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''Pimp My Ride'' is a staged American television series produced by
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
and hosted by rapper Xzibit, which ran for six seasons on MTV from 2004 to 2007. In each episode, a car in poor condition is both restored and customized. The work on the show was done by West Coast Customs until season 5 and was done by Galpin Auto Sports thereafter. The show had several international adaptations, including '' Pimp My Ride UK'', ''Pimp My Ride International'' (in central Europe), and other adaptations in Brazil, Indonesia and the Baltic countries. It also spawned similar spinoffs, including the series '' Trick My Truck'' on MTV's sister network CMT. The show was criticized by several participants for exaggerating or faking several aspects of the restorations and many aspects of the show. In 2024, ''Pimp My Ride'' co-creator Rick Hurvitz brought a re-tooled version of the show to
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
. Now titled ''Resurrected Rides'', Hurvitz is an executive producer. Chris Redd serves as host, with a team of mechanics and customizers from several different California-area auto shops working on the cars.


Format

An episode generally begins with the participant, a young
vehicle A vehicle () is a machine designed for self-propulsion, usually to transport people, cargo, or both. The term "vehicle" typically refers to land vehicles such as human-powered land vehicle, human-powered vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, velo ...
owner from
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
or elsewhere in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
, showing off their vehicle to convince MTV it needs to be "pimped". After this segment, the host, Xzibit ( Chamillionaire in one episode), takes a look at the participant's car himself and makes wisecracks about the particular things that are wrong with it. He then surprises the participant at their house and the participant shows off their vehicle while Xzibit continues to make wisecracks about the particular things that are wrong with it. After examining the car, Xzibit promises the participant a complete makeover of the vehicle and takes it to a custom body shop ( West Coast Customs (WCC), in
Corona, California Corona (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crown") is a city in northwestern Riverside County, California, United States, directly bordering Orange County, California, Orange and San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino counties. Its curre ...
, in Seasons 1–4; replaced by Galpin Auto Sports (GAS) in
Van Nuys Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1 ...
starting Season 5). At the body shop, the shop team generally replaces most of the car's components and rebuilds the interior and exterior from scratch. The cars are "pimped" based on the hobbies and/or occupations of the owners. For example, a '' Need for Speed: Underground'' fan had his car painted to look like one specially customized in the '' Need for Speed'' video game series, while a bowler had a ball spinner installed in his trunk, a badminton player had a badminton net installed in the back of his Dodge Caravan, and a surfer got a clothes dryer in the back of his
Volkswagen Type 2 The Volkswagen Transporter, initially the Type 2, is a range of light commercial vehicles, built as vans, pickups, and cab-and-chassis variants, introduced in 1950 by the German automotive industry, automaker Volkswagen as their second mass ...
. Work usually includes new paint, accessories, chrome, tires, rims, and internal
electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
(DVD players, video games, large TFT screens, and other accessories). Most changes are only cosmetic, and mechanical work is generally only done to enable the car to run, but the show has occasionally replaced car engines. At the end of the show, the car is revealed to its owner, as well as all the details of the renovation and the custom features; in addition, the participant is usually given a gift somehow related to the car or their hobby.


Episodes


Cast


Seasons 1–4

The West Coast Customs employees shown on the series included: *Quinton "Q" Dodson - Good-natured manager (seasons 1–3) *Ryan Friedlinghaus - Owner *Alex - Heavily-pierced tire specialist *Ishmael "Ish" Jimenez - Tough-looking interior and fabric maven *Michael "Mad Mike" Martin - Electronics (and outrageous engineering) expert *"Big Dane" - Appropriately named accessories specialist * Aren, Buck, 2Shae, and Luis - Paint. The latter carried on into the following seasons. After the third season, WCC manager "Q" announced that he would not be willing to take a role in the show anymore. Q cited a desire to expand the company's business with a customs shop in St. Louis, Missouri called Coast 2 Coast Customs. Ryan Friedlinghaus, the owner of WCC, was featured in Season 4 as the "lead" for discussions on customizing the cars.


Seasons 5–6

In the fifth season, the show moved to another garage, Galpin Auto Sports (GAS), as Ryan, the WCC Owner, moved his shop to
Corona, California Corona (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crown") is a city in northwestern Riverside County, California, United States, directly bordering Orange County, California, Orange and San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino counties. Its curre ...
and signed a deal with another television production company. However, the show retained Mad Mike (who quit at WCC and signed at GAS), now dubbed a "car customization specialist". The new cast consisted of: * "Owner" Beau Boeckmann (in reality, Vice President of Galpin Auto; the owner of Galpin Auto was his father, Bert Boeckmann) *Michael "Mad Mike" Martin - Electronics expert and "The Wizard of Wiring" *"Jason" Ewing - Wiring and fiberglass fabrication *Gyasi - Wheels and tires specialist *Luis - Paint & body *Diggity Dave - Accessories specialist *Rick - Interiors *Cabe Sipes - Fabricator *Z - Shop crew


Replacement vehicles

On three occasions – all season finales – the show did not "pimp" the original automobile. *In the final episode of season 1, the car to be pimped was actually two-halves of Ford Escorts welded together to make one car, a "cut and shut" job, and was declared unsafe. *In the final episode of season 2, the participant was studying to be an auto mechanic, and WCC decided to let him "pimp" his car as a study project. *In the final episode of season 5, Xzibit felt that the owner's car, a Nissan Pulsar, was not worth fixing, as heat from the car's engine and battery fluid was leaking into the cab, creating a fire hazard. In all these instances, the vehicles of the participants were replaced with brand new cars, with extensive modifications made to customize each new car for the owner.


Worldwide popularity

''Pimp My Ride'' was one of MTV's most popular shows with nearly all of its worldwide viewers, and also in the U.S., where it ranked second only to '' The Real World''. Canada's music network, MuchMusic, aired the show until MTV Networks signed a deal with CTV, which resulted in MuchMusic losing their rights to MTV programs. MuchMusic's French-language sister station, MusiquePlus, aired the show subtitled in French under the title ''Pimp mon char'' ("char" is
Quebec French Quebec French ( ), also known as Québécois French, is the predominant variety (linguistics), variety of the French language spoken in Canada. It is the dominant language of the province of Quebec, used in everyday communication, in education, ...
slang for "car"). The show would eventually re-air on Much in the Summer of 2008, showing the later seasons. ''Pimp My Ride'' was broadcast in Arab countries on both MTV Arabia and MBC Action. In 2012, MTV Southeast Asia aired the first episode of ''Pimp My Ride Malaysia'', which is sponsored by Celcom Axiata under its ''Xpax''’s Whatchuwant? campaign, giving Xpax customers a chance to have their vehicles worked on by MTV, hosted by Altimet and Herrera.


Claims of deception by participants

Several participants who appeared on seasons 4 and 6 of ''Pimp My Ride'' later stated that elements of the show were either exaggerated or faked. The houses where Xzibit would surprise contestants with the news they were selected were often rented by MTV. The initial poor condition of some of the vehicles was staged to look worse, including the removal of paint, trash in the interior, and bumpers loosened to the point of falling off. Some features added during filming were removed immediately afterwards due to potential issues with local and state traffic laws, and the participants noted that multiple takes were needed to film their reactions during the final reveal. Some were coached to express more amazement and enthusiasm between takes. The overhaul process, which appeared on the show to only last a few days or weeks, actually lasted 6–7 months, and the show's participants had to find their own transportation while their cars were being upgraded with no support from the network. In addition, the modifications made to the cars were often purely cosmetic and any problems with how the car ran—wheel alignment, engine, transmission—was still up to the participants to fix. In an interview with HipHopDX, Xzibit explains about how he was the target of backlash on social media over his involvement in the show, even though he was merely the host and had no input in the actual vehicle modification.


DVD releases


American version


International adaptations

Official adaptations of ''Pimp My Ride'', produced or co-produced by international MTV affiliates, include:


For cars

* ''Pimp My Ride International'' (across Europe), a European version of the show where cars are pimped from all over Europe in the Netherlands at All Stoff. The show is hosted by American rappers Lil' Jon and
Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of Hip-hop, hip hop group D.I.T.C., Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a sol ...
. * '' Pimp My Ride UK'' (United Kingdom, 2005-2007), presented by the DJ Tim Westwood. Carisma Automotive are the customizers for the British version. * ''Pimp My Ride Baltic'' (2008). * ' (Brazil, 2007-2008), presented by singer Jimmy London from the rock band Matanza. * ''Pimp My Car'' (Indonesia), which aired on MTV Indonesia. * ''Pimp My Ride France'' (France, 2009-2011), which aired on MTV France. The show was presented by Ramzy and had two seasons.


Others

* ''Pimp My Fahrrad'' (Germany), which aired on the German-language MTV Central. In the show, the
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
-based bike shop Junior's Club (referred to as "Elbcoast Psycles" on the show) redoes almost an entire bicycle ("fahrrad" being the German word for bicycle), usually leaving only the frame intact. While the show could be seen as a
parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...
of the American original, it is also a loving tribute, using all the elements of the American show with a bicycle twist (Germany's safety guidelines are among the strictest in the world, and getting a road permit for thoroughly customized vehicles borders on the impossible. Similar rules apply in most of continental Europe). It is hosted by German actor Oliver Korittke. * ''Pimp My Whatever'' (Germany). A spin-off of ''Pimp My Fahrrad'' in which ElbCoast Psychos return to "pimp" anything from a bathroom and a doghouse to a
birthday party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...
or even someone's brother. ''Pimp My Whatever'' is hosted by MTV presenter Patrice Bouédibéla. Both shows are located in Hamburg. * ''Pimp My Wheels'' (Italy). Airing on
MTV Italy MTV is an Italian pay television network, owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA. History Prior to the launch of a 24-hour Italian speaking MTV, MTV viewers in Italy received the pan-European version of MTV Europe, MTV. Regionalization of MTV in Eur ...
, this show turns old rusty motorscooters or
motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
into brand-new shiny vehicles. Hosted by the Italian
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
group Gemelli Diversi. * ''Pimp My Room'' (The Netherlands) features some friendly competition between three students to see who will win the university student bedroom or apartment overhaul. Subsequently, the room is "pimped". * ''Pimpa Meu Feed'' (Brazil). Airing on MTV Brazil social media, the show helps participants to boost their
instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
, leverage the number of followers and get involved in this (much desired) life of influencer. It is hosted by Leo Picon and Ste Viegas.


Legal action against business that used "Pimp My..."

Viacom, owner of the ''Pimp My Ride'' franchise, threatened legal action against a number of small businesses in 2006 over the use of the phrase ''Pimp My...'' in business names. Pimp My Snack, a recipe-sharing website, received one such warning letter and later renamed the business to Pimp That Snack. A British lawyer specializing in copyright concerns criticized the move, stating that trademark infringement cannot apply to companies that are providing different goods and services.


Similar programs


United States

* ''
Monster Garage ''Monster Garage'' is an American reality television series that aired on the Discovery Channel and hosted by Jesse James (television personality), Jesse James. Each episode was an hour in length and was conceived and produced (along with James) ...
'': Also features outrageous custom engineering of vehicles, albeit within an entirely different program format. * '' NASCAR Angels'': Rebuilds cars (cosmetic, and mechanical) for needy, or deserving fans. * '' Overhaulin''': Car restoration, but with an emphasis on performance enhancements, and focused around American
muscle car A muscle car is an American-made two-door sports coupe with a powerful engine, marketed for its performance. In 1949, General Motors introduced its 88 with the company's OHV Rocket V8 engine, which was previously available only in its lux ...
s and
pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...
s. * '' Trick My Truck'': CMT's equivalent to ''Pimp My Ride'' features mechanics customizing tractor units for lucky drivers. * '' Unique Whips'': The East Coast equivalent of West Coast Customs


Other countries

* ''Meke My Waka'' (New Zealand), a similar program shown on Māori Television. * ''All the Gear No Idea!'' (United Kingdom), on the Men & Motors channel, dealt with motorcycles, with the bike being shipped to American customiser LA County Choprods for work. Unlike other similar shows, the owner of the bike also received a makeover. * ''Dale' Sayaratak ()'', which aired on MBC 1. The popular
malt beverage A malt drink is a Brewing#Fermenting, fermented drink in which the primary ingredient is the grain or seed of the barley plant, which has been allowed to Sprouting, sprout slightly in a traditional way called "malting" before it is processed. B ...
company "Barbican" sponsored this show and they also "pimped" the cars and showed them in their commercials. * '' Wheeler Dealers'', a British television program about car makeover and restoration. * ''Lata Velha'', a Brazilian television program hosted by Luciano Huck


See also

* Pimpmobile


References


External links

* {{MTV Network programs 2000s American reality television series 2004 American television series debuts 2007 American television series endings American automotive television series MTV reality television series Television controversies in the United States Makeover reality television series