Sunday, May 23, 2004

Overhaul THIS!

So I'm watching TLC, and I catch this show called Overhaulin', apparently the point of which is to steal someone's car and then return it customized.

I say again: They STEAL it, then return it, TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

Am I the only one who really questions the morality of this? Not only do they take the car without permission, but they elaborately set up Candid Camera-style pranks to make the person believe the car has been stolen, smuggled, stripped, repossessed, or whatever. Fans of the show seem to really get off on seeing these poor people practically in tears over their missing cars (since they always target someone who absolutely loves his/her car).

The message boards on the show's site are equally dopey. Among the long strings of "How do you get on the show" topics (why don't they use the "show application" on the main page) and "Help! I'm overhauling a '57 DeSoto and am too lazy to finish it" (again with the application) topics, you have one or two people who have actually brought up the possible altercations of stealing and altering a car without the owners permission. The replies they get range from "Well, they were signed up for the show by their neighbors, so that makes it okay", to "Well, the police were in on, so it wasn't illegal", to this doozie here:

It's people like you that spoil the fun for everyone else. You are like the kid who reminded the teacher they forgot to give the homework assignment out 30 seconds before the bell rang. Why don't you crawl into a hole and lament with your miserable self while the rest of us (including the kid with a bad a** truck) enjoy life, and the things others sacrifice to make us smile.

Oh yeah. The producers were making such a sacrifice to make them smile. Needless to say, after reading that inane shit, I'm now posting on the boards. My opinion is only one of the services I offer freely.

In the episode of the show I saw, the kid whose truck was stolen had already mildly customized his truck with some add-ons like an antenna ball and decals, all of which the build team promptly destroyed. You know, if the guy spent money on that stuff, chances are he wanted it there. At least have the decency to replace the stuff you break. Better still, don't steal it the first place...get the owners permission, like on MTVs Pimp My Ride. Except, you know, make it actually GOOD.

In short, Overhaulin' sucks. That is all.

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