No matter how entertaining they are, we all know that reality TV shows are not, well, real. Fan's hearts were broken when former reality stars of MTV's Laguna Beach and The Hills revealed that the shows were scripted and featured fake relationships after the shows ended. But now another MTV show of the 2000's is making headlines for not really being what it appeared to be.
Former contestants from MTV's Pimp My Ride revealed that the cars customized to be built for a boss were actually really fake or just didn't work at all.
Pimp My Ride became one of the must-see shows on MTV when it first aired in 2004. Hosted by the rapper Xzibit, contestants would receive dramatic car makeovers to transform their piece of junk to a pimped out palace.
Beat-up cars were given sleek paint jobs and the crew at West Coast Customs added features that included lights, TV screens, gaming systems, pool tables, chandeliers and chocolate fondue fountains.
But things behind the scenes weren't so sweet. Contestants came forward claiming that their new rides actually broke down in a few days, if they even lasted that long.
And if their car didn't break down then it wasn't like they really got to keep all the new features. In a Reddit AMA, contestant Justin Dearinger said "they actually take out a lot of the stuff that they showed on TV."
MTV removed the "pop-up" champagne in his pimped out Toyota Rav4 because of course the show couldn't allow drinking and driving, as well as the custom "drive-in theater" because it wasn't safe to drive around with.
Another contestant sold his car after only one month of being on the show because of problematic mechanics.
The shows co-executive producer Larry Hochberg said that some of the features were removed for safety reasons and when cars broke down, he would send out a tow truck and personally go help the contestants. "I made sure that things were fixed on cars that needed fixing," he said.
Seth Martino, another contestant, said the TV screens in his car never worked after the episode was over, and they didn't leave room for a top for his cotton candy machine in the truck so strands went everywhere.
He also said that MTV's producers chose the cotton candy feature because of his size. "I know I'm fat, but they went the extra mile to make me look extra fat by telling the world that I kept candy all over my seat and floor just in case I got hungry," he said.
Of course there were some exaggerations. "I sat there and watched them dump out two bags of generic candy. I did not have any candy all over my car. That was completely fabricated for the story."
Not only when it came to the pimped out features, but also to the acting. Contestant Jake Glazer said the reaction shots were filmed multiple times. "I remember this very clearly, Big Dane, very big dude, he like puts his arm around my shoulder, kind of walks me around the shop for like 10 minutes and he's like, 'Listen, we put a lot of work into this... we expect you to be a little more f****** enthusiastic.'"
Another contestant was given the suggestion to break up with his girlfriend, well because that would make for a better pimp on TV.
Yo dawg, that's just messed up.
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[PHOTO CREDIT: Phillip Pessar/Flickr]
