Starting in 2003, American Chopper dominated reality television for ten years, giving a
look at the inside workings of Orange County Choppers with a mix of competition and drama
that provided a model for all reality shows that have followed.
Unlike most so-called reality shows, though, the fighting, cursing, crying, welding, and
painting on American Chopper was real.
Here's a look at the untold truth of American Chopper.
Drinking and welding
In his book The Ride of a Lifetime, Paul Teutul, Sr. discusses his 15-year drug and alcohol
addiction, which ended when he went to rehab on the advice of his wife in 1985.
He wrote,
"Somehow, she talked me into going into rehab, something I thought I'd never do.
But I wanted to have one last good drunk.
So the day before I was set to go into rehab, I got totally plastered.
I drank a half-gallon of wine, a pint of brandy, and I took six Valiums."
While Paul Sr. was ultimately able to stop his drinking, his sons Mikey and Paul Jr.
both had issues with drugs and alcohol, with Paul Jr. going to rehab at age 16.
Father-son feud
Fights between the Pauls were a regular occurrence on the show, driving much of the onscreen
drama.
But the most heated argument ever captured on camera happened in 2009, when a chair-throwing
Paul Junior was dressed down by his father for sleeping on the job and showing up late.
It seemed like the perfect reality TV show plotline — but this wasn't scripted drama.
Paul Senior actually fired his son, which opened a whole new can of worms, because the
show's contract stipulated that Paul Junior had to be involved.
The network, TLC, filed a notice of default, forcing Paul Senior to bring Paul Junior back
as a contractor so he could stay on the show without technically working for his dad.
But then things got even uglier.
The new contract had a clause that allowed Paul Senior to buy out his son's stake in
Orange County Choppers.
Junior refused, and dad sued him for a million dollars.
Junior took him to court and won, retaining his stake in the company, but the two eventually
decided it would be better for their relationship if they just stopped working together entirely.
A tragic accident
In 2010, Paul Junior branched out and opened his own custom motorcycle shop, Paul Junior
Designs.
But the business began under a dark cloud.
Shortly after opening, a man contracted by the building's owner to repair the roof fell
and died.
In a statement, Paul Junior said,
"This was a tragic accident and, although I've never met this man, my deepest condolences
and prayers go out to his family and friends."
Wedding snub
In 2010, Paul Junior married Rachael Biester, a model he'd met on an episode of American
Chopper.
In advance of their wedding, the couple appeared on TLC's show Say Yes to the Dress, and even
met with a chef from TLC's Cake Boss to really hammer home the fact that TLC pretty much
owns these people.
One person, however, did not attend Paul and Rachael's wedding: Paul Senior, who skipped
the event even though he was invited.
Ouch.
Case of stolen idea
In 2014, a Florida man named Christ Tavantzis sued the two Pauls and Orange County Choppers
for copyright infringement.
Tavantzis, who suffered from polio and was wheelchair-bound until his death in February
2016, claimed that he pitched the idea of a handicap-accessible, three-wheel motorcycle
to members of the shop at a bike show in 2008.
Tavantzis contended that this bike, which the American Chopper team built at the beginning
of 2010 in conjunction with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, was a ripoff of his
original idea, for which Tavantzis held a patent.
"I honestly mean from the bottom of my heart that we're are honored to do this bike.
It's all about giving back, so we're doing this."
As of the making of this video, the case is still making its way through the court system.
Sidekicks gone wild
While his father and brother were settling their differences onscreen and in court, younger
son Mikey shifted his energies from Orange County Choppers to other schemes.
In November 2010, he opened Wolf Gang Gallery, an art gallery that showcased, among other
works, his own paintings.
A year after he opened the gallery, Mikey launched a line of gourmet pasta sauces under
the company name FarQueue Products, which carried flavors like Porcine Orgy Sausage
Supreme.
One of the show's other loveable sidekicks didn't have such a pleasant end to his time
with Orange County Choppers.
Shop-hand Cody Connelly was a regular in the show's early days, and at one point was given
a chopper for all his hard work, which he helped design.
However, Cody later filed a lawsuit for $250,000 in damages, claiming he never received the
chopper, and that Orange County Choppers continued to use his likeness on promotional materials
after he'd left the company.
He eventually settled out of court and returned to the show — but working for Paul Junior
instead.
Rumors and lies
In recent years, Orange County Choppers has been dogged by persistent rumors that the
company is in dire financial straits and headed for foreclosure.
When word got out that their headquarters was being sold, Paul Senior had to go on the
radio to assure fans that they were doing fine.
Around the same time as the foreclosure rumors started swirling, strange reports surfaced
suggesting Paul Senior had died in a motorcycle accident.
According to Snopes.com, on April 18, 2016, the website Iron Demons doctored a real article
about another man's death in a motorcycle crash in Louisiana to make it look like it
was Paul Sr.'s death.
The rumors went viral, prompting Orange County Choppers to post a rebuttal on Facebook.
The show may be dead for now, but its stars, at least, are still alive and kicking.
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