It’s the burning question everyone’s been dying to know ever since the MTV show “Pimp My Ride” went off the air in the U.S. in 2007. All the flashy upgrades that were made to look like they only took days to complete, and when host and rapper Xzibit would surprise contestants “at home” - was it all just a well-choreographed and cunningly edited lie? You will be shocked by what some of the previous contestants had to say about their experiences.
Huffington Post recently talked to several of the show’s participants and one of its co-executive producers, Larry Hochberg, to find out exactly what went down behind the scenes of “Pimp My Ride.” There are stories of cars breaking down shortly after episodes aired, upgrades that were just for show and would be taken out later, and even details regarding how tough it was to be without a car for about half a year - yes, the approximate length of time it actually took to pimp out rides.
The Missing Muffler
Contestant Jake Glazier said he sold his car a month after he got it back from show mechanics and it blew out on the new owner shortly after. According to Glazier, the mechanics did a shoddy job. For example, his car needed a new muffler and only received a fake exhaust pipe, so that the car would produce a big sound.
Executive producer, Hochberg, rebutted by claiming that many of the cars on the show were simply beyond repair, telling HuffPost, "Some of the cars were so old and rusted that they would have mechanical issues no matter how much work you put into them [and] the production team and the car shops worked their butts off to get parts for these cars."
Xzibit Giveth and Xzibit Taketh Away
So what about upgrades like the pop-up champagne feature added to Justin Dearinger’s car? Short answer: It was taken out immediately after his episode was taped. And the same thing happened with many of the show’s most ostentatious upgrades, including a robotic arm that one contestant said had no real purpose (other than to look cool) and was solely controlled by a nearby computer that was off screen. Hochberg went on the defense again, stating that items like these were removed for safety reasons.
By the way Dearinger’s car, which he had to put a lot of his own time and money into fixing after the show, burst into flames five years after “Pimp My Ride” mechanics worked on it. Not saying that it was a result of work the car received on the show, however.
Driving Rentals for Months While Car Was Pimped
Since it took the show about six to seven months to pimp out rides, Seth Martino used a rental to get around while his car was in the shop. Martino posted on Reddit that he went to a "really small, shady company off the freeway by LAX because they were the only ones willing to rent to me because of my age." MTV paid for his rentals for a few months, then he had to take care of the bills himself. Two years later, MTV finally reimbursed him. We give Martino kudos for hanging on to his receipts that long.
Fake Back Stories, Asked to Break Up With Girl & Other Tidbits
Most people know that when a contestant is surprised at home by a show, it’s usually staged so this part might not be as surprising. MTV would rent places to stage the “you’ve be selected for a chance to appear on our show” moment. Contestants were also told that Xzibit or someone with a Pep Boys gift certificate would knock at the door and to act surprised. (And when cars were finally revealed, if contestants didn’t look surprised enough, they were asked to do another take.)
In addition, many of the show’s guests mentioned exaggerations or made-up back stories. For example, Martino’s Reddit says MTV dumped a bunch of candy in his car and asked him to pretend he normally always kept it there in case he got hungry.
"I know im [sic] fat, but they went the extra mile to make me look extra fat by telling the world that I kept candy all over my seat and floor just in case I got hungry. Then gave me a cotton candy machine in my trunk," stated Martino.
The final story we’ll give you is this one: Glazier (missing muffler guy) claims that the show’s producers asked him to break up with his girlfriend. Apparently, they wanted him to pretend that he desired to be a “playa” and that pimping his car was the first step in the right direction.
Contestants Not Bitter About Experiences
Surprisingly, most contestants told HuffPost they had “no real complaints” and would gladly go on the show again if it was still on the air. Dearinger even said, "Before then I was just a kid - I was shy, I was really shy … And then it's sad to say, but being on the show gave me some confidence. And it made me the person I am today. I'm the most outgoing person you ever met."
Martino was the only contestant HuffPost talked to that had conflicted feelings about his appearance on the show, "There were times I wanted to give it all back because of how frustrating it was, but now I look back and laugh."