American Chopper, the ‘docusoap’ featuring the dysfunctional Teutul family, was one of the first family based reality TV programs when it began ten years ago.
The series featured Orange County Choppers, a custom motorcycle fabrication shop in Newburgh, New York. The town is located about 70 miles north of Manhattan.
Some reality shows are scripted to the extent one never knows just how realistic they really are.
In the case of American Chopper the dysfunction in the Teutul family is surely real. Paul Teutul Sr. fired Paul Jr. before suing him.
Paul Tuetul Sr. claims his son misappropriated assets and took part in "competitive business activities" that damaged the company.
That means it actually is just another show featuring a real dysfunctional family and ranks right down there with Hardcore Pawn and Operation Repro.
Are these shows popular because our society is producing so many real life dysfunctional families that they seem normal?
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