The Surprising Truth About “American Chopper”
American Chopper premiered in 2003, and viewers were instantly hooked on the successes, failures, and drama surrounding a father and son team running an Orange County motorcycle shop.
The show captured a ton of drama, but there was even more happening when the cameras turned off. Behind the glitz and the celebrity guests, this is the untold truth about American Chopper you didn't get to see.
The Show Wasn't Supposed To Focus On Orange County Choppers
When Discovery Channel was coming up with American Chopper, they had no interest in focusing the show on the Teutel family and their shop.
According to the show's producer, the decision to focus on a motorcycle shop was made the night before shooting.
Paul Sr. Attempted A Hostile Takeover Of The Family Business
Paul Sr. might not have looked like a businessman, but he hit the books, intent on getting his son off the show and out of his shop. Eventually, he found several loopholes in his contract with TLC that would allow him to get Paul Jr. off the show.
He also figured out a way to buy out his son's stake in Orange County Choppers.
He Sued Paul Jr. For One Million Dollars
To get his son out of his life, Paul Sr. sued Paul Jr. for one million dollars.
Paul Jr. hired his own legal team to fight back against his dad. In the end, Paul Sr. lost the lawsuit and nearly lost his son.
Paul Sr. Missed His Son's Wedding
In 2010, Paul Jr. married Rachael Biester, his girlfriend of two years, who he met while filming American Chopper.
Unfortunately, the wedding took place at the same time Paul Sr. was battling Paul Jr. in court. Paul Sr. chose not to attend his son's wedding.
TLC Took Advantage Of Paul Jr.'s Wedding
Leading up to their nuptials, TLC featured Paul Jr. and his bride-to-be on Say Yes To The Dress and Cake Boss.
Having TLC pay for a large portion of the wedding made things easier for the happy couple.
Another Contract Clause
The feud between Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. grew so toxic that the father fired his son.
TLC threatened to end the show if Paul Jr. wasn't re-hired. When Paul Sr. refused, TLC filed a notice of default.
Saving Their Father/Son Relationship
To find peace with each other, Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. mutually agreed to part ways as business partners. Paul Jr. left the business and started his own design firm.
Surprisingly, the two worked this agreement out together. TLC agreed that Paul Jr. could leave the show's main cast so long as he appeared as an independent consultant.
An On-Set Death Put Paul Jr.'s Own Show On Hold
Paul Junior has arguably become more successful than his father since being fired in 2008, but he didn't prosper right away though. A non-compete clause in his OCC contract made it impossible for him to start a competing business for one year.
Tragically, right before Paul was set to finally open his new shop, one of the workers fell through the roof and died.
Paul Jr.'s Business Is Thriving
Leaving his dad behind might have been Paul Jr.'s best decision. His new custom chopper shop found instant success when he opened it.
Video game giant Blizzard even contracted him to design several World of Warcraft-themed bikes, and he's been hired to work on big-budget films in need of motorcycle expertise.
Paul Senior Passed His Addiction Habits Onto His Sons
No one on American Chopper had a bigger personality than Paul Sr. Unfortunately, he also had a problem with addiction and had to go to rehab after 15 years of drinking.
He passed his bad habits onto his sons, and Paul Jr. entered rehab at 16 years old.
Paul Sr. Had An Epic Bender Before Going To Rehab
Knowing he was changing his life for the better in 1985 when Paul Teutul entered rehab, he decided to have one last bender. In his book, Teutul gets into the details of the epic last stand.
Paul Teutul has been clean and sober ever since.
Rumors Arise Of Orange County Choppers' Demise
The show came to an end in 2012. Country Music Television aired a spinoff of the show, but it wasn't a hit.
Despite persistent rumors, Paul Sr. announced in an interview that the shop wasn't closing but moving to a new location. It was later announced that American Chopper was coming out with new episodes in 2018.
The Reboot Almost Didn't Happen
The reboot almost didn't get off the ground.
Producer Craig Piligian had issues with the Teutuls in the past and was not happy about helping run the show, " It wasn’t very much fun, and a lot of bad blood was spilled at the beginning of it all. And now everything’s great."
Paul Sr Was Sued For Fraud In 2018
In 2018, Paul Sr. was sued for fraud. The report alleged the Thomas Derbyshire, "Teutul tried to change their 51/49 percent ownership deal (benefiting Derbyshire) to a 50/50 deal. Derbyshire had agreed to fund the project up to $3 million at that time."
Paul's legal team responded, "Mr. Derbyshire’s interpretation of said events is without merit and with the timing of Orange County Choppers much-anticipated return to television tomorrow night the timing is very suspect of once again untrue allegations."
Paul Went Bankrupt In 2018
One month after being sued for fraud, Paul Teutul filed for bankruptcy. He owed millions of dollars, including one million left on his mortgage.
Teutul reportedly did a terrible job organizing his finances, which ended up hurting him in the long run.
Paul Senior Was The Victim Of A Death Hoax
Paul Sr. took to Facebook to tell his fans that he was alive and well after rumors about his tragic death from a motorcycle accident hit the news circuit. That's not where this story ends, though.
It turns out a fake news site used the death of an actual motorcyclist who bore a resemblance to Paul Sr. to start the rumor.
Another Day, Another Lawsuit
Cody Connelly sued the American Choppers team a few seasons into the show after he quit, but the company and producers continued to use his likeness to sell their product.
Cody didn't win the lawsuit, but he settled with the show's producers out of court for an undisclosed amount of money.
Not All Of Their Chopper Ideas Were Original
When Orange County Chopper teamed up with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to create a wheelchair-accessible chopper, it seemed like a match made in heaven until they were sued by Chris Tavantzsis.
Tavantzis, who suffered from polio, claimed he gave the American Chopper crew the same idea two years before. However, the lawsuit was thrown out of court.
Mikey Left The Company For A "Top Secret Project"
Mikey, Paul Sr.'s other son, was hired by his dad to do maintenance work around the shop but also found himself playing peacemaker a fair amount of the time. He quickly became a fan favorite.
After so many years of playing the middleman, Mikey got fed up and left the company. He has since patched up his broken relationship with his family.
Mikey's Second Passion Is Art
When Mikey got fed up with his family and left American Chopper, he was able to pursue art, and he opened his own art gallery.
He also contributed and sold his own art! In 2014, he closed his gallery and focused on repairing his relationship with his family.
Shaq Got A Custom Chopper Made
Shaquille O'Neal got into the American Chopper business in 2014.
The show returned for a one-night special event where they built the NBA legend a custom chopper, big enough to support Shaq's massive frame.
The Teutuls Love Animals
In 2009, Paul Teutul revealed that he loves animals. Speaking with People Magazine, he revealed he has, "two dogs, Marty and Gus ... plus, 5 miniature horses, 2 miniature donkeys, 2 alpacas, 2 baby doll sheep, 5 goats, and 2 highlander cows."
Teutul knows how to spread the love, too, opening his home to neighborhood kids so they can play with the fluff monsters, "They love the animals. We all do." He's not wrong, folks.
Vincent DiMartino Found His Own Success
Vincent DiMartino had been working at Orange County Choppers for one month when he found out the garage was being turned into a reality show.
Vincent eventually left the garage to start his own, but during the show's final seasons, he appeared on the show to ask Paul Jr. for advice.
Vincent Found His Way Back
When American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior premiered, Vincent came back to help Paul Jr. in his garage.
The new show ran for two seasons before Discovery Channel was forced to cancel it.
The Teutuls Tried To Crowdsource A TV Show
When American Chopper went off the air, the family turned to Patreon to try and crowdsource a new TV show.
They claimed they were having financial hardships and would offer fans the chance to be interviewed on the show.
It Created A New Genre Of Reality Television
Before American Chopper debuted, few reality shows followed the day-to-day lives of ordinary people.
The amount of drama, rough language, and fighting that happened became must-see TV, especially since none of it was scripted.
The Show Inspired One Of 2018's Most Popular Memes
Paul Junior was fired on air in 2008. Ten years later, an image of him throwing a chair at his father became a viral meme.
It's good we can all laugh at the incident today, but when it originally happened, it was funny at all.
Paul Junior Worked On A Ninja Turtles Movie
After being fired, Paul Junior worked on the movie Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Michael Bay, the producer, hired Junior to design one bike. He was so impressed with the work he ended up asking for a second bike.
It was the first time Michael Bay let an artist work without a concept already designed.
The Series Had Its Own Video Game
You know you're popular with the youth when your show gets a video game adaptation. In the early 2000s, Activision released American Chopper on all the major gaming platforms.
Later, a second game was released called Americ Chopper 2: Full Throttle.
Paul Turned To God To Save His Relationship
When his relationship with his future wife went sour early on, Paul Junior gave himself to God and made a vow to be celibate until marriage.
During this time, Rachael became a believer in religion, too, and she made the same vow.
The Teutel's Tried To Open A Restaurant
Around 2011, Paul Sr had the brilliant idea to get into the restaurant industry. Along with his business partner, Carlos Urbaneja, Paul pitched his idea to several investors.
Only one restaurant opened, and it's still in business today despite a 2.7 star Google rating.
Comedy Central Made A Parody Series
Comedy Central tried to get in the American Chopper business with their parody series American Body Shop. The show was created by Sam Greene, and it featured Nick Offerman.
Fans didn't tune in, though, and Comedy Central canceled the show after one year.
The Show Aired 223 Episodes
Over the course of its ten-year run, 223 episodes aired. At its peak, it pulled in nearly four million viewers weekly.
One critical component of the show's sustained success was the endless drama of the Teutul family.
