“It’s Mopar or No Car” With These Facts About Graveyard Carz
Whether it's found in a dump or collecting weeds in someone's backyard, the crew of Graveyard Carz goes by one motto: "It's Mopar or No Car." But while the team is finding and restoring 1960s and early 1970s Mopar racing cars, what's going on behind the scenes?
From the top researcher of the Graveyard crew to the reason why original cast members left the show, here are some lively facts about Graveyard Carz.
Filming 13 Episodes Used To Take An Entire Year
When Graveyard Carz first aired, it took the team more than a year to complete shooting a single season of 13 episodes. The original crew would only work on Mopar builds on Saturdays. A silly concept since those restorations is the premise of the show.
Thankfully, they figured out a better and more financially sound way to film.
A 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Was Stolen From The Shop
Mark Worman and his team are all about restoring Barracudas. Unfortunately, back in 2017, one was actually stolen from the Graveyard Carz garage. The team had restored the 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda for the 2016 SEMA Show.
They were so distraught over losing the car that Worman put out a $5,000 reward for anyone who came forward with information.
Mark Worman's First Car Was A 1970 Dodge Charger
It's no secret that Graveyard Carz head "Ghoul" Mark Worman is a car enthusiast, especially if that car just so happens to be a muscle car built between the years 1960 and 1970. As it turns out, his fascination with Mopars started at a young age.
When he saved up enough money, Worman purchased his first car, a 1970 Dodge Charger.
It's A Family Business
Mark Worman is the head of the Graveyard Carz crew, but he's not the only Worman in the auto restoration business or on the reality TV show. His daughter, Allysa Rose, actually works alongside her father in the garage.
Not only that but Allysa was previously married to fellow Graveyard Carz mechanic Josh Rose.
Currently, Filming Takes 100 Days Of Continuous Shooting
After filming an entire season over the course of a year, Mark Worman and his team fell into a production routine, finally shaving that large number down to nothing more than 100 days.
With 100 days of continuous shooting, Graveyard Carz is able to knock out a 13 episode season with zero continuity errors.
There Is A Lot Of Editing And Even Scripting In The Show
It might be a car restoration show, but Graveyard Carz is still, first and foremost, a reality television series. That means not everything on the screen is what it seems.
In fact, some of the crew have admitted that post-production has been known to edit situations to make them seem more dramatic while dialogue has been fed to crew members.
A 1971 Phantom Barracuda Took Over Six Seasons To Restore
When Graveyard Carz's first season aired, Mark Worman made a point to let viewers in on his little side project -- the complete restoration of a 1971 Phantom Barracuda. Over the course of six and a half seasons, Worman would take some time to work on the car.
Finally, it was completely transformed and back to its factory condition.
Painting Cars Is No Small Task
On Graveyard Carz, Will Scott is the man who turns a beat-up Mopar car and makes it look new; he's the painter. Contrary to popular belief, though, painting a car takes more than spraying the car down with a fresh coat.
Bringing a car back to life can take Scott anywhere between six hours to a couple of days, depending on the type of car and the color.
Josh Rose Left Because He Felt "Short-Changed"
Josh Rose was one of the original cast members on Graveyard Carz. He even wound up marrying Allysa Rose after meeting her on the show. After about four seasons, though, he left.
While some fans believe he left the series after his divorce from Allysa, rumor has it that it was actually because he felt "short-changed."
There Was Some Drama With The "Clinker Twins"
While some of the drama is scripted into Graveyard Carz, two cast members just made Mark Worman miserable. Daren Kirkpatrick and Josh Rose were part of the original cast, and Worman called them the "Clinker Twins."
According to Worman, "They were complete lunatics. None of the arguing you saw on the show was a shtick."
The Team Goes Through Every Car Restoration
Yes, Graveyard Carz is reality television but the team of mechanics does go through every restoration that comes onto the show. They don't leave it to some other team that comes in behind the scenes.
The car research, documentation, and restoration are all done in Mark Worman's shop by his crew of "Ghouls."
Allysa Rose Is The Head Researcher
Being the daughter of Mark Worman, Allysa Rose grew up around cars and gained an appreciation and love for all things automotive, especially Mopar cars. Now, on Graveyard Carz, she's putting her hobby to use!
Rose is the lead car researcher on the team, collecting information about rare cars they could potentially have on the show.
Mark Worman's Net Worth: $2 Million
Mark Worman is a man of many talents, including being the creator of the hit reality series Graveyard Carz. He not only created and hosts the series, but Worman owns the garage, which they work out of.
And his talents don't stop there! Worman is also the CEO of The Division Productions. According to The Celebrity Info, Worman's net worth is an estimated $2 million.
Dave Rea Left The Show To Focus On His Own Business
Fans of Graveyard Carz most likely noticed the departure of Dave Rea in 2017 after joining the cast in season five. An auto technician, Rea's job was to install all of the equipment into the cars and make sure all of the pieces were accounted for.
Unfortunately, he left in 2017 to focus on his own business, DB Restorations.
Holly Chedester Left After One Season
Once upon a time, Allysa Rose wasn't the only female working on graveyard Carz. Holly Chedester made her way onto the show during its second season. A history buff, Holly's job on the show was to track down rare cars.
Unfortunately, due to constant arguments and verbal abuse from fellow cast member Darren Kirkpatrick, she didn't return for the third season.
Josh Rose Was A Professional Soccer Player
Josh Rose came from an interesting background, one that didn't necessarily revolve around cars. Before joining the cast of Graveyard Carz and marrying (then divorcing) Allysa Rose, he was actually a professional Australian football (soccer) player.
Rose played in the National Premier Leagues in Northern NSW and National Soccer League.
Mark Worman Started His Garage Back In 1985
Growing up, Mark Worman dropped out of high school and worked odd jobs. Eventually, he fell into a janitorial position at a garage, working his way up to a mechanic and a management position.
The experience boosted his confidence enough that he decided to purchase his own garage in 1985, Welby's Car Care Centre.
The Cast Makes $2,000 Per Episode
The cast of Graveyard Carz has a pretty good gig with a nice payday. While working on and restoring cars, pretty much their passion, each of the cast members can expect to make at least $2,000 per episode.
Of course, there are some people, such as host Mark Worman, who might make more.
The Garage Is Located In Springfield, Oregon
Graveyard Carz is shot on location in the small town of Springfield, Oregon. The town has just over 60,000 people and is known to be a younger community with an average age of around 35 years old.
There, the Graveyard Carz team has a garage and lot full of cars they're waiting to restore.
Darren Kirkpatrick Was Fired
Darren Kirkpatrick was an original cast member of Graveyard Garage. Unfortunately for him, he was also the main cause of a lot of drama in the series. As it turns out, he would get into actual arguments with his team.
Not scripted or edited around this guy! It's rumored that Mark Worman was fed up and fired him at the end of the fourth season.
