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‘Fat N Furious’ returns for second season
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
When season two of “Fat N Furious” premieres Monday, it will be with new locations and new stories, but the same group of gearhead pals who make it all work.
The eight-episode season of the Discovery Channel reality show was shot in the fall at a newly-built speed shop in Springfield Township and also on location in New Orleans.
The gang at Christmas Automotive — Tommy Christmas, Chuck Kountz, Steve McGranahan and Andy Pivarnik — are all back. The crew will continue the show’s format of transforming dilapidated muscle cars into drag-strip ready speed machines.
Christmas and Kountz were hanging around the speed shop last week, talking about the upcoming season. The new shop is brighter and more spacious than the one in Fowler that was used in Season 1. “It’s not as stuffy,” said Kountz.
A highlight of each episode comes when the crew reveals the finished product to the car owner. It’s a moment of genuine emotion that can be poignant because of the story behind the car.
Christmas said some of the reveals this season will touch viewers. “Tears are going to flow,” he said.
There is no shortage of cars with a meaningful backstory. “People we know come to us,” said Christmas. “And they know people. They’ll say ‘This car has been in the garage for 25 years.’ We’ll go get it, and when we’re done with it and they see it, it’s like a dream come true.”
Kountz said the emotional factor is even more apparent this season. “We’ve got some great cars but we kicked it up a notch,” he said. “The stories are the real deal. It took us by surprise.”
Several episodes were shot in New Orleans, where the crew found some forlorn muscle cars in need of attention.
The group went to the Big Easy — a city known for its food — for a few weeks in December. Eating is one of the crew’s strengths and all that creole cuisine had to be tempting, right?
Wrong.
“We tried the food,” said Kountz. “I liked the beignets. But I was thinking that Uncle Nick’s Greek fried chicken would blow this stuff away.”
Christmas said they were too busy to do much food research. “We were working six days a week for 12 hours a day,” he said. “When we got back to the hotel, I was ready to sleep.”
Future seasons could see the gang leaving the country to find cars. Season 1 of the show just started airing in Europe and Australia, and calls and emails have been coming in from Germany, the U.K. and other countries.
Several aspects of “Fat N’ Furious” give the show an appeal that goes well beyond the muscle car community.
It has a human element, and an educational side.
Then there is the camaraderie between the Christmas crew. It’s something that can’t be faked.
“Chuck and I have been friends for so long,” said Christmas. “We have the same brain.”
The absence of profanity also makes it family-friendly — something that bleep-happy reality shows are not exactly known for — although Christmas’ frequent use of “stinkin’” as a euphemistic adjective has made it a catchphrase.
“Little kids, families and older people always come up to us,” said Kountz. “They say ‘Thank you for the show. I can watch it with my son.’”
A viewer might be surprised to hear it, but being on camera didn’t come naturally to Christmas.
“I never wanted to be an actor,” he said. “When I was in school I would freeze if I had to speak up in class.”
Kountz, however, has spent time on a stage before. When he was younger, Kountz was a singer in a few metal bands that played in the Mahoning Valley. The names include Wicked Wish, Furious Hatred and Rightful Heir.
“I thought I was going to be a rock star,” he said.
“He has a heck of a voice,” said Christmas.
To catch a glimpse of Kountz in his younger — and more svelte — days, watch the upcoming season with a sharp eye. In the kitchen area of the speed shop hangs a large portrait photo of a reclining Kountz, sporting some serious hair.
“We never mention the photo in any episode, but it’s there,” said Christmas, with a laugh.