I am getting really tired of all the mud slinging on the latest incarnation of the American Chopper show.
As it stands now, the lawsuit is done; Senior and Junior came to an agreement which included Jr. getting his web bike back. There was even a moment of uneasy friendliness between the two as Junior went to his old digs and picked up the web bike.
Now, all the Teutul kids are still keeping Sr. at arms length claiming it is best to keep some distance. Jr. wonders if his father is going to make an attempt to be friendly, Sr. is blaming Jr. because Mikey won’t talk to him. Mikey says he will talk to Sr.with a therapist. Sr. said he would go fishing with any of the kids of his and just forget the past.
This is all like a motorcycleversion of All My Children.
THE FALLING APART OF THE TEUTULS WAS, IN SOME ASPECTS, A BLESSING IN DISGUISE.
Mikey is sober now and has his own business. Where would he be right now if the falling apart had not occurred? Passed out on his dad’s couch again? He certainly would not be a business owner with some direction in his life.
Jr. has his own business, he has a simply drop dead gorgeous wife and he has a home that looks just fantastic. Jr. mended fences with Vinnie, and the two are working together and are successful.
Jr. got to prove he could do it on his own. The consulting thing was not HIS thing. Maybe the struggling he goes through to keep his business solvent reminds him of the struggles Sr. had to go through to keep multiple businesses going.
Vinnie left because of the chaos but he has his own business, he works with Jr. again, is in the limelight again (for better or for worse) and all of them got to tell their side of the story on television.
I don’t get Vinnie’s attitude toward Senior. Vinnie got to travel the world on Sr.’s dime. Had thousands of dollars of worth of free tools given to him, and even got to build his own bike at cost. The Teutul’s even shingled his house for him. There seemed to be type of family dynamic at times, a good friendship between all of them.
I understand not wanting to work in a war zone, but now Vinnie works with Junior and they have to talk about senior and the problems week after week. THAT would suck, coming to work day after day to face a build, deadlines, and know that the same old crap is going to get rehashed again, and again, and again, and with camera’s in his face as well.
Truth be known, the show that helps pay the bills, and gives both shops all the publicity, is also keeping the feud going by keeping the stress going.
If I could offer one piece ofadvice to all the Teutul’s that they would all hear, it would be this: “mend fences before someone dies.”
Okay that sounds weird, I know that, but anyone of us could go at anytime and if one of the main characters of the Teutul drama would end up being laid to rest, then all the recriminations would be present in the news.
Imagine Jr, or Mikey tellingDiscovery that they regret not having made amends when they could have. Or Senior regretting not talking to Jr. when he could have.
For my point of view, it seems that Senior is making a pretty fair attempt to let it all go. I can understand also, that Mikey is defending his brother and may be wondering how building bridges with senior would affect things with junior. It’s time to let it all go.
I can understand how Paulie visiting his father would be difficult at first. Jr designed the logo that is prevalent on everything Sr has. That logo is on everything associated with Orange County Choppers and is recognized the world over and because of getting fired, and all the legal action, Jr has no legal association with his logo.
I can also understand that Paulie may still be smarting from the years of aggravation and the multiple lawsuits. But now that it is all over, forget about it. All these grown men are acting like stubborn five year olds.
For the average viewer such as me, I am tired of the drama. I love the skill of the two teams. I love seeing a new bike week after week, but I hate how the format of the show has changed from bike building at first, to celebrity bike builder status, to family drama with a few bikes thrown in for good measure.
I started watching all those years ago, because I wanted to see how a motorcycle was built. Then we were introduced to Nub and his genius with paint. Mikey then came in, and we were introduced to Rick, and Cody, and Vinnie. And we saw bikes being built.
I was also watching shows like American Hot Rod, Monster Garage, Biker Build off and All the Jesse James specials that highlighted his building skills, and they boy is skilled, quite different, but skilled nonetheless.
I also watch shows like Son’s of Guns, and American Guns. These shows are also a Discovery channel reality series, like American Choppers. But these shows are focused on building guns.
All these shows had certain themes in common but I want to see the BUILD, not the family drama. Senior criticizing a build is part of what a boss does. But the family drama and the crying was not what I tuned in to see.
The builders were hired to build. I enjoyed watching Orange County Choppers move from small shop to a bigger shop and eventually on to the world headquarters. But in watching week to week and enjoying the building and painting skills, I also had to endure the drama. The throwing of tools, the stomping off and leaving team members short handed on a time strapped build, was wrong.
There were times when I wanted to write in and ask the producers to get both the Teutul’s a set of boxing gloves and watch Senior destroy Junior then tell him to “get back to work.”
My kids used to watch the show with me, and were shocked by all the bleeping that had to be done in some episodes. They understood those bleeps were “bad words” but they were surprised at how many per show.
All in all though, I have enjoyed the show. I have watched many fine bikes being built and roll out of O.C.C. and I can see some more mighty fine bikes spring from P.J.D. I have watched the show from episode one and I guess like a soap opera addict, I will keep tuning in.
I want to now see not only what the bike is that is being built, but I want to see Rick visit P.J.D. I also want to see how the family drama eventually works out. I also want to see Paul Jr. be successful. I want to see how Mikey’s business does, and will Sr. ever get a painting?
I also want to see Vinnie take charge on a project and work it from conception, to unveil. I am more than sure he has learned quite a bit about designing since the Mikey & Vinnie bike.
With lawsuits from Cody, and Justin Barnes, plus the default on his building payments, just how much longer will O.C.C be in business?
Well……until Wednesday for the next installment, later.
