaper, or do my critical ClassicOlds research!

 

It is showbiz, it is tv it is ENTERTAINMENT. What gets eyeballs tuning in every week is what the show becomes.
Too many forget this. It is a business first, That is fantasy land no matter what they label it as (reality tv).
eye ***** = ad dollars, a business job is to make money, if the drama didn't work to that end, it not be part of the program/show.

 

Subscribe to the entire series. I didn't think, they were seriously going to try

 

I think I've figured it out.

Overhaulin' S6 E9 from 2013 featured a 64 D88 hardtop. Toward the end of the show Chris Jacobs said "without a little drama what fun would it be?!"

Uh, yeah.

 

Supposedly, they didn't drop a Cratemowter into it. Unfortunately, Youtube sold the rights to a private video network, meaning that all episodes are no longer free to watch