Video here
Posted on 02/10/2010 12:48:20 PM PST by martin_fierro
TLC's 'American Chopper' reaches end of the road 54 minutes ago
(AP:NEW YORK) "American Chopper" is riding off into the sunset.
The popular TLC series based on the feuding Teutul family and their custom-built motorcycle business is going off the air after six seasons. TLC said Wednesday that the final episode will air Thursday.
The end isn't a surprise. Paul Teutul and his son, Paul Jr., have frequently fought on the air. The son recently left the New York-based Orange County Choppers to start his own business, and the two are in a court dispute over money.
The network said that "the show has always been about building one-of-a-kind bikes and the drama of running a family business. The Teutuls will always be part of the Discovery family and we congratulate them on a tremendously successful series run."
Translation: "Yeah, good luck with all that."
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All the fighting was more irritating than entertaining and I haven’t watched the show since the first season or two.
I always just assumed the fighting was just show. Didn’t realize that it was real.
I quit watching this show a while back but the wife had it on the other night and I took a peek. What’s up with Paul Sr. (dad)? Did he quit the steroids? And I heard Mikey was in rehab...?
IIRC, they built a bike for Sarah Palin and delivered it to her in Alaska. Perhaps someone has a photo of the bike to post on this thread?
I love Project Runway but it irritates me no end when the producers decide I must be watching for the catty infighting.
I watch for the creativity. The nastiness makes me roll my eyes.
If there was ever a pair I wanted to see ride off on “donorcycles” it was these two.
If they wiped out Dog the Bountyhunter at the same time it would be a plus.
Great looking motorcycles, but I couldn’t watch the show.
Same for the late Boyd Coddington.
If you want to see truly nice people build spectacular vehicles, watch “Overhaulin’” with Chip Foose, one of the nicest guys in the business. And one of the most talented.
Oh, and, Chip... my ‘57 Pontiac is just waiting in my garage to be overhauled. Hint Hint
They built these huge buildings and homes and now they will watch it all crash and burn on them. One of the most dysfunctional families I've ever seen.
That thing is still on?
The Chopper fad is over for now. Every thing cycles but with the capital out lay of money for the new OCC could be the end of OCC.
Video here
I liked some of the personalities and watching the creative process as they built the bikes but I really didn’t like watching dad and son fight. So I stopped watching.
Sorry to hear that things have gotten so ugly in the family.
The Teutels older custom rides, by older I mean prior to the tv show, are now selling for pretty hefty discounts in the local Orange county area due to the recession and lots of the baby boomer customers trying to offload the toys to raise cash.
A custom car shop owner about 10 minutes from the Teutel’s old shop told me his business is off over 50% from 2007. If the custom car market is off by that much I can’t imagine how the smaller custom cycle market is fairing.
Harley Davidson jsut reported it’s first quarterly loss in over 16 years, to give some color to that thought. http://seekingalpha.com/article/183966-harley-davidson-first-loss-in-16-years
“We’ve got Harley-Davidson (HOG) having a tough morning because their orders dropped 53% compared to the same period last year. Going to be a tough time in 2010” CNBC’s Squawk on the Street 1/22/2010
All I got out of the series is a custom motorcycle is pounded until things fit, weld on dumb things, chrome it then sell it for 10x what its worth.
The homosexual angle gets old, too. Top Chef and Project Runway always have a few who need to remind us a couple times every episode that they’re gay—as if we didn’t notice.
Still fun shows to watch tho.
I like the Dad but he may have been a little tough on the boys from time to time.. like every time he was round them. ;-) (and they deserved it.. Putzes.) lol
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