Started out as a really interesting show about the artistic automotive design philosophy at Steve Darnell's Welderup yard down in Las Vegas. However, as is always the case with these type of shows you need some 'fluffing' to give it a wider appeal or it just ends up as a boring documentary about welders. Therefore, Series 1 was 70% focused on the actual builds with the remaining 30% of airtime dedicated to the personalities at Welderup, which was a reasonable mix in my view. Sadly, Series 2 has flipped that ratio around, so we now have the show based around the personalities and the actual build is lost. This is a classic mistake that we've seen so many times and will be the show's downfall in the long run. People started watching it because it was real-life and inspiring. Now it's just a soap opera. Vegas Rat Rods should be about the cars. Once a production team lose sight of a show's core values they're in trouble. Pity... *** UPDATED 26th May 2017 *** OK, so it looks as though someone down at the production team agreed with the above comments. With Series 3 they've put the actual vehicle build back into the spotlight as it should be. Much improved and a vast improvement.
10 Reviews
OH&S Nightmare....
mijbril4 December 2015
I hope Steve's insurance is up to scratch because the show portrays a custom rat rod shop that is a complete Occupational Heath & Safety nightmare. How someone has not lost a finger, toe or eye, I've no idea.
But perhaps that part of the idea, the notion of customizing the cars to give them the Mad Max / steampunk / post-apocalyptic feel of a rat rod also requires a certain level of commensurate potential disaster in the shop as well.
The show itself is entertaining, focusing on just one car per episode and also being about 40+ minutes per episode allows a lot of interaction with the staff & shows what happens on the build & how they get their parts etc. However, OH&S issues aside, the crew at Welderup seem to take great pride in building a safe to drive rat rod.
You watch a show like this, not to be inspired to build a rat rod in your kitchen, but to be entertained with people that are not boring & cars that are not being (although if you're a hot rod purist, you may be horrified). And on this level, Vegas Rat Rods succeeds.
Are rat rods just a phase or here to stay? No idea, but Steve Darnell does rightly call himself the Picasso of the car world, so if you want a Picasso for your car, Steve Darnell's your man, if you want a pre-Raphelite, go see Danny Koker at Counts Customs ("Counting Cars", an interesting show in its own right).
Though I'm waiting for the day when they customize a Telsa Model S, now that would be a challenge....
But perhaps that part of the idea, the notion of customizing the cars to give them the Mad Max / steampunk / post-apocalyptic feel of a rat rod also requires a certain level of commensurate potential disaster in the shop as well.
The show itself is entertaining, focusing on just one car per episode and also being about 40+ minutes per episode allows a lot of interaction with the staff & shows what happens on the build & how they get their parts etc. However, OH&S issues aside, the crew at Welderup seem to take great pride in building a safe to drive rat rod.
You watch a show like this, not to be inspired to build a rat rod in your kitchen, but to be entertained with people that are not boring & cars that are not being (although if you're a hot rod purist, you may be horrified). And on this level, Vegas Rat Rods succeeds.
Are rat rods just a phase or here to stay? No idea, but Steve Darnell does rightly call himself the Picasso of the car world, so if you want a Picasso for your car, Steve Darnell's your man, if you want a pre-Raphelite, go see Danny Koker at Counts Customs ("Counting Cars", an interesting show in its own right).
Though I'm waiting for the day when they customize a Telsa Model S, now that would be a challenge....
LOVE IT
albert-64-48662426 November 2018
pure crap
portangeles24 August 2015
....this show is the biggest bunch of phony crap on television. I grew up in and around welding shops. You couldn't walk through a real welding/fabrication operation wearing the crap these clowns wear let alone actually do any welding and/or fabrication of any kind. The shorts that chick wears are so short she'd have her snatch lips burned off within 10 minutes working in a real shop. This show is an insult to anybody who's ever got a flash-burn or a face full of grinder sparks. ...just the idea of welders in shorts, tank-tops and tennis shoes ought to result in the idiots at Discovery Channel being forced to stand down wind from a guy doing' a 3/8" carbon-arch scarfing job running about 500 or so amps....with shorts and tank tops on.
we dont need no safety
meltyson6916 April 2019
Seems the case with most of these shows start ok reel you in but then you notice how many times things are repeated,the same story & issues with every build & the silly interpersonal rubbish.Really liked some of the ideas behind the builds but the fake tensions & same ol same ol stories wear thin.Then as mentioned by others the seemingly lack of regard for safety is shocking there's no way it would stay operational if properly audited.T shirts & shorts,no screens or cubicles for welding & grinding is some sort of joke surprised no one has been blinded.Some things are done by guesstimation especially vital things like bolt sizes & threads & vehicles barely sitting on jacks & stands.Become very repetitive & tedious
dumb getting dumber
haroldhecuba13 August 2020
This gets seriously dumber every episode any chances of seeing any decent builds vaporised a long time ago.Now most of the episode is a couple of minutes of build then ages & ages of drawn out stupidity,not to mention the almost total disregard for safety.Then the builds that used to be ok are now just so silly it's like hey just wack some silly chachki's on & it's a rat rod but mainly it's the dumb dialogue on closeup's with make up artists strategically applied faux dirt.
is there a real car show anymore
miltonmunster18 April 2019
Absolute safety nightmare welding & grinding with people milling around & cans of chemicals everywhere & then he puts a flaming rag in a plastic bucket.Then there's a near total disregard for personal safety gear.Pity started out interesting some builds were good & different but it degenerated into total crap where the builds were raw & simple now they're just totally gimmicky & childish with stupid things being tacked on everywhere.
kids stuff
cantstandya1321 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Another overcooked bunch of nonsense that started ok simple concepts & builds but the more of it you see its just all set up.Saw one recently were he apparently found a Peterbilt that was sitting at the wreckers for years,interestingly all the suspension,brakes,diffs,chassis & engine looked suspiciously BRAND NEW.But overall its not just that it's this silly over the topl yeah we'll wack on a couple of childish chachki's & it's gunna look so cool man when it's just silly I'd be embarrassed to drive it.Then there's the clown thing uuuuuuuurrrrrggghhh
OMG this is another show that should be called how to make crap
jglambgary6 April 2020
What is with these shows that take nice cars or trucks spend and obscene amount of money and when their done all your thinking is no one would pay that much for such and ugly car or truck. I mean ugly the other thing that has to be cleared up is this patina crap. You know who clear coats rusty cars and calls it patina people who do not have the ability to pain a car or truck that's who. Anyone who has never painted in their life can spray clear coat on a car and go yeah I kept the patina because it looks so good B/S Rust is rust shiny rust is as ugly as dull rust. The good and great painters can charge more for say and apple red paint job than this guys sells a whole car for that's a fact. I want one show that actually makes beautiful cars or takes and old one and really restores it. These show like Donkey Garage use the excuse of making it different to cover up the fact they can't restore a car the way it was and make a profit because their to slow and sub out most of the work. To this show where he makes garbage look like shiny garbage. Me and my friends restore cars from the 1960's you get in it you would think it was built this year. My neighbor does the old 1940 1950 one's and they look like they just rolled out of the showroom today. We watch these shows and what we see is people who have to cut stuff up because they are just not that good and their stuff is ugly and by the way no fork truck engine is going to give you a hot rod that can fly I almost died when he said I am taking a fork truck engine and this thing is going to fly that was a joke the whole show is a joke
Reality TV bs
soulshinz6 April 2020
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