If you were an avid television viewer in the mid-2000s, chances are high that you watched an episode, or even followed the Pimp my ride show. 

You probably became a big fan of the wild antics that the people in the show performed on various makes of cars. 

Fitting them with all manners of expensive and useless fixtures that would be impractical for everyday use. “Pimping” became such an ordinary word after the show people actually forgot what it meant.

Old lady at the car yard, “siunipimpiehiigariyangukidogo?”

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Despite the real-life impracticality of the stunts on Pimp My Ride, viewers mainly considered the show to be an overall positive endeavor, because many of the cars appearing on the show were not roadworthy. After appearing on the show, the cars would come out better mechanically, giving the participants with a better machine.

Despite this, however, there are details about Pimp My Ride that many fans do not know about:

1.A good number of vehicles with mechanical issues were left in the same state they were found in

Fixing mechanical problems is a dirty, time-consuming chore. There is no glamor in it. As a result, Pimp My Ride did not bother too much with such a menial task. Instead, the show used the participating cars as loud advertisements for their sponsors, by installing eye-catching features on the cars. 

While it’s true that some problems were fixed, some car owners claimed that the job was a sloppy one. Other owners claim that their vehicles stopped working days after appearing on the show. One Reddit user, Seth Martino, claimed that his pimped car was a “polished turd” that he had to spend $1,700 on before he could drive. 

2. Producers embellished car owners’ backstories for dramatic effect

When Pimp My Ride found contestants who didn’t seem interesting enough, the Producers added some juicy details. Some cars were worked on to look worse in the “before” shots. According to Martino, producers planted candy throughout his car because he is overweight.

The show even asked another participant to break up with his lover in order to appear needy.

3. Car owners were picked beforehand

Pimp My Ride appeared to rely on the power of surprise, and the show always started with an unexpected appearance at the door of a Jalopy owner. 

However, looks can be deceiving, because the reality is that the participants were prepped beforehand. If producers felt that the participants were not excited enough, they made them do a retake. If a house did not look appealing enough for television, the producers would go to a different one.

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