Fast N’ Loud is a Discovery Channel’s reality TV show that has been on air since the middle of 2012. The popular TV series centers around Gas Monkey Garage, which Richard Rawlings owns, and works with his crew to transform run-down vehicles into jaw-dropping customs. In December 2020, Richard Rawlings was featured as a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience, and he shocked millions of viewers when he revealed that the show, which was on its 16th season, would no longer be aired.
While Richard Rawlings and his team did a great job of keeping viewers glued to their TV screens for close to a decade, there were a lot of happenings behind the scenes that many may not be aware of. After all, “reality” TV is no reality at all. You only see what the producers want you to see. With this in mind, here are five things that are totally fake about Fast N’ Loud and five that are 100% real).
10 Fake: The Pontiac Firebirds Are Prototypes
Any avid lover of the Fast N’ Loud TV show would definitely know about the two Pontiac Firebirds that were featured in the fourth season. According to the TV show, the Firebird prototypes had an original value of about $325,000 each, and more interestingly, they claimed the cars were discovered in a barn.
In reality, that’s just a good story for viewers. The Firebirds were actually standard cars that were on sale for just $30,000 on eBay. So, don’t even but the make-belief story that the Pontiac Firebirds are prototypes.
9 Real: Bad Blood Between Richard Rawlings And Jesse James
Another very popular figure in the custom world apart from Richard Rawlings is Jesse James, who claims he is a progeny of the American outlaw Jesse Woodson James. While these men are just customizers on your TV screen, they have had a long-standing brawl since the early days of the TV show.
In this video by TMZ, Richard Rawlings describes Jesse James as someone “in Texas trying to act like a Texan.” In response, Jesse deposited a truckload of horse manure in the driveway of Gas Monkey Garage. While Fast N’ Loud has officially ended, the same cannot be said of the beef between the two showrunners.
8 Fake: Gas Monkey Bar & Grill Booze
In 2015, the Gas Monkey Bar & Grill located in Dallas was a part of the subject of an investigation carried out by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The unit was established to ensure that everything served in bars is according to regulatory standards.
The Gas Monkey Bar & Grill was investigated because its Patrón Tequila was tested to be fake. However, the restaurant denied any wrongdoing. According to the general manager of the restaurant, Gas Monkey is “too high-profile” to go to such extreme lengths in a quest to save cost.
7 Real: Richard Crashed A Hellcat
If you heard the news that Richard Rawlings was involved in an autocrash, we are here to confirm that it's true. Richard in his Dodge Challenger Hellcat was competing with the NHRA star Leah Pritchett when he lost control while driving at about 60-70 mph.
Although the accident was nothing close to life-threatening, just watching the footage of the incident was enough to give you goosebumps.
6 Fake: Gas Monkey Buys Cars On The Spot
If you always go by what you see on TV, you might be taken for a ride. This is particularly true in the case of the "On the Spot: Car Buys" Fast N' Loud episodes. The entire scene, in which Rawlings appears to be striking a deal with the supposed car owner via a phone call, is nothing but a charade.
What's true, though, is that Richard always goes about with a stash of cash. But the negotiation process for the cars is always done before filming.
5 Real: Sue Left The TV Show
Yu-Lan Haiso Martin, who is popularly known as Sue, is perhaps the most entertaining cast member on the Fast N' Loud TV show. You know you are going to get a good laugh whenever she starts an episode by referring to Rawlings as "ass monkey". But sadly, she was no longer featured in recent seasons.
The reason for her disappearance is that she was never a Gas Monkey Garage employee. Rawlings had to let her go when he found the upholstery services of someone else he preferred. Sue is back to her upholstery business, which is booming by all indications.
4 Fake: Rivalry With Misfit Garage
The rumors made the rounds that Rawlings fired Tom Smith and Jordan Butler from his custom company and TV show. The official story was that they were fired for allowing someone to take a picture close to Richard's Rolls-Royce.
However, the truth is, that was only a stunt to launch a spin-off called Misfit Garage. The new show positioned Richard as the villain, who goes out of his way to undermine the Fired Up Garage's team. Richard owns the new garage and doubles as the producer for the rival TV show.
3 Real: Rawlings’ World Record
Richard Rawlings is many things, but many are not aware he's also a world record holder. He holds the current Cannonball Run world record, after driving from Manhattan to California in 31 hours, 59 minutes.
Until 2007, when Rawlings covered the whole United States, coast to coast at a speed of 87 mph, the Cannonball Run world record had never been broken.
2 Fake: Gas Monkey Garage Is Out Of Business
When fans learned that Fast N' Loud would be coming to an end, there were speculations about whether Gas Monkey Garage will be going out of business as well.
Well, to put an end to the controversy, one of Richard's businesses called Gas Monkey Live would be folding up. The restaurant and concert venue that played host to bands such as Motley Crüe would no more, due to "landlord issues", as an employee puts it.
1 Real: Rawlings and Kaufman Wearing Thongs
While Rawlings has always courted controversy, we would never have guessed that he would go to such lengths to promote a giveaway. In 2006, Rawlings teamed up with the then shop manager of Gas Monkey Aaron Kaufman for a marketing campaign.
The duo wore thongs with the inscription, "Spank my monkey” for a photoshoot session, as part of a marketing campaign during the Specialty Equipment Market Association car show that's held annually. Although the outlandish costume didn't go against the show's guidelines, the moderator requested that the pictures be taken down for going overboard.