It appears that we are currently in the Renaissance of reality reboots! Fresh on the heels of TLC announcing they will be relaunching Trading Spaces, Discovery has just revealed they are bringing back father-and-son motorcycle builders Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr. for a brand new season of American Chopper!
From Discovery:
Hold on tight, motorcycle fans! Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr., the world-class motorcycle builders, return to AMERICAN CHOPPER on Discovery Channel. The infamous father-son duo set out reclaim their preeminent bike brands and – hopefully rebuild some sort of relationship. The new season of AMERICAN CHOPPER will premiere in winter 2018 on Discovery Channel. At its peak, AMERICAN CHOPPER averaged a 2.18 P25-54 rating and 3.4M total viewers, ranking as Discovery’s highest-rated original at that time.
Fans of the original series know that Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. had their issues, and those issues eventually led to lawsuits and Paul Jr. eventually launching his own separate fabrication shop near the Orange County Choppers location. And speaking of the Orange County Choppers location, Paul Sr. reportedly spent upwards of $13 million on an incredible facility just before the financial crisis hit. At risk of foreclosure, the property was sold at auction in 2016 for $2,275,000 — although Paul Sr. continues to operate OCC out of the facility.
The new series will also add another generation to the show’s trademark father/son drama as Paul Jr. now has a two-and-a-half-year-old son of his own! Paul Jr.’s wife Rachael gave birth to Hudson Seven Teutul in February of 2015. Hopefully this young face of the future of the Teutul family will help the Pauls find common ground as they work to re-establish one of the most famous brands in the history of the custom motorcycle build industry.
More synopsis of what fans can expect from Discovery:
Paul Sr. and Paul Jr., two of the most legendary chopper craftsmen set out to regain their place atop the high-pressure world of customized bike building. With A-list celebrities, world famous athletes and Forbes 100 businesses as clients, millions of dollars and their brands’ reputations are on the line with every signature build. The two estranged builders also hope to reconcile their infamously fractured relationship.
The Teutuls have been on a wild ride, and it certainly isn’t ending any time soon. Paul Sr. has revamped Orange County Choppers – turning it into a complex with a shop, café, bowling alley, restaurant and of course, the showroom – but all that didn’t come without a hefty price tag and he is feeling the burden of a high overhead and a lack of foot traffic. Meanwhile, Paul Jr. has also felt the sting of a rough economy – with his business built solely on high-dollar custom-builds and commissions becoming tougher to come by, Paul Jr. stresses about the long-term stability of his own shop, Paul Jr. Designs especially now that he has his own family.
The father-son duo vow to begin a new chapter – again and put the past behind them, but now that Paul Jr. has a son, there are more parties involved. Will the Teutuls chopper businesses continue to survive – and even grow or will their complicated father-son relationship pose a threat to their shops?
I should point out that it is currently unknown is Paul Jr.’s brother, fan favorite Mikey Teutul, will be a part of the reboot or not. Here is the latest update on Mikey from Discovery:
After quitting American Chopper in May 2012, Mikey Teutul took some time to regroup, which included refocusing on his health and his family relationships — and yes, that includes his father and his brother, both of whom are back in his life. As part of the simplification of his life, Mikey closed his art gallery in 2014, but continues to paint, play music and do some of his own filmmaking as well as make occasional appearances at conventions or bike shows. Most recently, Mikey appeared in December 2014’s American Chopper: Shaq Bike special with Senior, and is currently engaged in an activity “I can’t speak of yet.” So you’ll just have to stay tuned.
Hmmmm… “an activity ‘I can’t speak of yet.'” That certainly sounds like it could mean the American Chopper reboot! #fingerscrossed I suppose we will all have to wait until winter of 2018 when American Chopper is scheduled to return.
UPDATE – Mikey seems to have spilled the beans that he will be back with a post on Facebook! He shared a link to the reboot announcement and wrote: “It’s great to get the family, and team, back together!
Stay tuned, more to follow!” Woo hoo!
