American Chopper was a pioneering reality TV show that first hit television screens in September 2002. It was one of the first-of-its-kind reality TV shows that followed a documentary-style production centered on a business and its key personnel, following their interactions with their clients, each other, and the company's various builds and projects.
Originally on-air from 2002 to 2009, it also had spinoffs such as American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior (2010-2012) and Orange County Choppers (2013-2014). The series focused on Paul Teutul Sr. and his son Paul Teutul Jr. and their motorcycle shop called 'Orange County Choppers' based in the town of Newburgh, New York. Famous for the heated arguments between Paul Sr. and Paul Jr., it made the show extremely popular and gave rise to several memes on the internet. Here are some facts about the original cast of American Chopper and what they've been up to today.
Updated May 2023: When it comes to keeping track of our favorite motorcycle, or car, builders, it may seem like one thing always stays true, even after they leave the shows that got you hooked in the first place. They all stick with what they know and what they love. If you dig deep enough, you can find that even if they have had to resort to other ways to make a living, in their hearts, they all still long to be back in the shop working on a bike to beat all bikes.
Paul Teutul Sr. Now Lives In Florida
Paul Teutul Sr. founded Orange County Choppers and was an integral member of the show's cast. Besides the cool choppers the shop built, his heated arguments with his son Paul Jr. led to the show's great popularity among audiences. After the Orange County Choppers' cancelation, Paul continued to run the company. In 2017, a business partner, Thomas Derbyshire, sued Paul Sr., alleging that he used the money Thomas invested in the shop for personal use.
Paul Sr. filed for bankruptcy in 2018 with the release of the American Choppers reboot. He moved to Florida and announced that Orange County Choppers, based in New York state since its inception, would be based out of Florida. He founded OCC Roadhouse and Museum in Florida in 2021, which is a restaurant and a concert venue alongside a museum.
Paul Teutul Jr. Moved On To Better Things
With his fiery departure from OCC and American Chopper, Paul Jr. founded his own design firm in 2009 called 'Paul Jr. Designs' in Montgomery, New York. After waiting out a year of his non-compete agreement following his termination at OCC, PJD started building and working on motorcycles, serving as a direct competitor for OCC.
He has since partnered up with Blizzard Entertainment for Aezeroth Choppers, a web series in 2014 where PJD created motorcycles for their popular game World Of WarCraft. PJD also built two motorcycles for Paramount Pictures' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of Shadows in 2016. He lives in Montgomery, New York, with his wife and son.
Michael Teutul Followed His Creative Passions
Michael 'Mikey' Teutul is the youngest son of Paul Sr. and lives with his wife, Paula Teutul. Mikey joined OCC as an assistant general manager and helped around the shop. In the show, Mikey often served as comedic relief and strived to maintain peace amidst the tense relationship between Paul Sr. and Paul Jr.
He left OCC to focus on himself and mending his relationship with his father. He struggled with alcoholism and checked himself into rehab. Mikey opened an art gallery and started a company called 'FarQueue' LLC, dealing in Pasta Sauces. He returned to work, pitching in and helping around OCC and PJD. Currently, he is working on his own creative projects.
Vincent 'Vinnie' DiMartino Established His Own Businesses
Vinnie left OCC in 2007 to start his own motorcycle shop called VForce Customs in Rock Tavern, New York. The reasons he gave for leaving the show were that he had no room for advancement, and since he wanted his own shop someday, the only chance he had to fulfill his dreams was to break out on his own. Since he had been childhood friends with Paul Jr., he continued to work as an outside consultant on various projects for him, along with special issues on PJD.
He joined PJD in 2010 while still running V-Force customs and appeared in American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior. Vincent then got out of the motorbike business and closed V-Force customs. He started another company called DiMartino Motorsports in 2013, working on cars and trucks in Walden, New York.
Rick Petko Still Works On Bikes And Also Makes Knives
Despite the subsequent split of the core OCC duo, Rick Petko maintained good relations with Paul Sr. and Jr. However, when Paul Jr. left OCC, Rick stayed back and continued to work with Paul Sr. Both Teutuls were invited to his wedding in 2012.
Luckily for Rick working on bikes was not his first passion. As early as high school, he had been a metalworker at heart, which he returned to after leaving American Choppers. He now works as the chief fabricator for Pocono Mountain Harley-Davidson while running a small forge out of his home called RPD & Co. With that forge, he creates unique knives and wedding bands, as well as working closely with the one-and-only Damasteel company.
Cody Connelly Maintains A Low Profile
Cody, who started at OCC as a 14-year-old intern, instantly became a fan favorite. Despite lacking experience, fans, and co-stars, were more than impressed with his superior skills. After finishing high school, he studied at the American Motorcycle Institute, which was paid for by Teutul and the company. In 2007, Cody left OCC to join Vinnie DiMartino at V-Force customs.
He filed a lawsuit against Orange County Choppers and Paul Teutul Sr., claiming he was not fairly compensated for using his work and profile even after leaving the company. The case was settled, and all charges were dropped, but it strained their working relationship. However, Cody returned to work with Paul Jr. at PJD for a short time. He currently works away from motorcycles at a utility company and avoids all social media connections with fans and the public in general.
Mike Rowe Is A Famous Narrator
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region via Wikimedia Commons
Working on the set of American Choppers may not have been the first gig that Mike Rowe had, and by looking at the rest of his career, it is evident that it was not the last. After he left the show as the narrator in 2010, he went on to work on the set of numerous other shows such as Dirty Jobs, Deadliest Catch, Ghost Hunters, and Returning The Favor. He currently resides in San Francisco and has received multiple accolades throughout his life, including the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.
Jason Pohl Is Now A Brand Ambassador
Jason Pohl was a designer who started his career plans in high school with the thought of joining the Marine Corps. However, since he received a scholarship, and decided to get his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts instead. From there, he began designing video games, with one of his projects including a pinball game that had chopper designs licensed by OCC. Paul Teutul Sr. was so impressed that Paul brought him onto the set to design real-life motorcycles. He is now a brand ambassador for SOLIDWORKS.
Jim Pratt Was A Narrator That Has Since Disappeared
Jim Pratt was the narrator that followed after Jason Pohl left the show from 2007 to 2012. During that time, he was also a narrator for a couple of other shows being aired, Out Of The Wild: The Alaska Experiment (season one and two) and Airplane Repo. For most people that are in the public eye, they continue to stay in touch even after they leave the scene, but for Jim Pratt, that does not seem to be the case. Once he left the American Choppers show, he became virtually invisible to those conducting basic searches.
The Show Returned For A Two-Hour Special
The Teutul father and son duo returned after almost a decade since the cancelation of the original series for a final two-hour episode named 'The Last Ride' on Discovery in 2020. The special saw them collaborate on a motorcycle after a decade for ABC Supply Company, with an eight-week deadline.
FAQ
Q: What is Paul Teutul Jr doing now?
After waiting a year for his non-compete agreement with OCC, Paul Jr. started building bikes with his own company, Paul Jr. Designs
Q: Is OCC still in business?
Yes, Orange County Choppers now operate out of Florida
Q: Who owns the OCC Black Widow bike?
Paul Sr. gave the Black Widow bike to his son Paul Jr. when he split from the business
Q: What streaing service is American Chopper on?
You can stream episodes of American Chopper on Discovery+