American Chopper

American Chopper is a documentary style reality TV show on TLC that focuses on Orange County Choppers, a family-run business that creates custom built motorcycles. The show originated on the Discovery Channel, but moved to TLC in 2007.

American Chopper is another popular TLC show.

American Chopper centers around Paul Teutul Sr., the owner and founder of Orange County Choppers. The shop is located in Newburgh, New York. Two of Teutul's sons, Paul Jr. and Mikey, are also heavily featured in the show. Both sons work at the shop and the family dynamics play a big part in the overall theme.

The other main focus of the show is, of course, the bikes. The motorcycles that are custom-made by the American Choppers stars are meticulously planned and put together. Viewers get to watch the process from conception to completion.

American Chopper is narrated by Mike Rowe, star of Dirty Jobs.

In addition to the stunning motorcycles that have earned Orange County Choppers their renowned reputation, the stars of American Chopper are the Teutul family and the other staff at the shop. The show has become so popular because of the personalities behind it.

Paul Teutul Sr. is the patriarch of the family, and also the boss at work. He is portrayed as stubborn and gruff, with a quick temper and a penchant for neatness, but with a heart of gold. Teutul has three sons, Paul Jr., Michael (Mikey), and Daniel, as well as a daughter named Cristin.

Teutul first started up a fabrication shop called Orange County Ironworks, and designed custom bikes as a hobby. Soon enough, however, Orange County Choppers was born. Orange County Ironworks was passed along to Daniel Teutul. The shop gained international attention when the American Chopper reality show began in 2002, and Teutul was elevated to celebrity status.

Paul Sr. is instantly recognizable because of his gray handlebar moustache and assortment of tattoos. One of these tattoos, a picture of his bull mastiff dog Marty, was done by Ami James from Miami Ink.

Paul Teutul Jr., who is often called "Paulie" or "Junior" on the show, was born in 1974. Paul Jr. worked as the shop's lead fabricator and designer for many years, but he has inherited his father's short temper and as a result, tension often runs high in the shop. His designs are creative, practical, and visually impressive, and he is often sought out for unusual projects.

Mikey (Michael) Teutul was born in 1978. He was brought into the family business as a custodian and secretary, answering phones and doing odd jobs around the shop. Other responsibilities have included acting as the company's webmaster, and he has also become involved in the design and creation of the bikes. His unruly red hair and carefree attitude adds a lightness and humor to the show, and he has many fans. During season six, however, family tension had a powerful effect on Mikey, and his future with Orange County Choppers is unknown.

Some of the other regular staff members who appear on American Chopper include:

• Rick Petko
• Nick Hansford
• Christian Welter

Former employees Vinnie DiMartino and Cody Connelly left the company, and subsequently the show, in season four. DiMartino started his own shop, called V-Force Customs, where Connelly is currently employed.

On the show, Paul Jr. was fired, returned, decided to quit, and was ultimately retained on a consulting basis. Throughout this roller coaster of emotions and business complications, Paul Jr. and his father argued and mended fences many times. Paul Jr. will continue to be a part of American Chopper, though his presence will not be as frequent or regular as it was before.

He has started his own design company, Paul Jr. Designs, and is helping his girlfriend Rachel open her own boutique.

American Chopper has welcomed many celebrities into the shop to create custom motorcycles. Some of these famous faces include:

• Jay Leno
• Golfer Davis Love III
• Lance Armstrong
• Bill Murray
• Russell Crowe
• Jon Gosselin

Bikes have also been created for movies including I, Robot, professional sports teams like the New York Yankees, television shows like My Name is Earl, and a number of well-known companies and brands. One of the most popular motorcycles, called the Fire Bike, was created by Paul Jr. as a tribute to the firefighters who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

To learn more about American Chopper and the Teutul family, visit the official website at TLC.com, or the Orange County Choppers website.

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