ou Probably Didn't Know This About the Stars of "American Chopper"

The First of its Kind

American Chopper was among the first reality TV shows to include its stars’ lives in its “plot.”

Image by PopularImages / Depositphotos

Since American Chopper first aired, reality shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Little People, Big World and many others have followed its pioneering format and showed us the real lives of their participants - but American Chopper was there first, with its unscripted fights, drama and swearing entertaining us right along with the awesome choppers the participants build.

Paul Teutul Sr.

Paul Teutul Sr., better known as "Senior" or "Paul Senior" on the show, started his career in bikes back in 1999, when he established Orange County Ironworks - a fabrication shop.

Using the tools at the shop, he began building custom bikes as a hobby, after he was inspired by the many custom-bikes he had seen cruising the streets and gracing his favorite movies and TV shows.

Image by @PaulTeutulSrOCC / Facebook

Soon, however, he was selling his choppers to avid motorists, and thus, Orange County Choppers was born.

The Fight

One of the things that greatly contributed to the Teutuls' resurgent rise to fame is their highly animated fight at the end of season six, when Senior gets angry at Paulie for his working habits.

The fight was turned into a meme, and is arguably one of the biggest sources of the Teutuls' fame today.

Screenshot from "American Chopper"

In case you were wondering, the fight wasn't staged. In fact, it resulted in Paul Senior trying to fire Paulie - but contract agreements with the show stopped him. They had previously signed that they would both be on the show or there will be no show. So, the filming was paused until Paul Sr. agreed to re-hire his son as a contractor.

Looking for Loopholes

The fight between Junior and Senior didn't end in that explosive argument that has since been immortalized as a meme.

Following their feud, Paul Sr. looked for possible loopholes in their contract that would allow him to buy his son out of the company - and to sever ties with him.

Screenshot from "American Chopper"

Their estrangement would continue over the next few years, and would have some pretty dramatic repercussions.

The Million Dollar Lawsuit

Eventually, Senior did find a loophole in their contract, and tried to exploit it - and attempted to force Junior to sell his shares in the company. When Paulie refused to sell to his father, Senior went on to sue his own son for a million dollars, thinking Paulie would back off and that they would settle out of court - but instead, Junior doubled down and hired his own legal team, and Senior ended up losing the lawsuit.

Image by @orangecountychoppers / Facebook

From Bad to Worse

The lawsuit was the last straw in Senior and Junior's relationship. They realized that if they were suing each other, not only were their working relationships at stake - their future as a family was in danger as well.

Image by @paulteutuljr / Facebook

That's when Senior and Junior decided to sit down and resolve their differences in a rational, adult manner - and despite their penchant for loud arguments, actually managed to work out an agreement they were both happy with.

A Tragic Incident

After Paul Jr. and his father went their separate ways, Junior rented out his own space in order to work on his projects independently.

But shortly after moving in, Junior discovered a major leak in his space's roof - and, after calling the landlord, a repairman was sent to fix it.

Tragically, the repairman fell from the roof and landed on his back, dying instantly.

Image by @paulteutuljr / Facebook

Paulie was shaken to his very core by the incident, and, in addition to extending his condolences to the repairman's family, vowed to help them in any way he could as they dealt with their loss.

Shaq's "Man of Steel" Chopper

In 2014, several years after the split between Senior and Junior, the two got together to build a special chopper for none other than basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaq had always wanted to ride a motorcycle, but being a man of such huge proportions, had always been too big to ride a classic chopper.

Image by @orangecountychoppers / Facebook

The Orange County Choppers team built a huge vehicle for the 7'1" tall (that's 2.16 meters!) athlete, and named it the "Man of Steel," complete with a Superman emblem and other embellishments.

Paul Sr. Didn't Know His Name

Paul Senior didn't know that when he was born, he was given a middle name: John.

He also didn't know that he was named after his father, who was also called Paul - which really makes Paul Senior Paul Junior, and his son, Paul Junior, is therefore actually Paul Teutul III.

Image by @paulteutulsr / Instagram

We guess some things run in the family, and that the name "Paul" - along with a talent for building bikes - is one of them!

A One Man Empire

Paul Senior wasn't born into wealth, but he had managed to leverage the success of his shop, his designs and his reality television fame, and is a multi-millionaire today.