[ad_1]
American Chopper was a pioneering reality TV show that first hit television screens in September 2002. It was one of the first-of-its-kind reality TV show that followed a documentary-style production centered on a business and its key personnel, following their interactions with their clients, each other, and the company’s various builds and projects. Originally on-air from 2002 to 2009, it also had spinoffs such as American Chopper: Senior vs Junior (2010-2012) and Orange County Choppers (2013-2014). The series focused on Paul Teutul Sr. and his son Paul Teutul Jr. and their motorcycle manufacturing company called ‘Orange County Choppers’ based in the town of Newburgh, New York. Famous for the heated arguments between Paul Sr. and Paul Jr., it made the show extremely popular and gave rise to several memes on the internet. Here are some facts about the original cast of American Chopper and what they’ve been up to today.
Paul Teutul Sr. Now Lives In Florida
Paul Teutul Sr. founded Orange County Choppers and was an integral member of the show’s cast. Besides the cool choppers the shop built, his heated arguments with his son Paul Jr, led to the show’s great popularity among the audiences. After the Orange County Choppers’ cancelation, Paul continued to run the company. In 2017, Thomas Derbyshire, a business partner, sued Paul Sr. alleging that he used the money Thomas invested in the show for his personal use. Paul Sr. filed for bankruptcy in 2018 with the release of the American Choppers reboot. He moved to Florida and announced that Orange County Choppers, which had been based in New York state since its inception, was now going to be based out of Florida. He founded OCC Roadhouse and Museum in Florida which is a restaurant and a concert venue alongside a museum.
Paul Teutul Jr. Moved On To Better Things
With his fiery departure from OCC and American Chopper, Paul Jr. founded his own design firm in 2009 called ‘Paul Jr. Designs’ in Montgomery, New York. After waiting out a year of his non-compete agreement following his termination at OCC, PJD started building and working on motorcycles, serving as a direct competitor for OCC. He has since partnered up with Blizzard Entertainment for Aezeroth Choppers, a web series in 2014 where PJD created motorcycles for their popular game World Of WarCraft. PJD also built two motorcycles for Paramount Pictures’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of Shadows in 2016. He lives in Montgomery, New York with his wife and son.
Michael Teutul Followed His Creative Passions
Michael ‘Mikey’ Teutul is the youngest son of Paul Sr. with his first wife Paula Teutul. Mikey joined OCC as an assistant general manager and helped around the shop. In the show, Mikey often served as comedic relief and strived to maintain peace amidst the tense relationship between Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. He left the OCC to focus on himself and mending his relationship with his father. He struggled with alcoholism and checked himself into rehab. Mikey opened an art gallery and started a company called ‘FarQueue’ LLC dealing in Pasta Sauces. He returned to work; pitching in and helping around both OCC and PJD. Currently, he is working on his own creative projects.
Vincent ‘Vinnie’ DiMartino Established His Own Businesses
Vinnie left OCC in 2007 to start his own motorcycle shop called VForce Customs in Rock Tavern, New York. He also worked as an outside consultant on various projects for Paul Jr. and PJD. He joined PJD in 2010 whilst still running V-Force customs and appeared in the show American Chopper: Senior vs Junior. Vincent then got out of the motorbike business and closed VForce customs. He started another company called DiMartino Motorsports in 2013, working on cars and trucks in Walden, New York.
Rick Petko Works On Bikes And Knives
Despite the subsequent split of the core OCC duo, Rick Petko maintained good relations with both Paul Sr. and Jr. However, when Paul Jr. left OCC, Rick stayed back and continued to work with Paul Sr. Both Teutuls were invited to his wedding in 2012. He now works as the chief fabricator for Pocono Mountain Harley-Davidson whilst running a small forge out of his home called RPD & Co. He has two daughters.
Cody Connelly Maintains A Low Profile
Cody, who started off at OCC as a 14-year-old intern instantly became a fan favorite. Despite lacking in age, he was more than impressed with his superior skills. In 2007, Cody left OCC to join Vinnie DiMartino at V-Force customs. However, Cody returned to work with Paul Jr. at PJD. He currently works away from motorcycles at a utility company.
The Show Returned For A Two-Hour Special
The Teutul father and son duo returned after almost a decade since the cancelation of the original series for a final two-hour episode named ‘The Last Ride’ on Discovery in 2020. The special saw them collaborate on a motorcycle after a decade for ABC Supply Company with an eight-week deadline.
FAQ
Q: What is Paul Teutul Jr doing now?
After waiting a year for his non-compete agreement with OCC, Paul Jr. started building bikes with his own company, Paul Jr. Designs
Q: Is OCC still in business?
Yes, Orange County Choppers now operate out of Florida
Q: Who owns the OCC Black Widow bike?
Paul Sr. gave the Black Widow bike to his son Paul Jr. when he split from the business
Q: What streaing service is American Chopper on?
You can stream episodes of American Chopper on Discovery+
[ad_2]
Source link
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.