Counting Cars (2012– )

The production value of the show is excellent. Danny 'The Count' Koker and his crew are extremely talented and are, for the most part, fun to watch. The only caveats are 'Horny Mike' and Danny's business manager, Scott. Horny Mike's and Scott's screen time is abysmal and needs an extreme make-over. Where the heck is Ty Pennington when you need him?

I agree with previous posters: the whole 'Horny Mike' thing gets old in a hurry. All of the horns on everything from his helmets and vests, to even some bicycle he hammered together, are quite juvenile. Just a little bit of that adolescent nonsense goes a very long way. While I'm sure he's a nice guy and excellent at his craft, he just comes across on screen as the sort of not-quite-there kid you tolerated in high school shop class but never invited to the swim party because you thought he might try to eat the lawn furniture for a goof.

Scott, The Count's business manager, falls into pretty much the same category as 'Horny Mike' - great at what he does but an absolute pig on television. Whether he intends to or not, Scott comes across as a loud-mouthed boorish type who would try to out-yawp Chewbacca in normal conversation just because he can. There is nothing subtle about him. He's a middle-aged, hulking, mountain of a man with the booming voice of an air raid siren. His behavior on camera gives you the sense that he is well-aware of this fact and has probably used it to his advantage since adolescence, where, like 'Horny Mike', he seems to be permanently wedged. Another irritating facet of Scott's is that he tries desperately to 'look cool' by dressing in the same style as Danny and the rest. While it works on them, it just makes Scott look like the proverbial fat kid that never fit in on the playground and is still trying to make up for it 40 years after the fact. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the disdain Scott appears to have for the shop's customers, if you can believe that. He tipped his hand in one episode during a typical interview after a scene in which a customer haggles with him and the guys for one of their creations. Scott, true to his overbearing and piggish nature, actually said to the camera, "I just wanted him to give me my money and get the f&%# out of here!" What a disgraceful old gonk. The net effect of his performance is to make me cringe and change the channel... a lot. He needs much less face time on my television.

All in all, the show is great entertainment. I predict it will be another gem in The History Channel's crown if they ever manage to sort out the 'Horny Mike and Scott' conundrum. It is definitely worth a watch.