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It’s not easy for new series to stand out in the vast sea of TV car restoration shows, especially when the content diverts from the classic or muscle-car-centered productions commonly found in the genre. One of the few shows which sorted out those difficulties to make it big was “Vegas Rat Rods”, starring Steve Darnell and his excellent crew of builders and mechanics who were never afraid of turning seemingly rubbish car pieces into powerful and very special rat rods.
While it’s for a fact that Darnell did a great job at turning many viewers into rat rods fans, a huge part of the show’s success comes from its cast and how compelling their on-screen appearances were, especially when it comes to the fan-favorite Twiggy Tallant. So where is Twiggy now, and what are her current projects? Stay here to know all about it!
Where Is Twiggy Now?
Becoming famous surely brings many great things to those involved in the entertainment industry, but sometimes life is more than just appearing in a TV show. That could describe well what is going on with Twiggy Tallant, who in 2014 rose to stardom-ship for appearing in the car-flipping show “Vegas Rat Rods”, but eventually left to improve her welding skills and explore other creative interests.
Nowadays, Twiggy is more than just a wielder though. As seen in her Instagram account @thenerdystripper, she’s been actively creating artistic adult content for several subscription platforms such as Patreon and OnlyFans. Her artistic modeling work can also be purchased through her official website TwiggyTallant.com.
While career modeling seems to be going great for Twiggy, it’s unclear whether she’s still involved in the trades industry. Back when she still appeared in “Vegas Rat Rods”, Twiggy used her original main Instagram account @twiggytallant and a Facebook page of the same name to promote her work in the car industry, including her participation in events and exhibitions. Nevertheless, both accounts stopped being active in 2021, just one year after she announced work on starting her welding workshop.
Whether Twiggy is still welding and pursuing her car passion or is focused on modeling only, it’s for sure that she’s been putting her creative talents and interests to good use.
Why Did She Leave “Vegas Rat Rods”?
Leaving a long-time job and the successful TV show which came with it, surely isn’t an easy decision to take, yet it was what Twiggy Tallant did to take her career several steps ahead.
Such a thing happened in late 2017, when Twiggy left both “Vegas Rat Rods” and WelderUp to improve her welding skill in a certification program taught at the Toronto-based George Brown College, as she announced on Instagram at the time. As seen in a post she shared later in September 2018, Twiggy completed the course, and subsequently took part in car events and exhibitions in both the US and Canada.
Twiggy never returned to Dave Darnell’s crew in WelderUp, instead staying in Toronto to explore her career in the trades there. With that being said, Twiggy’s exit from “Vegas Rat Rods” doesn’t mean that there were any hard feelings between her and her former co-workers and boss.
As she wrote in a Facebook post from October 2018, she deeply appreciated her fellow WelderUp crewmates, affirming that they helped her improve her car and welding skills while she worked in the shop. Twiggy also credited them for inspiring her to further her career in the trades, which only confirms that her exit was on very good terms.
What Are Twiggy’s New Projects About?
Twiggy Tallant is currently focused on many creative projects, which include her modeling career and her entrepreneurial projects. For a start, while Twiggy’s account The Nerdy Stripper might be an unheard of concept by those who got to know about her from her appearances on TV, the truth is that she’d been working on this project long before joining the “Vegas Rat Rods” crew as a fabricator.
As she told “The C-Word” in 2014, The Nerdy Stripper nickname was born from the combination of her passion for cosplaying and love for pole dancing, despite no longer working as a stripper at the time. Later in 2015, Twiggy created secondary social media accounts with her real name on them following Discovery’s request, as the network deemed it more in-brand with her job at “Vegas Rat Rods”.
Though Twiggy was still known as The Nerdy Stripped several years later, it was only around 2020 that she turned it into a creative project, showcasing her love for fashion, make-up, modeling, and horror art, while also making it profitable by offering her content through subscription platforms.
In 2020 Twiggy started Petty n Punk, an online shop which listed her vintage clothing and accessory collections for sale. Though the account was no longer updated after 2021, it was one of those projects which let us see Twiggy’s personal style and fashion sense in detail.
What Happened To “Vegas Rat Rods”?
For several years, “Vegas Rat Rods” was a constant fan-favorite show for the unique customization style of its cast, who weren’t really into shiny cars, but instead preferred to do their magic with rad rods.
Unfortunately, even the greatest things have to end at some point. Though the show was initially meant to release a 5th season in 2020, “Vegas Rat Rods” was never renewed after airing its 4th season in 2019.
While the reasons behind the show’s cancellation aren’t clear, fans can still enjoy Dave Darnell’s works through his YouTube channel WelderUp, which showcases both his adventures around the US as he searches for car parts to recover and the process behind his workshop projects. Though the channel has been active since 2014, it wasn’t until 2019 that Darnell turned it into an active platform, to share tidbits and other aspects of his business rarely seen in “Vegas Rat Rods”.
Though fans still miss “Vegas Rat Rods” and its memorable cast members, the WelderUp channel can help fill that space left by the show.
Did The Business Close Down?
Given “Vegas Rat Rods” sudden and unexplained cancellation after its fourth season, rumors about WelderUp possibly going through some troubles didn’t take long to come. However, all of these worries were unfounded, as nowadays WelderUp is still up and running, just as it was in the good old times.
As seen in Dave Darnell’s social media, he splits his time between working on his rat rods in his Vegas workshop, and searching for parts in barns and junkyards around the country, all of that while creating original content for YouTube. Some of Darnell’s current business projects include a merchandise online store, on top of teaching welding and fabrication courses in his WelderUp headquarters.
As if that wasn’t enough, Darnell officializes rat-rod-styled wedding ceremonies, also renting his customized cars to couples who want to take their tying-the-knot to the next level.
All in all, it seems that every former “Vegas Rat Rods” star is busily pursuing their passions, whether that involves cars or wedding ceremonies in the case of Dave Darnell, or modeling and art as is the case for Twiggy Tallant.
