Pimp My Ride - Love it or hate it?
Unlike a lot of people I know, I like Pimp My Ride. Who would have thought finding an old, run down car being magically transformed into a brand spanking, shiny new motor complete with crazy accessories be so mesmerising. The presenter is also top notch, in the form of West Coast rapper Xzibit who lights up the show with his charisma and all smiles approach (complete with hilarious laughter) to deliver a generally nice bloke, which reminds you of your best mate.
What I don't like about the show is how blatantly scripted it is, especially when the team at West Coast Customs sit down on the table together and discuss new ideas and concepts to make the car at its new status of 'pimped'. The facial expressions of all the 6 odd team members is hilarious as they attempt to look serious into implementing their ideas in the garage. Reminds me of the worst B movie you have ever seen.
With that aside, watching them put their ideas into practise is another awe inspiring thing for me, as watching the new metallic paint cover the old rust bucket is as exhiliarating as going on the last loop in a theme park ride. Top that with the crazy add ons they incorporate into the new Pimped out vehicles, as well as the standard underside neons and powerful sub woofers. The craziest thing I ever witnessed was the inclusion of a bowling ball cleaner complete with a set of bowling balls in the boot of a car.
The UK version, unlike its American counterpart is shoddy in every way imaginable. The team are uninspiring, the Pimped out cars are not as epic and the guests are all the boring lot from the far reaches of the UK. But what its biggest embarrassment is its host: Tim Westwood - a Fifty something caucasian English man, who claims to know Hip-Hop 'from the very first day' and incorporates a hilarious ghetto accent like he's in the grittiest end of Queens, New York. For people who don't know him, I won't say anymore. Just watch the video: