Anyone watch this show on Discovery? I have to say, it is probably the only 'realty' TV show that I do enjoy. Anyhow, looks like the lads are off to OZ for 3 shows. Could be fun!
Roaring into Oz
'American Chopper's' dysfunctional family of super-mechanics soak up the scenery around Sydney
Published on August 9, 2007
Easy Rider: Russell Crowe and the Teutuls explore Australia on choppers.
Bangkok has long had a serious love affair with motorbikes. Hundreds of thousands roam the city's streets day and night, but few, if any, are as cool as the bikes built by the Teutuls.
Tonight, fans of Paul Teutul Sr and his two sons, Paul Jr and Mikey, can tune into the latest series of Discovery Channel's global hit "American Chopper" to join these larger-than-life characters on their working vacation Down Under as they research ideas to build an Australia-themed bike.
First question: Will the new bike look like a kangaroo and move at the speed of a koala?
"I think it was a little difficult to take a whole country and put it into a bike," says Paul, aka Junior or Paulie in the show.
"But being that we had such good experiences there, they kind of all pulled together. And we came up with a really nice bike."
For those who haven't been following the show, "American Chopper" is a reality television series profiling the lives of the super-mechanics behind Orange County Choppers, creators of the world's most outrageous custom motorcycles. Among their back catalogue are the "Black Widow Spider", "Carroll Shelby" and the "Jet".
What fuels "American Chopper" and has turned it into a cult show is the garage drama. Junior has a reputation for arriving late, taking long lunch breaks, leaving unexpectedly without informing anyone and not cleaning up the shop on a regular basis.
Paul Sr, has his own personality quirks, and is not reticent when it comes to expressing his opinion of Junior's work ethic.
Mikey sometimes has a problem with authority. When annoyed, he has been known to hack up a whole chopper. The contrasting attitudes of these men and their propensity for sulking often leads to fiery but humorous verbal exchanges as they meet unusually tight deadlines to finish their custom choppers.
The three Teutuls flew from New York to Sydney in February.
On "Australia 1", which airs tonight on Discovery Channel at 7pm, the family goes walkabout in the "land down under".
As the spirit of Australia forces them out of their comfort zone in New York, the guys catch some waves with Australian surfer Jessi Miley-Dyer.
With the adrenaline pumping, the they scramble their way up to dizzying heights climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with Mikey almost succumbing to vertigo.
The Teutuls get a surprise invitation from Russell Crowe to tour his farm, where they saddle up for some backcountry bushwhacking, and receive the proposal from the actor to build that Australia-themed chopper.
"Yes, Russell Crowe looks cool riding a chopper," affirms Paul Sr.
"We had dinner with him and the next day we went up to his ranch and stayed there for the night. We played rugby with his rugby team - he was very accommodating, a really nice guy."
But when it came to the Oz-themed chopper, the host and his American guests seemed to be having problems agreeing on the design.
"He [Russell Crowe] wanted us to get rid of the British portion of the flag and just use … what was it - what's the stars, the cross and the stars? Can anybody help me down there?" says Junior, trying to recall the conversation with Crowe, who apparently told them to replace the Union Jack with the Southern Cross.
Junior looks confused.
"I don't think you know what the hell you're talking about," says Paul Sr.
"Who me?"
"Yes!"
"You ruined the conversation. That's how 'with it' you are," protests Paulie. "Because we sat down on the bench and he said exactly what he wanted, something with the cross. The Southern Cross, is that what it was?"
"That's Neil Young's song."
"That's 'Southern Man', Dad."
In the second episode, the boys manage to leave confusion behind to continue their explorations. They find themselves immersed in Aboriginal culture at Uluru, then visit SharkDive Extreme, where Paul Sr finds that he's in over his head.
"I think the best thing for me was going in that tank with the shark," says the 58-year-old of his experience, which had his adrenaline pumping higher than any fast bike ride.
"I mean, hey, there were real sharks swimming in there."
In the last episode, Paul Sr and Junior start building the Australia-themed bike without Mikey - who finds working on a sheep farm in Australia's outback is much more fun. But a case of designer's block threatens to stall the project before it can begin.
Find out more by tuning into the show tonight at 7pm.
The writer travelled to Australia as a guest of Discovery Channel and Tourism Australia.
The three episodes of "American Chopper: Australia" are being screened on Discovery Channel throughout August. For the schedule, visit www.truevisionstv.com.
Phoowadon Duangmee
The Nation