As Requested: I was on Pimp My Ride. AMA

All that to have your car set on fire. Maybe it was ashamed for what it had become and killed itself.

Yeah, sorry man putting 20k into a fire must not have felt good. At least you're still here with us!

Yeah it was pretty crazy. My SO and I were on our way to grab some food, and as we were going down the hill, the sound system popped and shut down. So we turned around and pulled over as soon as we saw smoke.

What was xzibit like

He's a nice guy. Smells like weed.

word. did you smoke with him?

No, I don't smoke. Just hookah. And cigarettes.

did he at least offer??

he did, actually.

follow up: AMA request, someone who has smoked with Xzibit! Reddit, make it happen.

I approve this message.

Well, not really XZibit, but there was a story on the frontpage a while ago, where a kinda famous farmer was contacted by Snoop Dogg to show him his "growing skills".

Edit: Sorry, it is Snoop Lion now!

Snoop Lion lol

He's really cool. I sold halo 4 to him, he's a regular at Toys R Us

Oh, my SO used to work there! At the one in Porter Ranch. Is that the one you work at? I only ask because I know Xzibit lives somewhere around there.

Yep that's the one :)

She's sitting next to me right now, wondering who you are. haha. Maybe you worked together?

When did she work there?

2008-early 2010

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Yes, she knows Taylor. You probably know my SO's sister, Vanessa. She worked there until July.

My co workers Paul Omar Mike and Kugel currently work at my BestBuy. I'm sure you know them.

Captain Best Buy?

Did they fix anything in your car that wasn't detailed in the episode? I always assumed the cars on the show would have a lot of other problems that had unglamorous fixes (i.e. engine problems, steering system, mostly mechanical issues I guess).

No. It was all mickeymoused cosmetic.

That's why I never liked the show. Put some rims on it and put an herb garden in the back but forget about anything important.

That's why I was disappointed by it, as well.

Did your 'Pimped out Ride' get you laid?

Haha yes it did!

I... I just watched a whole episode of pimp my ride...

I'm sorry.

When exzibit came to your house, were you actually surprised or was it all scripted? Was any of it scripted?

100% not scripted. All they gave me was a topic and we just went with it. My topic, obviously, was the "hopeless romantic". However, it was a staged house.

So you didn't actually get to choose how your car got pimped?

Nope. I was supposed to. They interviewed me about my likes and dislikes, but they ended up liking my dislikes.

So basically they were just trying to get a story out of you.

Yep.

Ok, I'm sorry if I am an idiot but I have to make this clear for myself because I always wondered. So it was totally fake, just not scripted?

correct.

OH SHIT YOU HAD THE RAV 4 WITH THE ROSE DISPENSER?

so did it attract all kinds of ladies?

Hell yeah! Haha. I was doing a lot of car shows and all the models were at my car, getting the chocolate-dipped. strawberries fed to them.

Proof: http://imgur.com/vYrgt

Something doesn't sit well with me about the guy on the left.

lmao! he's the son of the owner of the shop that I got all the work done. He was cool.

You mean the shop whose work got it set on fire?

Yes.

did you have increased insurance rates on the car? did they stick you with any sort of bills as a result of getting your car "pimped"?

The insurance rates were actually the same as before. No changes there.

They stuck me with a lot of legal documents. For example, if I sold the car, I cannot say that it was on Pimp My Ride. I couldn't try to sell it on certain websites.

did they say why you couldn't say it was on the show?

So I couldn't up the value of it.

How airtight is an agreement to not reveal it was on the show? Say for example you just happened to have a picture of you and Xzibit with the car included among other pictures on a craigslist ad?

It was just for the sale of the car. It is out of my hands if someone recognizes it.

When they pulled the sheet off was it really the first time you saw the car?

The first two times, I had to pretend to see the car. Then, on the third take, they pulled the sheet off and I actually saw it.

How was xzibit in person/off camera? I was at Disneyland/DCA one time and he was in front of me in line for California Screaming'. I said hi and he seemed cool. Wondering if you had any interaction beyond what went on in front of cameras...

Yeah he's a really nice guy. We had random conversations about stuff. I told him the real stories behind my exes. He listened.

What are some of the things that random people have said to you about your car after the matter?

"WERE YOU THE GUY FROM PIMP MY RIDE?"

"That's a funny-looking Scion."

"Nice car."

I was chased on freeways, while being stopped, people would come up and have a full blown conversation about the episode. Cops would pull me over every day just to see the car.

Wow, this is the worst hazard about being on Pimp My Ride, "You will be pulled over, a lot".

Very true.

Did the cops give obvious bullshitty answers as to why they pulled you over? "You were going 41 in a 40, I'll let it slide this time"

Or were they just like

"OMG MAN I GOTS TO SEE THAT CAR"

"Your 3rd taillight is out."

For the 5 months they had your car, did they supply you with a replacement car? How pimped out was that car? What didn't you like about they way they'd pimped it out? How did they explain to you "Sorry, dude, we actually gotta take these super neat things back"? Were the wiring errors their fault or yours? What does GAS stand for? What were they looking for when they initially chose you and your car? The most broken down, crappiest car or just something to work with?

1. No, they gave me $2,000 to rent a car. But I was 19 at the time, I rented a car for a month, and cost me $1,000. So I pocketed the rest.

2. It was a rental from Hertz.

3. Before viewing my car, they took me out for lunch, and asked me questions about my favorite colors, least favorite colors, my hobbies, etc. I hated the color red.

4. They told me they were a road hazard. They legally cannot leave it on the car.

5. The wiring issues were from the shop that I was going to, 5 years after the show.

6. GAS=Galpin Auto Sports.

7. The most unique car. By the time they were filming this season, they had already done minivans, mercedes, a fucking bus, and an ice cream truck. They have never had a RAV4 before, so they went with it.

Did you have a good time?

Yeah, I had a blast. It was a pretty good experience.

What made it a hazard exactly?

The hood, since it was reversed, they didn't have a way to lock it down, so they had to put it back. At the time, they were just starting to create the reverse-hood brackets. It was unavailable at the time of my episode.

Be honest, what were the reactions like when you first showed it off?

A lot of people asked why they didn't do more. Pimp My Ride is known for doing more, such as a lot of TVs everywhere. I had 2 headrest TVs. and that was it. I'm not complaining, but my friends complained.

First world problems at its finest

tell me about it.

Dude.. minivans have headrest TVs..

You got ripped off.

I FUCKING KNOW!

So an overall review of the experience: was it worth it? It sounds like a lame experience from how you've described it....

Yes it was worth it. It gave me confidence, which I didn't have, growing up.

That is great to hear man!

thank you

Why are all your ex-girlfriends so angry?

It was just something I made up. Except for the last one. She cheated on me.

Bitch.

yeahh.

Did you have to pay for anything?

Just taxes, once it was complete. They also gave me more than half of the money to pay for said taxes.

What was the amount of tax? Just curious.

~$400

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YEEEESSSSS. I am also a huge fan of Jake Shimabukuro.

Look at all these crazy words on my screen.

It's a ukulele thing, you wouldn't understand.

Did they reimburse you for the faulty wiring that lead to your car catching fire and being totaled?

My insurance covered what they could. We tried to go after the shop, but the shop "disappeared".

"I swear the shop was right here!"

"shops don't just get up and run away ukelele_j"

I pass by it every now and then, but there's really nothing i can do about it at this point.

What's your favorite song to play on the ukulele?

I proposed to my girlfriend by singing "I Wanna Grow Old With You". So currently, that's my favorite.

When's the wedding? Can I come??

definitely. pm me your info. your invite will be in the mail in about 2 years.

OP BETTER DELIVER!!!!!!!! I'll wear a tux with a 'slapFIVE' name tag.

EDIT: Address has been sent. Commenter has delivered.

I promise i will! Just make sure you deliver!

What does your current car look like?

After the RAV4, I got 350z. I recently traded it in for a 2012 EVO X.

edit: i accidentally a word.

All of the other "contestants" got their rides pimped anyways.

What do you mean by this? Are they used for other episodes?

Yes, in order to fill the rest of the season.

That's just the production company being efficient: select 15 contestants, tell them each they are one of 15, thereby generating happy surprise when "chosen," send camera crew to make "application" videos, all of which will be used - no wasted effort.

Same thing about having to fake imagining seeing his dream car twice - if he hated it, they can use the two takes of fake joy to make it work.

exactly

1. Did you/your car ever get recognised for being on Pimp my Ride?
2. Is it embarrassing that owning a Rav4 made you famous?

1. EVERY DAY.
2. I was pretty proud. I was 19 at the time. I got a job because of it. I didn't even have to interview at all.

Why didn't you just sell it for profit?

I couldn't, because if I did, I would be in breach of contract if I said that it was on Pimp My Ride. Also the car had some sentimental value: it was my first car.

Can't you like still sell it at a higher price without saying it was on "pimp my ride"?

Like say you did all this?

Yeah I could have. But how many people do you ever come across that was on Pimp My Ride?

Two questions:

1) Was the faulty wiring from your additions, or their mistakes?

2) After watching the video of the fire, why didn't they pimp your car alarm?

1. My additions. The shop messed up and killed my car.
2. My car actually didn't have a car alarm. I bought an aftermarket one way after the show.

Did the shop that messed up the wiring have any kind of warranty or insurance or did they just leave you with a burned car?

No, my insurance company covered some of the damage, and attempted to go after the shop, but they somehow "disappeared".

I'm sure if the just randomly disappeared you weren't the first persons car they messed up.

ACTUALLYYYYYY, after mine, 4 other cars caught on fire.

Sounds like they were hiring people from burger king to work on cars and didn't know what the hell they were doing.

People on the show never touched my car. They had other people behind the scenes.

When they first started filming the show and when drift racing in the US became such a massive fad, they found a guy with a 240SX and put him on the show. Over on the 240sxForums.com, he did a short interview and in the show he made it seem like he only had ONE seat and it was a rather expensive racing seat.

In reality, he had two but MTV told him to take one out for the introduction video to make it more "extreme" - did MTV do anything like that with you?

Yes, they removed my front bumper, used aircraft remover, and enhanced the dent on the side of my car.

Were you satisfied with the outcome?

Better than what I had before. So yes.

were the changes mostly cosmetic, or did they add performance back to the vehicle?

It was all cosmetic. Everything under the hood was factory, except for the battery.

Was there anything that you really disliked about the car after? Also, was it surreal or awkward to be filmed/or on tv? Did you feel comfortable in front of the camera?

Thanks for the AMA!

The whole interior was awful.

When they revealed my car, it was awkward because of the people there. I didn't know who they were.

Yeah, I was comfortable in front of the camera.

If you could redo the experience all over again, would you? What would you do differently if anything?

Change my hobbies. Keep the other $1000 that I spent on the rental car.

Were you asked to react a certain way? Did they give you a script at all for the little time you were on camera?

Yes, I'm not a very enthusiastic person to begin with (due to a poor childhood), so they had to keep retaking my reaction.

No script.

Tell me how the fish tanks in your hub caps worked out for you.

fish died...

Can you post a before and after photo for those of us outside the states who can't watch the show?

http://imgur.com/ImfUy