American Hot Rod - TV-PG

Body-shop show puts math, science to work.

TV Rating: TV-PG Network: TLC Cast: Boyd Coddington Genre: Reality TV
Available on: DVD

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this reality show set in a high-end body shop follows the day-to-day work of refurbishing American cars. This show offers a glimpse into real-world applications of math, design, and engineering. Some minor personality conflicts arise, but most are handled professionally. The staff is racially diverse but is exclusively male.

Families can discuss turning passions into professions. Teens, what are your passions? How could those be channeled into a career? What skills do you need to work on in order to do that? Have parents been able to use their own hobbies in their jobs? Are reality shows like this one more or less compelling and fun to watch than ones based on competition and conflict? Why?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Sierra Filucci

AMERICAN HOT ROD follows the familiar formula of many similar reality shows about building or refurbishing cars or motorcycles. Each episode tracks car designer/shop owner Boyd Coddington as he and his employees complete projects for clients, which range from redesigning an El Camino to fit a motorcycle on its bed to creating a flashy 1930 roadster for a corporate promotion.

With the car-renovation genre bursting at the seams, each series relies heavily on the particular personalities involved in the show to make it unique. Coddington is an appealing figure who likes to compete with his staff, doing burn-outs in the parking lot to see who can create the most smoke and rev the engine to the max. Some of his employees humor him, while others are annoyed by these time wasters.

While some scenes highlight minor personality tensions -- especially between Coddington and his underlings -- most of each episode focuses on the car builds. Viewers watch as mechanics strip cars down to their basic elements and then build them back up, using tools as simple as a tape measure and as complex as specialized software. With deadlines to meet, the shop staff is constantly moving, always trying to avoid snags that could delay their work.

Watching the cars being built and getting to know the shop personalities is the best part of the show. The cameras also follow Coddington when he does promotions -- like a meeting with rap group G-Unit in which Coddington dons a heavy gold chain and pretends to be a hip hopper. These elements, while they continue to round out Coddington's personality, are less satisfying to watch.

As with many of its fellow car-centric reality shows, American Hot Rod is a great opportunity to show teens that work can be both hard and fun and that plenty of people turn their passions into successful businesses. Plus, the fact that viewers see tattooed guys using math to solve mechanical problems and people dealing positively with setbacks doesn't hurt.

Fans might also enjoy American Chopper, Biker-Build-Off, and Trick It Out.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content
Violence Some personality conflicts, but nothing major.
Language Occasional "ass."
Message
	Social Behavior Shows people working hard while having a good time. Shows how math, art, and science can be applied in the real world.
	Commercialism Lots of self-promotion of Boyd Coddington, as well as other car-related brands.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco