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American Hot Rod

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 7, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 10.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Body-shop show puts math, science to work.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 10 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Shows people working hard while having a good time. Shows how math, art, and science can be applied in the real world.

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Some personality conflicts, but nothing major.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Occasional "ass."
  • Consumerism:

    Lots of self-promotion of Boyd Coddington, as well as other car-related brands.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of American Hot Rod was written by Sierra Filucci

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 Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about 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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More on American Hot Rod

What’s the Story?

AMERICAN HOT ROD is a reality show about building or refurbishing cars and motorcycles. It tracks car designer Boyd Coddington as he and his employees complete projects ranging from redesigning an El Camino to fit a motorcycle on its bed to creating a flashy 1930 roadster for a corporate promotion. 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. Coddington is an appealing figure who likes to compete with his staff; for example, doing burn-outs in the parking lot to see who can create the most smoke. Each episode relies on the particular characters involved to make it unique, with some scenes highlighting minor personality tensions. But the focus is mostly on the car builds.

Is It Any Good?

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. The fact that viewers see tattooed guys using math to solve mechanical problems and people dealing positively with setbacks is an added plus.

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title on and give it .0

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