TV: "AMERICAN CHOPPER" FOR REAL ??

EAch of the principles are paid over 2 million per year to play their respective roles. 2 Years ago this show was hitting a wall in ratings until the feud reinigorated it.You figure it out.

My personal opinion is that the show should be unsustainable because their products(motorcycles) are all alike while some real designers out there arent on the tube.
Id rather see "bike Buildoff" where they feture two different builders working on a theme, build theoir own interpretations of that theme.

Most of these damn "reality buildoff" shows, have a gimmick, in that they are always running late. This is the most stupid overused gimmick in any motor show, be it car customizing to boat or bike buildoffs.

I hope the cable networks can come up with something better or Im out in my studio.

Plausible; I tend to agree with u.

What was the source of the $2,000,000 figure?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Chopper

I dont think that anyone spends this much on legal as a gimmick to raise ratings. Interesting stuff...back when I used to watch tv regularly I like this show, and it seemed like father and son had real problems working together.

The personality dynamics were interesting,
but authentic?? or just venality-based soap opera ?

I can 't judge that for sure.





David

How many family members who actually can resolve their dispute put these disputes into the legal system where they need to pay lawyers and where they must allow a judge to decide things? How was it in JR's interest to get fired and then need to follow a non compete agreement for a year thus not allowing him to work in his craft for a year?

And the premise that this was done for ratings is BS, as when JR got fired they were both sued for default by the production company. This was not good news for the owners of the show.

The dad is playing it up, IMHO. He's so deep into his troglodyte stereotype and ham acting that it's clear to me that it's all for show.

[Edit: OK...I'm 110% wrong. And here's what really has gone down:]

Paul Jr. leaves Orange County Choppers

"Following regular disagreements with his father, Paul Jr. was fired from the shop in late 2008. In January 2009, TLC served a notice of default due to Paul Jr.'s absence. Paul Jr. then returned to OCC briefly as a contractor, but left finally in April 2009 in order to start his own design firm, Paul Jr. Designs.[1] Paul Sr. then exercised a contractual option to purchase Paul Jr.'s 20% share in OCC, and subsequently filed a lawsuit to force the buyout. The case remains ongoing while a valuation of OCC is performed.[2]
On December 14, 2010, Paul Jr. won his appeal of a lower court ruling forcing him to sell his 20% ownership of OCC to Paul Sr. Jr's appeal asked that the agreement to sell be ruled invalid, so Jr will continue to own 20% of OCC until a fair selling price is agreed to. Jr has also filed a counter-suit laying out massive fraud on Sr's part in dealing with Jr's interests at OCC. The suit seeks $10,000,000 in damages along with court ordered controls over the company's finances to prevent further fraud.
After a one year non-compete clause ended, Paul Jr. opened a motorcycle shop in April 2010. TLC then commissioned a 7th series titled American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior which features both OCC and Paul Jr. Designs."

Cancellation & Senior vs. Junior
"On February 6, 2010, TLC announced that American Chopper's season finale scheduled for February 11 would also mark the end of the series,[7] stating, "The Teutuls will always be a part of the Discovery family and we congratulate them on a tremendously successful series run."[8] On April 7, however, TLC announced the Teutuls would return for a new series. The new American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior chronicles the aftermath of Paul Jr.'s departure from OCC and his construction of a new custom chopper shop across the street from younger brother Dan's Orange County Iron Works.[9] It premiered August 12, 2010. The series returned to the Discovery Channel in December 2010, the network it originally debuted on."

The current promos r saying that there r 5 new episodes left,
which will begin later this month.

That leaves me to wonder
what happens after the 5th ep ?????

Is that the end ???

I think it gets chopped off!

Seriously, they ought to stop this fiasco before they kill each other. Is there anything worse than watching a family led by a despotic egomaniac, being corrupted by financial success and then allowing it (and blind ambition) to ruin the bond that his family had?

The dad's demeanor appears to come from a fear-based personality.

In one of the new promos,
it shows him hitting his son Mike in the face,
but again, this may all be a joke on us
to raise interest in the show and sell more product. That is a powerful motivator.
"$trike while the iron is hot."





David

We know from an old picture that Paul Sr and Jr.
look exactly alike at the same age.
It is as if Sr. is fighting with himself, at a younger age;
his mirror image.





David

You seem to want to do what I am prone to doing - to psychoanalyze this muddle. In fact in one of the promo ads, Paul Sr. was saying about the two of them will be attending (or returning to?) a shrink session together. More hype or for real?

When it's clear what is circus and what is real, I'd be interestred in learning what makes these two tick. In the meanwhile, it's still got some of my (and that certain TV audience's niche) TV-watching attention. But it's not nearly what it once was when it was fresh and novel. I think that this one-trick pony's cart has lost a wheel.

Remembering that now it's 2 millionaires squabbling about who gets what and who controls what.

I wonder whether it is scheduled to continue
beyond 5 new episodes or not.





David

I thought the link from Wiki told us that? Well, as the saying on TV ads goes, tune in and find out.

It was cancelled and later brought back to life.

Did it say anything about
what happens after the next 5 episodes ?

unknown.

For whatever it's worth, here's a recent excerpt where Paul Sr. gets an invite to his son's wedding:

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/american-chopper-torn/pnzxqke?q=American+Chopper:+Senior+vs.+Junior+&FROM=LKVR5&GT1=LKVR5&FORM=LKVR15