American Chopper originally aired on the Discovery Channel from 2003 to 2007 before heading to TLC from 2008 to 2010 (and back to Discovery in 2018). During its first run, the show featured Orange County Choppers, a custom motorcycle shop owned by Paul Teutul Sr., often referred to as "Senior." Other cast members included his sons Paul Teutul Jr. (Junior) and Michael Teutul, as well as employees Rick Petko, Nick Hansford, Christian Welter, Vincent DiMartino, and Cody Connelly.
Updated December 2021: If you're a fan of American Chopper, or just want to know what the cast is up to these days, you'll be pleased to know that we've updated this article with the latest information about the Teutuls and the gang.
While American Chopper started out as a show about a family building bikes together, it soon changed into a dramatic reality series featuring some of the most disagreeable people that could possibly exist within a family. "Junior," being Senior’s son, would frequently lash out at his father, and he received an equal lashing of the tongue in return. This drama between father and son, combined with some outrageous bikes produced by the team, made for a remarkable show. Looking over the show's history, Orange County Choppers managed to make motorcycles falling into two categories: memorable creations that belong in a museum and questionable builds we wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. During its heyday, American Chopper could attract over 3 million viewers, and would actually inspire a whole new genre of reality TV.
Prior to and following the sixth season's cancellation, the Teutul family went through a series of rocky lawsuits, bankruptcy, and family feuds. This resulted in a challenging period for the entire cast, primarily fueled by the discordant relationship between father and son. There was a spin-off series launched for fans of the show, but it only had a shelf life of two years.
Senior Moved To Florida
Teutul Sr. has managed to keep his company alive, having contracted a new team to aid his passion for making bikes. In late 2020, Senior announced that the longtime NY-based custom motorcycle company would move to The Sunshine State of Florida. Paul Sr. sat down for an interview with WFLA News Channel 8 where he said, "Sometimes it’s just time for change, you know? Where I’m at in my life, it’s time for change, and you feel the freedom in Florida, you don’t feel it so much in New York anymore."
Senior and Keith Overton, a resort entrepreneur and avid motorcycle enthusiast, have a joint venture plan for expanding the OCC brand. The OCC Roadhouse And Museum will display about 15 of Paul’s most iconic motorcycle builds for patrons to view.
Paul Jr. Designs: Motorcycle Lifestyle Brand
Paul Teutul Jr. has been pounding metal into shape since he was 12, and he has not lost his touch. After leaving Orange County Ironworks, where he was the head of the rail shop, he set up a shop in New York to rival his dad’s company, but he has since come up with bigger plans. Junior now expresses his artistic taste unimpeded, and the world has rewarded him for it, allowing his designs to expand into apparel and personal branding. Having some top-dollar clients such as Blizzard Entertainment and Paramount, it’s safe to assume that he is getting paid. He now has a number of employees under his payroll.
Mikey Teutul's Renewed Relationship With Senior
In the past, Mikey struggled with alcohol addiction, and this, in turn, dragged his relationship with his dad through the mud, prompting his dad to oust him from his position within the Teutul family business. After checking himself into rehab and working through his addiction issues, Mikey eventually went back to the family business, working as the assistant GM of OCC. In addition, he founded FarQueue LLC, a company dealing primarily in pasta sources.
Vinnie's Shop In Rock Tavern
Vincent Dimartino was a fan favorite during the first few years of the television series thanks to his skills and personality. He has been actively involved in establishing his own enterprise. Working together with co-star Cody Connelly, they took a stab at entrepreneurship with a custom motorcycle shop called V-Force Customs. It didn't take them long to find some much-needed clients. However, this only lasted for a few years, as the market eventually forced him to adapt, which led to the birth of DiMartino Motorsports Automotive and Truck Repair. This is his main enterprise at the moment, but with more than 30 years of experience in the automotive industry, we think he’s set.
Rick Petko Keeping The Craft Alive
Over the course of his extensive career working in fabrication and bike building, Rick Petko is a consummate blacksmith and metalworker. He's worked in all kinds of industries that have anything to do with bending metal, kilns, or furnaces. After 13 years with OCC, he eventually left the shop for a more comfortable position at Pocono Mountain Harley-Davidson, tackling their custom fabrication contracts.
Not one to settle, he has since gotten serious about his passion for metalwork, and through his company, RPD & Co, he has been making and selling all kinds of metalware. One of his best-selling products is his chef knives, which in all seriousness, look out of this world.
A Young Cody Connelly Coming of Age
Cody actually joined OCC while still in high school, no mean feat for a teenager. He was by far the youngest on the show, but boy, did he learn quickly. After leaving the show, just like the other cast members, he decided to work contractually for Vinnie and Teutul Jr., which is what he was last spotted doing. Cody prefers to keep a very low profile, but he has been working on a family.
The Show Returned For Another Build
A decade after the show was canceled, both Senior and Junior appeared on a two-hour special on Discovery Go to put together a chopper for the famed American roofing and siding company, ABC Supply Company. The pair had an eight-week deadline, so father and son set their differences aside to piece together their final chopper from the old OCC shop.
However, their newly formed alliance got off to a bit of a rocky start. Paul Sr. was quite adamant about his being the only creative input in the chopper build, brushing aside input from Paul Jr. For Junior, the opportunity to weave their relationship back together overshadowed his dad’s stubbornness.