No, we’re not talking turbochargers here. Twin Turbos is a car-based reality TV series that airs on Discovery Channel and basically follows a father-son team who go about making cool if OTT car builds.
So for all those who like reality TV and cars, cannot bear to even hear the name Kardashian, and are way too petrified to watch documentaries about serial killers or even medical mysteries, car-based reality TV series are the way to go.
And there is plenty of reality TV out there about cars and vehicles, the kind that concentrates on people who like to make exquisite if outrageous builds. Twin Turbos ends up appealing to people mostly because they feature a father-son duo, working in tandem to create super cool vehicles, and also show their real-life struggles and day-to-day existence. Of course, sometimes, the reality shown in front of the camera can be way different than the reality shown behind it…
So is there anything fake about the show as well? This is what we know two seasons down about Twin Turbos, its cast, and its future.
Who Are Twin Turbos?
Season 1 of Twin Turbos debuted in March 2018 and continued for eight episodes. The two protagonists of the show are the father-son duo, Doug and Brad DeBerti. The show is set to follow the daily goings-on of DeBerti Designs, a custom vehicle shop run by the father-son team in Arroyo Grande, California.
DeBerti Designs is a rather venerated name in the custom-built vehicle world and known for many firsts like a drift-racing truck, as well as another truck that has been modeled after a fighter jet. So clearly, they do know their craft and the builds you see on TV are as real as they come. Nothing fake about the shop.
What many do not know that Doug DeBerti is also the founder as well as the president of Trenz, one of the USA’s largest after-market aluminum automotive parts and accessories for light trucks, cars, SUVs, and motorcycles. In fact, Trenz has won many awards and created builds and prototypes for companies like Ford, GM, and Dodge, thus becoming a big name in the Detroit circuit.
Brad DeBerti and NASCAR
Another major focus of the show is Doug’s son, Brad DeBerti, and his dreams of becoming a NASCAR star. Of course, unlike many other actors who are race car drivers as well, Brad is first and foremost race-crazy, reality TV comes in second.
Doug as a father is very supportive of his son’s dreams and plans to put in the profits from both DeBerti and Trenz to help support Brad’s dream, considering NASCAR is not something for those who are a bit strapped for cash.
And this is where the show also comes in. The very idea of making super cool custom builds is to let DeBerti Designs and Trenz earn as much as possible, to help Brad’s NASCAR dreams take flight. Helping him in this endeavor is NASCAR driver and 22-time winner Joey Logano. Under Logano’s aegis, Brad debuted in the world of motorsports in 2014, winning the Pro-Light Rookie of the Year trophy in 2015 and also winning the 2016 Lucas Off-Road Pro-Light championship.
In 2016, Brad DeBerti crashed his truck sending it rolling seven times, resulting in severe injuries and leaving him rather close to death. He recovered and in 2017, won the NASCAR Rookie Of The Year award as well and since then has been a rising name in the world of motorsports.
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The Fake Bit Of Twin Turbos
The father-son relationship shown between Doug and Brad DeBerti is as real as it gets. The camaraderie is real, as is the respect and the love shown. Brad’s NASCAR goals and passion are also close to the truth, and the way Doug is shown to support his son’s dream is apparent in the driven way they run both DeBerti Designs and Trenz.
By the end of series 2, the DeBertis are wondering if it's okay to shut shop in California and move to North Carolina to be closer to Brad’s NASCAR dreams. That said; sponsors are not easy to come by for Brad, despite the wins and the popularity of DeBerti in the design-and-build world, coupled with the SEMA wins to their credit.
The show premiered to good ratings, but by season 2, the popularity began to spin down. Season 2 premiered in December 2019 and ran for another six episodes before winding down in January 2020. Discovery did not renew the show for a third season, and dismal TRPs is one reason.
Could the way Doug’s business so easily ends up financing his son Brad’s racing dreams be part of the viewers’ dissatisfaction? Possibly. Another reason could also be the fact that the show was shaping up more as a means to an end, meaning everything that happened on it was to help Brad make it big on NASCAR. To many of the viewers, the show was becoming less about the builds and the vehicles and more about how the builds could help Brad.
Sources: DiscoveryChannel, SeriesDate