“Rust Valley Restorers” works, in large part, due to the distinctive assortment of individuals around which the day-to-day happenings revolve, like so many surprisingly interesting occupational reality TV series (we’re looking at you, “American Pickers”) do. These characters may be found on the Canadian-based automobile restoration show as the instantly recognisable auto shop owner Mike Hall, his business-minded son Connor Hall, his go-to technician Avery Shoaf (also known as the “muscle car MacGyver”), and the youthful auto body apprentice Cassidy McEown.
The programme follows Hall’s motley crew of automobile aficionados as they negotiate the antique car restoration industry and try to please a long list of unique clients through Rust Bros Restorations. The first three seasons of the show, which was created by Matthew Shewchuk and Tyson Hepburn and debuted on the History Channel before being picked up by Netflix, are currently accessible through the streaming service. The series gets its name from the unusual setting of its subject, Tappen, British Columbia, sometimes known as “rust valley” because of the area’s seemingly unending rows of deteriorating, rusted-out cars (via Hot Cars). It has a straightforward structure and premise, but, as with any show based on actual people and business, a brief peek under the hood reveals that the plot is more complex than the short episodes would lead one to believe.
Former apprentice Cassidy McEown was brought up in the industry
The Canadian version of the genre includes a lot of women, unlike other shows of its sort, such (for example) “American Chopper.” The Instagram following of one of those ladies, Auto Body Apprentice Cassidy McEown, rivals that of any of her co-stars and she has played a significant role in multiple episodes of “Rust Valley Restorers.” McEown is by no means new to the business of gathering, valuing, and regenerating vehicle cadavers, despite the fact that she may be an apprentice at the beginning of the series (she has since received her Red Seal). McEown said in an interview with the History Channel that her entire family is “into automobiles,” her parents are both mechanics, and she has had a passion for cars “brainwashed into (her)” from an early age. McEown’s love for the industry is evident to viewers despite the fact that he has little choice in the matter.
The Okanagan College auto collision repair major from North Carolina has a projected net worth of $1.2 million as of 2021 (via FanBuzz), but it hasn’t stopped her from treating her job seriously. McEown recently participated in a Q&A session with Okanagan College Trades & Apprenticeship and spoke eloquently on the advantages of learning a craft, the significance of the collision trade specifically, and the ingenuity that goes into a repair strategy. McEown was open about what it’s like for women to work in a primarily male-dominated field, despite the fact that she loves her job. She said that continuously having to prove herself “puts the fire under (her)” to do just that. “You always have to… work a little extra harder,” she said. She is every bit as qualified as anyone else on the series thanks to her enthusiasm for and familiarity with all things automotive.
Like Hall, Avery Shoaf owned his own business prior to the show
Avery Shoaf, a mechanic and star of the show, was a crucial part of the group and followed a similarly unusual career path to success on reality TV. After his heavy equipment rebuilding business, Tappen Business, collapsed and his 2018 attempt to establish his own auto restoration shop failed, Yjr eccentric car aficionado decided to join the series. Although Shoaf has purposefully kept the majority of his personal life and background private (and, in an unusual turn of events, successfully), there are a few things we do know. For instance, despite the mechanic’s reputation for secrecy, he isn’t afraid to share photos of his son Shafin on his popular Instagram, which h as over 140k followers. Shafin’s name was ultimately decided upon by comments left on social media rather than by Shoaf himself, according to The Cinemaholic. Fans of the show are also aware that Connor Hall, a former employee of Shoaf, regards the charismatic character as a kind of mentor. Finally, according to Hot Cars, Hall’s cohort in auto restoration had an estimated net worth of about $200k as of 2020.
Despite his fascinating and rare real-life narrative, Shoaf is only a small portion of what draws viewers to “Rust Valley Restorers” on television. One of the other recurrent characters in the show immediately gained her own fanbase.
Mike Hall may be slighty more business savvy that the series suggests
Any respectable reality television viewer is aware that a series’ overarching narrative often depends on a contrived simplification of the dynamics between its central “characters.” This holds true regardless of the fact that “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” uses the tactic much more overtly than “Rust Valley Restorers,” for example. The proprietor of Rust Bros Restorations is frequently represented in the auto-themed History series as lacking the ability to concentrate on making a profit, while his son Connor is constantly trying to get his father to consider the bottom line. While Hall’s irrational passion for collecting and restoring cars does in fact cause him to make some poor financial choices, his entrepreneurial background implies he’s no novice when it comes to managing a business.
The majority of Hall’s income came from his labour in what is frequently obliquely referred to as “construction,” which, as the series exposes, he invests primarily in his vehicles and restoration business. It became out that Hall had his own company, Chimera Springs Rock Works, in the slope stabilisation sector (via Hot Cars). Hall and his team mounted unstable roadside cliffs and detonated explosives to control their unpredictable and perilous erosion. Hall was known as the “Rasta Blasta” because of his famed dreadlocks. The “Rust Valley Restorers” star made roughly $5 million as of December 2021, “primarily from construction while the rest of the equity is in the cars and property he owns,” claims Cory Barclay of Hot Cars.
Rust Bros Restorations helped Habitat for Humanity begin an annual tradition
The employees at Rust Bros Restorations aren’t simply interested in making money; rather, they also have plain old-fashioned Canadian generosity on their side (often to a degree that makes Connor nervous). They assisted Habitat for Humanity in Kamloops, Canada, in 2019 in starting a brand-new tradition of fundraising. The team gave the housing-focused non-profit a coveted, classic car with a value of close to $70,000, the Salmon Arm Observer reported at the time. The non-profit used the car as part of a fundraising raffle.
Louise Dagg won the rebuilt 1968 Camaro SS Convertible in the charity’s raffle at the Jingle Bell Rock Dinner & Dance that December, launching what would eventually turn into an annual event for Kamloops’ Habitat for Humanity.
The group raised money by giving away a 1968 Beaumont convertible the following year, and a 1969 Barracuda convertible in 2021. (via HFH Kamloops).
According to executive director Bill Miller of the local non-profit, The Rust Bros Restorations, the donation helped the organisation achieve its objective of constructing “70 or more homes in various locales by 2020” and gave the organisation an idea for a tradition that it has since perpetuated. A 1979 Harley Davidson motorcycle is currently being raffled off by the Kamloops Habitat for Humanity. Entry costs just $10, and proceeds go toward “building affordable housing for seniors, veterans, and families” in the neighbourhood (via HFH).
Rust Valley Restorers isn’t Hall’s first reality TV appearance
Despite his success, there is some truth to the claim that Hall prioritises his love of automobiles over his love of money, and the path to reality TV celebrity was not without its share of bumps. Hall revealed to Driving Canada in 2019 that the beginning of his auto repair company wasn’t smooth. “My accountant told me I lost a lot of money,” he said, adding that the year before, he had “just broken even on two automobiles.” Fortunately, the ailing merchant had a chance because to Hall’s lovable character and local fame when he was the Rasta Blasta.
Hall had an appearance in the Discovery Channel Canada series “Highway Thru Hell” in 2017 before getting his own show (via IMDb). Hall’s memorable performance in Season 6, Episode 10 (“Junior’s Job”) brought him to the attention of both television audiences and TV producers. The series followed a Canadian towing a recovery team as they attempted to rescue felled vehicles on some of the most hazardous and challenging roads in Hope, British Columbia (via YouTube).
Mayhem Entertainment contacted Hall to see if he’d be interested in hosting his own series about car restoration after a news article about his (first) ambitious attempt to sell his home and collection of cars went viral. Hall was reluctant at first since he was a collector rather than a restorer, but after assembling a team and raising money over the course of three days, he finally decided to take the risk (via Castanet Kamloops).
The Majority of Mike Hall’s car collection was auctioned off in 2021
Hall may be kind, but that doesn’t mean it was simple for him to part with the sizable collection of vintage automobiles (more than 500 in total) that he sold at auction in October 2021. Hall stated that he had owned many of the vehicles on his lot “for 30 or 40 years” but that it was “time for somebody else to take care of them” in an interview with the CBC. The vehicle enthusiast decided to sell much of his collection after deciding to sell his Tappen home earlier that year. I’m going to leave my family with enough issues, he said, adding, “I think I should kind of straighten up this one while I’m still here.”
Hall has frequently stated that he never thought of himself as the automobiles’ owner, rather as their interim keeper (CBC YouTube). In a widely reported interview, he stated, “If they go to good homes and someone does something with them, then I’ve done my duty” (via Motorious). Of course, leaving behind the meticulously managed remains of a lifelong obsession is difficult. The TV celebrity only kept “only” 52 vehicles in the end. He said, pointing to his head, “I still have a full deck to play with, but don’t have a full deck up here.” (via CBC YouTube).
The fourth season of “Rust Valley Restorers” will begin on Thursday, March 24th, with a brand-new episode (via Episodate).
Even though a fifth season hasn’t been revealed, it’s safe to assume Hall won’t have any issue reassembling his collection (should he feel the need), considering the show’s rising popularity (according to Parrot Analytics) and Hall’s rising notoriety.
