Discover has found much success in many of its rehab-type shows, and they’re expecting more of that success with the release of its latest rehab show. Garage Rehab, a show that combines the automotive and design industries, premiered on August 30. Garage Rehab is basically a garage-renovating show, which aims to help struggling shop owners to recover and start afresh with their businesses. Shop owners are also given business tips to help them avoid future mistakes. The show already had fans even before its first episode aired, since it features some well-known names from the network’s other automotive show, Fast N’ Loud.
Richard Rawlings of Gas Monkey Garage is the main character and host of Garage Rehab. Rawlings started off as an auto mechanic and has expanded his business tremendously. He also started Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill and Gas Monkey Live in addition to his shop. He has created countless automobiles for customers worldwide. He’s a true entrepreneur and also a reality TV personality. His Garage Rehab team includes Russell J. Holmes and Chris Stephens, the project manager and garage designer respectively.
Holmes is responsible for the logistics and the budget, while Stephens handle the implementation of Rawlings’ designs and visions. These three main stars of the show travel nationwide to find automotive shops that are struggling in some or many aspects of the business. The team then takes over for a bit to renovate, teach, and contribute new ideas to help the businesses become profitable once more.
The first episode of season 1 featured a garage right in Rawlings’ backyard. Grapevine Automotive, an established local shop in Grapevine, Texas, became the first subject of Garage Rehab. The show chronicled the entire process of cleaning, demoing, designing, and reconstructing quite successfully, adding bits of drama and personality here and there. Rawlings and his team did an excellent job of carrying the show, and the renovation results themselves are pretty impressive. It’s interesting to see the all-male dynamic in the show, especially with Rawlings’ blunt, no-nonsense style when it comes to running business.
The team at Grapevine Automotive certainly learned more than it can handle in a short amount of time, but they also got a hefty loan to renovate and extra help at that. The owner of the shop, Dayne West, had to adapt to Rawlings’ commanding personality in the beginning but was soon speechless after seeing the results of all the work. The garage went from a literal mess to a completely efficient space. Rawlings and his team even added in some extras with cleaner office spaces, a decent break space, and new uniforms.
At the end of the show, Rawlings remind the team at Grapevine Automotive that they’ll have now have to work hard to repay what was loaned to them. It’s such a refreshing take on rehab shows that typically don’t bother to mention such realities. Garage Rehab is off to an amazing start, and we can only expect bigger and better renovations as the season unfolds.
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