These Are The Worst Car Shows On TV

“In my head, Discovery Channel’s Street Outlaws and Fastest Cars Of The Dirty South are the same show. One that I’ve never watched beyond a few minutes a couple times when I’ve been slow to change the channel. Stupid, noisy, chaotic...did I say stupid?

“If a barbed-wire tattoo on a flabby white bicep were a TV show, this is what it would look like.”

This documentary/reality TV series claims to offer an insider’s view into the world of underground racing. The show follows engineers and racers as they compete to create the most “stupid, noisy, chaotic” car on the drag strip.

Suggested by: reverberocket

“Graveyard Carz is terrible. At least other ‘reality’ car shows that try to insert plot put some effort into it. Theirs seem like they were written by a four year old and acted out by mechanics who have zero interest in acting.”

The premise of Graveyard Carz is pretty simple: take a rusted old classic and bring it back to life. But, the over-the-top drama and scripted arguments left many commenters with a sour taste in their mouths.

Suggested by: Liam Rathgeber (Facebook)

“It may have been technically about motorcycles, but American Chopper has to be at the top of the list. It was the progenitor of every one of the terrible, formulaic, faux-reality, artificial-deadline-y, overdramatized custom car shop shows that followed, from American Hot Rod all the way to Counting Cars and every steaming pile of boomer-tastic bullshit in between. You can thank the Teutuls for all of it.”

Not a car show, but a bike show instead. Sure, the show is pretty trashy. But without it, we wouldn’t have that meme to enjoy. So I guess you win some, you lose some.

Suggested by: stoke

“Toymakerz. No question. I mistakenly watched an episode recently. I ended up throwing up a little in my mouth. Every single fake ‘reality show’ element packed into this garbage. I hope the owner of the shop is not like this in real life and it’s just a TV persona.”

In yet another documentary-style reality show, David Ankin, a former stunt man and motorbike racer has opened a mechanics shop. In his new shop, he sets out to build “unique toys for big boys,” and I assume chaos ensues.

Suggested by: David Gray (Facebook)

“It’s not on anymore but I would like to nominate Chop Shop: London Garage. That show was like watching a train wreck every episode. I’m shocked it was never picked up by TLC.”

Oh hey, a trashy car show heralding back to where I’m from! In this series on Discovery UK, Bangladeshi coach builder Nizamuddin Awlia and mechanic Bernie Fineman set out to create one-off cars for famous faces. The usual audacious builds and high-stakes follow, but with fewer weird accents.

Suggested by: whatthehellisgracielawdoinghere

“Rust to Riches is Netflix-grade crap. With 4k, you can see how badly these poor cars are slapped together. And they throw around astronomical prices that make it even less believable. The whole thing makes Pimp My Ride look like a quality program.”

Remember Mark Towle? He’s the guy that made a name for himself manufacturing replica Batmobiles and Speed Racer Mach 5s. Well, he has a TV show too. In it, he and a crew of mechanics tries to restore and trade cars until they can make a million bucks.

Suggested by: Eric Seeger (Facebook)

“Pimp My Ride was awful. “Let’s add a whole bunch of things to a car that people will never use, and will probably break after a week anyways!”

“I also remember also that it also aired in Canada on MusiquePlu, the French language counterpart to MuchMusic, subtitled and under the name “Pimp mon Char”and was just as awful in French as it was in English (though funnier because they had to translate a bunch of stupid slang and whatnot).”

The answer you were all here for, Pimp My Ride. This show was notorious for its bodge jobs, half-arsed restorations and shady off-screen practices. But, they did fit a hot tup to a VW bus that one time, so we all kept watching.

Suggested by: forkish

“Rust Valley Restorers is pretty bad. All the fixes are done off camera and they think the drama is enough to hold a show. I think they just shop out most all the work.”

This one is definitely more drama than car show. In the series, a trio of mechanics tries to restore a “field of dreams” full of old cars. Along the way they get sidetracked into projects for friends, lose parts and shout at each other.

Suggested by: @cficare (Twitter)

“I hate Bitchin’ Rides. Dave Kindig is an absolute goon and they all try to be comedians. They’re not funny, we just wanna see the cars.”

I’ve not heard of this one, but I might have to give it a watch this weekend just to see how this guy’s beard holds up.

Suggested by: Kyle Carpenter (Facebook)

“Aside from what’s been mentioned, I’d nominate Netflix’s Fastest Car series. Sleepers VS Supercars. There’s only one problem. The sleepers.....aren’t sleepers. They are full on dragstrip sluts, and it’s not hiding it. Those are cars you cannot drive on the street! So who gives a shit? Apart from that, EVERY contestant had some sob story we had to sit through to add...I don’t know...substance?

“A TRUE sleeper is something like a 1989 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser with an Olds 455 installed but hiding under all the OE stuff like air cleaners and whatever. Or a car like one I built a few years back, a 1989 Ford Crown Victoria with a 5.0 HO swap, and a super sneaky nitrous setup plumbed into the back of the intake plenum using the cruise switches on the steering wheel to work it. THAT’S a sleeper. Resume/Accel meant GO BABY GO!”

It’s a fun premise for a show, but it tries to add stakes that don’t exist and pit individuals against each other, even though they would probably all get along just fine. Oh, and the whole “not being a sleeper” thing that 46mod says, that’s annoying too.

Suggested by: 46mod