Amanda Martin, formerly known as Amanda Jill Keathly, is an American television personality, probably best known as one of the cast members from “Iron Resurrection”, a reality series on Discovery Channel that focuses on the restoration work done by the Martin Bros Customs workshop in the Texas Hill Country.
The popular show documents the daily activities of Joe Martin, proprietor of Martin Bros Customs, and his crew of skilled metal workers and fabricators as they restore old motorcycles and cars that have seen better days.
From burned-out classics to ancient rust buckets, the cast and crew from “Iron Resurrection” has seen it all, and over the course of the show, restored numerous projects back to their former glory.
The popular auto-restoration series has been met with exceptional reception by its audience, and recently finished airing its sixth season with the seventh season heavily anticipated in 2023. The show aired its debut season in 2016, with the show’s concept inspired by the hot rod designer Boyd Coddington and Wayne Carini, the host from “Chasing Classic Cars”.
As an auto enthusiast, Joe admired Coddington’s work, but unfortunately could never afford any of his designs. As such, Joe began teaching himself the art of hot rod design and construction, and for a while worked as a motorcycle mechanic.
Joe’s big break came in 2014 after appearing in Discovery Channel’s “Biker Build-Off”, affording Martin a chance to open his own workshop. Two years later, producers approached Joe, requesting potential content for Velocity Network, now known as the Motor Trend Network.
Joe’s initial approach was soon turned into its own dedicated series, and thus the birth of “Iron Resurrection” became a reality. Naturally, both Joe and Amanda’s lives drastically changed since then, as they expanded their business into multiple fields, which now include the sale of merchandise.
However, during the release of the fifth season, fans were nearly devastated by the news of the possible cancellation of “Iron Resurrection”. Big changes came about after nearly the entire crew departed the show, leaving Joe and Amanda to fend for themselves.
Thanks @Velocity for letting me drive #buckleup pic.twitter.com/V9LlRxjP6l
— Amanda Martin (@mandimartinbros) May 12, 2016
Instead of entirely ending the series, it formed part of the drama, but this also meant that Amanda now spends less time in front of the camera, leaving fans wondering what happened to her.
As things stand now, the sixth season has not yet been confirmed.3
Who Is Amanda Martin?
Born on 11 December 1973, in Red Oak, Texas, Amanda along with her siblings Zack, Sandra and Wendi, spent most of her young life in Texas where she attended Red Oak High School. Unfortunately, very little information is available on Amanda’s early life and her personal details, but it’s known that her father, Zacharia Keathly, was an American military veteran, who passed away in 2006.
Again, little is known about Amanda’s academic pursuits, but considering that she had a relatively successful career in finance, one can assume that she earned some type of degree in financial law or sciences, though her alma mater remains unknown.
Following her graduation, Amanda moved to the Texas Hill Country, where she worked for Wells Fargo bank, filling the branch manager’s position. She later worked for Pioneer bank in three different roles, namely the assistant vice president, deposit operations vice president, and product manager.
In 2016, Amanda took a chance on Joe’s gamble, leaving her day job to assist her husband’s endeavours, and joined the crew and cast in “Iron Resurrection”. She’s since earned her fair share of fame, as she quickly became the beautiful face of Martin Bros Customs.
Amanda is also hailed as co-owner of the workshop, and, as one might suspect, assists her husband Joe with the financial management of the business. In fact, when Amanda’s not in front of the camera, she’s busy crunching numbers in the office, or out searching for new clients.
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Considering that restoration work is very expensive, it definitely suits the company to have a financial genius at hand, but as many who follow the show would know, quite often, the workshop doesn’t have the required funds to restore certain vehicles. Usually, this means that Joe and his crew have to get creative, or sometimes look for sponsorships.
When Amanda and Joe aren’t busy filming or running the workshop, the couple goes about doing charity work with numerous canine programs. One of their recent interests as avid dog lovers and pet owners includes raising funds and awareness for the organisation Southern California Pit Bull Rescue, and thanks to the Martins’s help, the organisation exceeded their record of collecting $500 a day in donations.
Where Is Amanda Now?
Following the recent changes in the show’s cast, many viewers reached out on social media, asking what happened to some of their favourite cast members.
One such, Javier who is also known as “Shorty”, posted a video on Facebook in which he thanked the viewers for their support, but also assured them that he was doing fine. Javier added that he moved back to Dallas, Texas, where he manages his own workshop, and gets to spend more time with his family.
This was really important to Javier, as by that time, he’d become a grandfather.
Cato, the show’s resident upholsterer, moved to Atlanta, and “Iron Resurrection” producers reached out on social media to inform viewers and fans of his departure, saying that his company is now hosted in Fuller Moto.
According to Cato, who reported on the relocations on a personal blog, his wife earned a new position in Atlanta, and he wished to support her, as such, he will no longer be part of the “Iron Resurrection” crew, but remains grateful for the time he spent on the show, as well as the fans’ continued support.
Pompa, the resident metal worker, left the show under obscure circumstances, though no indications of a dispute have surfaced, making it seem as if it was a mutual and amicable decision.
However, fans speculate that Pompa simply grew tired of the constant pranks, and that he left the show because he no longer wanted to be the butt of every joke. Fortunately, Joe dropped a few hints on social media, suggesting that Pompa might be returning for future seasons.
Manny, a definite fan favourite, has unfortunately disappeared without a trace, and with no social media presence, it’s impossible to say what happened to him. However, no indications of a dispute can be found, so it’s safe to say that Manny left amicably.
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As for Joe and Amanda, it’s very likely that they might already be working on the newest, seventh season of the show, but when they’re not busy filming, the couple keeps themselves busy with charity work.
One recent project includes support for the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for which the Martins raised over $20,000.
Aside from the above, according to Amanda’s Instagram profile, the reality television personality is keeping busy finding new hobbies, spending time and effort on her health and fitness, as well as promoting merchandise for Martin Bros Customs.
As far as we can tell, neither “Iron Resurrection” nor Joe and Amanda are going anywhere. Thus, fans of the show can look forward to watching their favourite restoration crew hard at work, although the release of the new season, while anticipated, is still to be announced.
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