Garage Rehab is another brainchild of the Motor Mogul Richard Rawlings. It was released in 2017 on the Discovery Channel, although he had pitched the concept to the channel back in 2015. It seems as if Rawlings has a treasure trove of business ideas, always digging for the next big thing. This show was Richard’s attempt to park his foot in contents such as Hotel Hell or Extreme Home Makeover. For this show, he has assembled a team looking for struggling garages and helps them by providing equipment, financial assistance, and business consultation.

Richard co-hosts the show with Russell Holmes and Chris Stephens. The series features them trying to overhaul bankrupt or burnt-out garages and turn them around. Fans seemed to love the first season on early but interest fizzled soon for many of them. Although the idea was good, they couldn’t execute it on the same level as they had hoped, or so the audience thinks. Even with such a unique concept, many viewers thought that the show was staged, more so in the first season.

Garage Rehab had the right mix of artificially created tension to get the heart racing and drama for all age groups. It is one of the most addictive car shows to start binging now.

Why didn't the show hit home for the majority of viewers? If you have ever watched the show and wondered the same, we have got you covered. Read along to find out what's real and fake about Garage Rehab.

This Is Real: They Are Financially Assisted

Garage Rehab on Discovery Channel - Levrack
via: Levrack

Richard, Chris, and Russell get calls from struggling garage owners from across the country to help them turn their shops around. The team selects the shops worthy enough for the feature.

Having seen the struggle himself in his early days, Rich has hands-on experience in several sorts of roles. He has a no holds barred approach to help his clients to find success, offering advice, "free" consultation, and even financial help. According to TV Overmind, The show helps the garage with a $100,000 loan.

In an episode, Richard struck up a deal of $200,000 for complete control of the transformation that he and his team were going to unleash on the shop. Yet it is unclear if the owners really pay the debt back or if it's just another gimmick for the show.

RELATED: 11 Times Richard Rawlings Lost Money On Fast N' Loud (And His 5 Biggest Winners)

That Is Fake: Cosmetic Changes Are Done Just For The Sake Of The Show

Garage Rehab - Discovery UK
via: Discovery UK

In the early days, owners were loving it as Richard had yet another successful show in his folio and the channel was making bank with viewers getting their dose of saucy content. However, things began to change when viewers started talking.

In nearly all of the episodes, Richard states that a garage needs to be presentable and clean if they want to make money, which is why there’s such a huge importance placed on how looks. It wasn't long before the audience noticed that these overhauls limited themselves to just aesthetics. In many cases, fans observed that the shops had received only cosmetic changes that were seemingly done just for the sake of the show, according to reviews on IMDb.

When a heavy round of controversy and criticism surrounded the show, Rawlings and the channel did some post-transformation episodes called "Revisited", to fill in the viewers on the shop's fate. Unfortunately, what these episodes revealed were that the majority of shops had returned to their past state.

Leading to Garage Rehab becoming one of the least trustworthy car shows for a segment of viewers.

This Is Real: Equipments Are Provided

Garage Rehab | Discovery Canada | Watch Full Episodes | Discovery
via: Discovery Canada

It's funny how Rich and the team call all the existing equipment at the garage old and that it doesn't function properly. The early part of every episode is a routine declaration that the setup is old and boring. They then proceed to announce that the show will replace almost everything. Brand new equipment is provided, but the owners are told that this is a loan and they will have to repay within two to three years. The reality of the debt is not clear, though.

RELATED: Gas Monkey Garage: 20 Car Tricks Richard Rawlings Used To Build His Empire

That Is Fake: The Drama

Garage Rehab Show - Full Episodes on Demand - MotorTrend
via: MotorTrend

The emotional drama starts right after the owners are announced. The shop owner will almost always be either very depressed or snappy. The first season was a bit too nasty in this area. The team of hosts always had an argument over control or the state of things. By the end of the episode, they would accept everything and things would work out. All of this looked staged. The second season seemed to tone it all down considering the shrewd reviews, but the series has not recovered yet.

NEXT: The Hidden Truth Behind The Success Of Gas Monkey Garage