Started out as a really interesting show about the artistic automotive design philosophy at Steve Darnell's Welderup yard down in Las Vegas. However, as is always the case with these type of shows you need some 'fluffing' to give it a wider appeal or it just ends up as a boring documentary about welders. Therefore, Series 1 was 70% focused on the actual builds with the remaining 30% of airtime dedicated to the personalities at Welderup, which was a reasonable mix in my view. Sadly, Series 2 has flipped that ratio around, so we now have the show based around the personalities and the actual build is lost. This is a classic mistake that we've seen so many times and will be the show's downfall in the long run. People started watching it because it was real-life and inspiring. Now it's just a soap opera. Vegas Rat Rods should be about the cars. Once a production team lose sight of a show's core values they're in trouble. Pity... *** UPDATED 26th May 2017 *** OK, so it looks as though someone down at the production team agreed with the above comments. With Series 3 they've put the actual vehicle build back into the spotlight as it should be. Much improved and a vast improvement.

I hope Steve's insurance is up to scratch because the show portrays a custom rat rod shop that is a complete Occupational Heath & Safety nightmare. How someone has not lost a finger, toe or eye, I've no idea.But perhaps that part of the idea, the notion of customizing the cars to give them the Mad Max / steampunk / post-apocalyptic feel of a rat rod also requires a certain level of commensurate potential disaster in the shop as well.The show itself is entertaining, focusing on just one car per episode and also being about 40+ minutes per episode allows a lot of interaction with the staff & shows what happens on the build & how they get their parts etc. However, OH&S issues aside, the crew at Welderup seem to take great pride in building a safe to drive rat rod.You watch a show like this, not to be inspired to build a rat rod in your kitchen, but to be entertained with people that are not boring & cars that are not being (although if you're a hot rod purist, you may be horrified). And on this level, Vegas Rat Rods succeeds.Are rat rods just a phase or here to stay? No idea, but Steve Darnell does rightly call himself the Picasso of the car world, so if you want a Picasso for your car, Steve Darnell's your man, if you want a pre-Raphelite, go see Danny Koker at Counts Customs ("Counting Cars", an interesting show in its own right).Though I'm waiting for the day when they customize a Telsa Model S, now that would be a challenge....

....this show is the biggest bunch of phony crap on television. I grew up in and around welding shops. You couldn't walk through a real welding/fabrication operation wearing the crap these clowns wear let alone actually do any welding and/or fabrication of any kind. The shorts that chick wears are so short she'd have her snatch lips burned off within 10 minutes working in a real shop. This show is an insult to anybody who's ever got a flash-burn or a face full of grinder sparks. ...just the idea of welders in shorts, tank-tops and tennis shoes ought to result in the idiots at Discovery Channel being forced to stand down wind from a guy doing' a 3/8" carbon-arch scarfing job running about 500 or so amps....with shorts and tank tops on.