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Car-flipping TV shows come and go all the time, some leaving an unerasable mark on their audiences, while others are quickly forgotten. While it’s too early to see in which category Netflix’s “Tex Mex Motors” fits, there’s no denying that the show’s first season left such a good impression, that viewers wouldn’t dare to say no to a new season or even many more.
Though “Tex Mex Motors” delivers lots of good vintage car restorations, and has an excellent and experienced cast to be proud of, the show also raised eyebrows by sharing a glimpse into the workings of the automotive industry near the US and Mexican border.
However, does “Tex Mex Motors” show the reality of this industry, or could it be staged, and what’s up with the show’s cast? Stay here to know it all!
Is The Show Real?
Fixing, rebuilding, and restoring cars is no child’s play, so it’s not surprising when car fans worry about the quality of the genre of automotive-flipping shows, every time a new TV production is announced.
Netflix’s “Tex Mex Motors” isn’t safe from being questioned the same way, especially given how the show features some eyebrow-raising scenes related to the trading car business on the US-Mexican border, and the authorities’ role in it.
Overall, it’s safe to say that “Tex Mex Motors” showcases real scenes and car restorations, but a thing or two was changed to make it more appealing to the audience. As seen in a video shared by the show’s star, Rob ‘Rabbit’ Pitts on YouTube, he and his co-stars all worked in their own separate car businesses before being called to appear in “Tex Mex Motors”. As he recalled, the time he and his fellow cast members spent in El Paso, Texas, was truly memorable, but their time together ended once they returned to their normal lives away from the TV cameras.
While this in no way confirms any of the common online theories about staged or scripted scenes, it makes it apparent that the business “Tex Mex Motors” is centered around was always planned to be temporal, which certainly isn’t in tune with the show’s premise of turning a struggling car dealership into a successful business. However, the rest of the ‘reality’ aspects of the show seem to be more genuine.
Junkers turn into jewels when they're in the hands of these pros.
Here's everything you need to know about Tex Mex Motors, a new series streaming now.https://t.co/YKcrqLTyuR
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) June 16, 2023
How Did The Show Come To Be?
Creating a show is not an easy task, even when big networks and production companies are involved with it. In the case of “Tex Mex Motors”, the initial concept for the show went through many changes, and so took some time before becoming a reality.
As Rob Pitts affirmed in a video on his YouTube channel, the original idea for the show was brought up to him around 2016, when he, Marcos ‘Scooter’ Carrera, and some other car experts were contacted by a production company to film a demo of a show which was supposed to be soon-to-be-sold. Though the show’s early concept included being filmed near the US-Mexican border, the show was at stand-by for many years, as everyone except Rob and Scooter remained on board the project.
Later on, almost all hopes of seeing the project come to fruition were lost as the production team faced many difficulties related to the COVID-19 contingency, leading Rob to consider accepting other offers to appear on TV. Much to his surprise, the unthinkable happened when Nextflix bought the project, and put together an entire team of experts, including Rob and Scooter, to finally make it a reality.
The summer of 2022 saw “Tex Mex Motors” scenes being filmed both in Mexico and the US, taking almost a year in post-production before it finally premiered in June 2023.
Who’s In The Show?
Although many stars of “Tex Mex Motors” are new faces on TV, the most dedicated gearheads would surely recognize a couple of faces from other car-centered shows. Here’s a summary of who each of them are, and what other projects they have outside the show:
Scooter & Rabbit
Even though “Tex Mex Motors” is the first time on TV for Marcos ‘Scooter’ Carrera and Rob ‘Rabbit’ Pitts, they aren’t new to the car business at all. For his part, Scooter is a seasoned vintage car enthusiast who is established both in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.
While Scooter’s day-to-day job is as a producer and radio host, his inherent talent for finding and trading vintage cars was what landed him a spot in the show. As he recalled during an interview with Juarez Digital, the initial concept for “Tex Mex Motors” was born in 2016, when he showed pics of his car-hunting business to a US-based producer, who was immediately on board with the project.
On the other hand, Rabbit is also a car trader, but based in South Carolina, where he’s popular not only for his business Rabbit’s Used Cars, but also for being a radio host. His similarities with Scooter don’t end there though, as Rabbit is also a producer of his own YouTube channel, which to date has over 120,000 subscribers, and just keeps growing.
Even though the show is the first time Scooter and Rabbit worked together, the many similarities between the pair made them quite a good team.
Other “Tex Mex Motors” cast members with no TV experience are the master fabricator and Zachary Customs owner Wesley Zachary, and the shop’s apprentice Jenicio Adame.
Mike and Jaime
If you have been paying attention to car-flipping shows in the last decade, then you can surely recall the faces of Mike Coy and Jaime Hjelm.
In the case of Mike, he’s by far the most TV knowledgeable of the “Tex Mex Motors” cast, having plenty of experience from appearing in several seasons of the internationally-famous “Fast N’ Loud”, centered in the also Texas-based Gas Monkey Garage owned by car-guru Richard Rawlings. Just as in his old show, Mike’s highly skilled painting techniques are a big part of the success of every project in “Tex Mex Motors”, while his charisma on-screen turns him into an instant fan-favorite.
On the other hand, Jaime Hjelm also has her fair share of experiences in car-flipping TV shows, appearing in series such as “Bitchin’ Boot Camp” and “Bitchin’ Rides”, working for the wildly famous Kindig It Design. Her skills as an engine specialist and owner of the Illinois-based repair shop Wicked Wrench Co., have gained her a stable spot at the annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) shows.
So long before her TV appearances gained her fans around the world, Jaime was already an up-and-coming name in the Illinois local car scene, for her low-ride builds and constant features in magazines, which date back as early as 2000.
Will There Be A Second Season?
So far news about a possible “Tex Mex Motors” second season hasn’t been revealed, but it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that the show might be renewed. Even considering the many questions and doubts about the show’s legitimacy, the many positive comments on the show’s social media accounts make it evident that “Tex Mex Motors” has gained the approval of its audience for sure, hugely increasing the probability of getting a second season.
Other than that, the show has also landed other professional opportunities for its stars, such as promoting their individual businesses, increasing their following online, or even gaining them acting gigs. The latter is the case for Marcos ‘Scooter’ Carrera, who in June 2023 told Juarez Digital that he was working on an upcoming film, a job which was partially landed thanks to his “Tex Mex Motors” fame.
All in all, it’s still unclear what the future has in store for the show, but it has left a good impression on many people, and played in favor of its stars.