“King of Cars,” A&E’s latest reality-show phenomenon, is now back for its second season, and, wow, this is just further proof that a reality show can make just about any job look interesting. If you’re not familiar with it already, the series centers around the Towbin Dodge car dealership in Las Vegas, Nevada, run by Josh “Chop” Towbin; the dealership earned some fame via its infomercials, where its salesmen dress up as various characters (like Versace Mariachi and the Blue Genie), but that’s nothing compared to how things have been since the premiere of this show last year on A&E.
We scored screeners of two episode from the new season – the first about the dealership’s “Ugly Truckling” contest (where customers are told to bring in their ugly trucks, and the ugliest in the bunch will win $1,000), the second about a competition for a promotion within the dealership (it begins as a simple matter of who sells the most before descending into a one-on-one basketball match where the winner gets the gig) – and, yes, even the world of car sales makes for fascinating viewing when it’s made into a half-hour show with lots of quick cuts and one-liners. The “Ugly Truckling” episode is especially enjoyable, with the laughably rotten vehicles that roll onto the lot in an attempt to win a grand.
Ultimately, however, my biggest problem with the show – and I think it’s one that a lot of others probably share – is that, while they might make for an interesting reality series, I generally avoid car dealers like the frickin’ plague, so as I’m watching the show, I’m often taken out of it when I realize that, geez, what that guy’s doing or what that other guy is saying are two big reasons why I tend to drive my cars until they literally fall apart. I hate dealing with car salesmen…and even though there’s definitely an entertaining reality show premise to be found within “King of Cars,” I’m hard pressed to actually like any of the characters in the series, especially the ones who open their mouth on a regular basis, since they invariably say something boastful and annoying. In particular, Chop reminds me a lot…a whole lot…of a guy I used to work for, and while he’s got the kind of personality that helps when you’re trying to make a buck – meaning that he’s an obnoxious loudmouth who loves his bling, lives for the almighty dollar, and will change his personality in the blink of an eye if he thinks it’ll help score a sale – he’s not the kind of guy you can readily root for…and the same goes for the majority of his staff. In that second episode, two of the salesmen are battling for a top slot at the dealership, and they immediately descend into back-stabbing in order to try and win the new, higher-paying position…and Chop is cackling all the way. He’s also the kind of guy who talks about people being “team players,” which never fails to rub me the wrong way, personally.
But, hey, if you also happen to be an obnoxious loudmouth who loves his bling and lives for the almighty dollar, you’ll probably want to tune in every single week. (Somehow, I’m guessing that’s the demographic where this show scores its biggest ratings.) Otherwise, however, it might be wise to enter the proceedings with trepedation; one trip to the lot might be quite enough for you.
