As one of the longest-running TV car shows in the reality genre and with a cast full of legendary automotive legends, it’s not a wonder why “Overhaulin’” has gained a privileged place in every motorhead’s heart.
While the joy of seeing “Overhaulin’”s work team change people’s lives never gets old, the show’s attractiveness is admittedly so much more than just flipping cars. The co-host Chris Jacobs’ uncanny ability to make every project enjoyable without losing the series’ educational factor, is a big reason as to why “Overhaulin’” is so successful.
Knowing you love “Overhaulin’” and Chris so much, it’s time to uncover some of the less known details about his life. Keep with us to get a hold on his net worth information, his life and everything “Overhaulin’”-related.
How Rich Is He?
It’s a widely known fact that fame brings both good and bad things.
While the latter includes losing lots of privacy and being involved in unexpected drama, the positive side of fame includes being offered highly financially-endearing deals, especially for people in the entertainment industry.
That being said, it’s not surprising at all to find out that “Overhaulin’”s host Chris Jacobs, is doing quite well on the money side. With a career which started in 1995 and has extended to acting in, producing and hosting shows of all types, Chris’ well-gained success results from his talent and hard work.
Given his more than two decades of career and international fame, it’s safe to calculate his net worth at over $1 million, nonetheless, this number will surely rise as his career continues to grow.
Chris’ Beginnings
Although many people in the entertainment world get into it by coincidence or good luck, the truth is that no one in his family was really surprised when Chris Jacobs pursued a career in arts and media.
A native of Chicago and adopted into a seven-people family, Christopher Keith Jacobs showed interest in acting, theater and sports from an early age.
That same interest probably influenced his choice to enroll into the California-based Whittier College, from where he graduated with a degree in English in the early 1990s, then probably thinking a more high-profile career would offer him wider opportunities, Chris passed on to enroll into the Western State University School of Law, then being admitted to the California state bar following his graduation in 1995. However, his wish to become someone in the entertainment industry was evidently stronger, resulting in him leaving the law profession altogether, eventually being marked as non-eligible to practice Law in California in 1999.
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With an abandoned career and struggling to grow in the entertainment world, most people would think Chris dhadn’t do the right thing. However, seeing how well it turned out for him in the end, it’s evident that taking big risks is sometimes worthwhile.
Adoption Story
Growing up in a suburb in Chicago, adopted into a loving family when he was two years old, and having three brothers and two sisters to play with is something a lot of kids would love, sounding like a very comfortable life.
However, it was expected that Chris would be curious about the identity of his biological parents, leading him to search and successfully find them later in life, all without losing the approval of the Jacobs: ‘(they were) nothing but supportive my entire life, and especially when I started to look for my biological mom, my family was so great about it’, he said in a video for his TLC show “Long Lost Family”.
Describing the experience as if ‘the stars had aligned’, Chris’ birth mother had registered in 1989 in the same adoption service that he was using four years later at 23 years old. As he admitted, meeting his mother for the first time was a life-changing experience he couldn’t forget, despite how long it’s been since then. Even so, it turned out more than well in the end, starting a stable and healthy mother-son relationship which goes on strongly to this day.
Early Career
Chris Jacobs’ career in the entertainment industry started right after his Law School graduation in 1995, when he was cast as a server in “Nick of Time”, starring Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken. That was followed by several small roles in productions such as the movies “Rowing Through” and “The Party Crashers”, credited to him as Christopher Jacobs.
Chris’ first role on TV came in 1999, when he acted as Buzz Peterson in Michal Jordan’s TV movie “An American Hero”, followed by other small roles in drama series such as “The X Files” and “CSI”. While at that time his acting was still in its first steps, he supported himself by appearing in uncountable TV commercials during the first eight years of his acting career.
Love For Cars
While his interest in acting and sports was always present in his life, Chris’ love for everything automotive started in his early years too, thanks to the influence of his adoptive family. The first car that caught Chris’ attention was his father’s Porsche 911s, which despite passing onto other hands as his father eventually replaced them, never diminished Chris’ interest in muscle cars: ‘That was kind of the first car that really spoke to me, that I really looked at as more than just something with four tires and a steering wheel’, he said in an interview with Hollywood SoapBox in 2016.
However, while one of his brothers owned a 1966 Pontiac GTO, and another drove a Camaro Z/28, Chris’ first car was a 1964 1/2 Mustang, which was admittedly much less impressive than the ones his brothers had. Even so, the positive aspect of it all was realizing designs from the 1960s and 1970s were his preference.
His love for muscle cars never diminished – in 2006, Chris bought a 1985 Porsche 911 as one way of remembering the good old times: ‘that car has always been so special to me. So I bought it kind of in his honor and have never regretted it. That’s one car that I’ll never get rid of.’
Acting Career
While Chris Jacobs’ success as an actor was moderate, that didn’t stop him from taking as many acting gigs as he could, even when his career as a TV host was already thriving.
After spending the early 2000s palying small roles, his first chance to join a production’s main cast came with the dramatic but low-budgeted film “Runners”, with the character Ryan Morgan.
He also appeared in a single episode of the fantasy series “Touched by an Angel”, followed by yet other support roles until being cast in an episode of the wildly popular “Two and a Half Men”, in which he starred as Dave in the episode “Phase One, Complete”.
Over the following years, Chris appeared in a couple of TV series and movies, at last being credited a small role in the series “Happily Divorced” in 2012, but that was the last time we saw Chris involved with an acting gig, though the hopes of seeing him again on the small screen or in a movie sometime in the future aren’t lost just yet.
Career as Host
Besides his work in “Overhaulin’”, Chris Jacobs’ career covers hosting several other wildly popular shows. He was the car-centered show “Rides” narrator for a short while in 2004, then passed on to become a correspondent for the entertainment news show “The Insider”, evidently making good use of his time after the cancellation of “Overhaulin’” in 2008.
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He then went on to become a correspondent for “Entertainment Tonight” and the NFL Network, in addition to hosting live events for TV such as “Gold Rush Live” for Discovery’s successful series of the same name.
Later in 2015, he hosted the TV special and highly controversial “Exorcism: Live!”, then became a main presenter of the emotional and popular TLC series “Long Lost Family”, a project he held dear to his heart as it strongly related to his own adoption experience. The show was canceled in 2019, but Chris’ experiences in it were priceless: ‘it hits me right at the heart every time, because I know exactly how they’re feeling, that void’, he said in an interview with the talk show “Pickler & Ben”.
In 2019 Chris took over the family-oriented “Taken at Birth” TLC series, also becoming a commentator for “Diesel Brothers” for a short while that year. All in all, no matter the project, Chris’ versatility as a host is more than proven.
Chris In “Overhaulin’”
Ever since the premiere of “Overhaulin’” on TLC in 2004, Chris Jacobs has been present in it both as a presenter and part mechanic.
The show’s format consists of pranking carefully chosen individuals to take their cars away, of course without them even imagining a total remodeling of their autos was awaiting.
Though Chris’ could be seen in many parts of the process of dealing with the pranks, often totally renovating the car and eventually delivering it back to its owner, the “Overhaulin’” team consists of many professionals in the field, including the legendary automotive designer Chip Foose, with whom Chris not only became friends, but also followed his guidance to improve his pwn knowledge of cars: ‘When the show started, if total car knowledge is a 100, I was a two, and now I’m a 10. I’ve learned how to weld, patch and finesse’, as Chris told East Valley Tribune.
An homogeneous and properly co-ordinated teamwork plays a big role in leading every project to completion. However, the show’s staff’s passion for cars it’s probably the biggest reason everything just turns out well in the end: ‘We’re a bunch of car guys with a common goal. While we’re having that much fun, we’re putting together a product that’s high quality.’
Sponsorships and Social Media
We can’t talk about Chris Jacobs’ career without mentioning his huge popularity on social media, and how he’s benefitted from it. By accumulating over 200,000 followers on both Facebook and Instagram, Chris’ popularity online has made him the perfect choice for several automotive brands to hire him as a promoter. Some of the biggest names include the Mecum Auction Company, which sells classic cars all around the US, as well as Hagerty, an international brand and insurance company specializing in classic cars.
Chris’ work with Hagerty includes more than just a couple of posts on social media, as in 2021 he hosted the company’s online series “Dream Collections”, which took its audience through some of the most impressive garages in America.
As if that wasn’t enough, Chris is an active spokesperson for Wrench, a local car repair service heavily featured in “Overhaulin’”. In addition, Chris often makes public appearances at automotive events, exhibitions and sales.
Charity Work
Besides using his social media for business, Chris Jacobs is an avid collaborator with several charity organizations.
Helping the less fortunate seems to be his thing, which is why he’s involved with United Service Organizations, which supports people enlisted in the US military and their families in time of need.
He’s also a collaborator of ChildHelp, an organization focused on providing care for children who have been through traumatic experiences, such as abuse, neglect and living at risk. Chris’ contribution with ChildHelp consists of hosting and promoting fund collecting events, races and exhibitions in their favor.
Family
If you’ve followed Chris Jacobs for years, you’ve probably wondered what’s with his personal life. Though for the longest time Chris has chosen to keep those private details secret, his most loyal fans would surely be happy to know he recently formed his own family.
As of mid-2021, Chris introduced his followers to the acclaimed visual artist, Vanessa Garcia, who besides being his fiancé was also pregnant with his child.
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The couple welcomed their daughter Scarlett in March 2022, weighing 7lbs 13oz, about 3.5kgs, as Chris revealed on his Instagram, accompanied with the caption: ‘Words cannot possibly express the amount of love we feel in our hearts right now’.
It’s unknown when exactly the couple is planning on tying the knot, but everything points to a bright future awaiting the young family.
Is Chris Still In “Overhaulin’”?
Every good “Overhaulin’” fans know that the show has been canceled and revived a couple of times since its premiere in 2004. However, while there’s been no further news about an 11th season’s renewal since 2019, given how long he’s been in the show, it’s safe to assume Chris will be in it, if the show comes back.
Knowing you shouldn’t worry about Chris’ participation in the series, the future of “Overhaulin’” is still unknown. Nonetheless, we hope that such a legendary automotive show won’t be left to be forgotten for long.
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