What is “Bad Chad Customs”?
The reality TV show starring a fascinatingly unconventional automobile designer, “Bad Chad Customs”, premiered on 1st January 2019 on Discovery Channel, and shows Chad Hiltz working in his workshop in the rural Canadian small town of Canning. The show’s first season featured six episodes, and the second season nine.
With quotes such as “why would I need to buy a welding wire when I can use a coat hanger?”, the TV personality is known for achieving incredible tools by using the most basic items and materials, including lockers and boat parts. Chad was born on 31st August 1971 in Kingsport, Canada, and has recently shot to fame thanks to his star quality and thrifty mindset.
The Cast
The smooth running of “Bad Chad” can be partly attributed to the fantastic chemistry between the show’s cast.
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Jolene MacIntyre and Colton Hiltz, Chad’s fiancée and son, make up the other two main characters, while Aaron Rand and Alex Gould are also invaluable additions to the program.
Jolene particularly has been a constant presence in Chad’s life, and even helped her partner sign the Discovery Channel deal. Together, the pair have worked on iconic vehicles such as a 1957 Cadillac Coupe DeVille and a 1939 Studebaker Commander. The beautiful blonde is also the co-founder and shop manager of Chad’s store, Hiltz Auto Co., and doesn’t shy away from doing unglamorous work such as touring car museums for research purposes.
As for Colton, Chad’s handsome son works as a full-time apprentice for his father, and loves creating custom vehicles. Although the pair squabble occasionally, the dynamic father-son duo are inseparable, and balance each other out, which is what makes them a great team. With that said, Chad has been criticized for his parenting style at times, as some viewers think he is unnecessarily harsh on Colton.
Aaron is a versatile and talented builder who works with Chad, Jolene and Colton on the show and in the store. Never afraid to get his hands dirty, Aaron has become a fan favorite over time, despite not getting as much screen-time as the others. In October 2020, some viewers were worried that he was suffering from an unknown illness, but several online articles denied the claim.
The least-known of the five, Alex is a self-described master automotive technician, who’s passionate about his craft. Although he seems to have dropped off the face of the earth, Alex regularly posted on Instagram while “Bad Chad” was on air, and diligently promoted the show, sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes content and short videos between each episode. The proud owner of a 1949 Mercury, Alex’s love for vintage cars can be traced back to his childhood, as is the case for most of the cast.
What Happened To The Show?
The first season of “Bad Chad”, created by Love Productions USA, saw Chad and the team build an elegant coupe, a custom 1930s-style delivery truck, and a futuristic drag car to name a few. In the third episode of season one, Chad also hosted the annual car show Rockabilly Weekend, and built a car which would later be raffled off. Showing his altruistic side, the creative designer also built a speedster for a charity golf tournament.
Now in season two, fans were stunned to see Chad transform a vintage Cadillac into an avant-garde roadster and work on several ambitious orders with simple materials. The last episode aired on 12th October 2020, and viewers were left confused when no more seasons were announced. Rumors of cancelation began floating around on the internet but were unconfirmed by the cast members and production team.
However, eagle-eyed fans soon noticed that Chad was posting much more regularly on YouTube. Having started out on the video streaming platform in 2017, it’s thought that the designer returned to his roots, and decided not to renew his deal with the Discovery Channel due to a lack of creative control over his brand.
The show’s network has yet to confirm if they will renew “Bad Chad”, but it’s not looking likely. It’s interesting to know Colton’s Instagram biography still includes “BAD CHAD CUSTOMS // discovery channel”, perhaps leaving the door open for future negotiations.
YouTube
Chad’s YouTube channel started off with short videos, amateur camerawork, and vague, sometimes humorous titles such as “stealing the motor from elvis” and “Cruella Devil”. Before getting his own show, the car fanatic built up a niche fanbase, enjoying his first taste of online fame with the video “How to chrome your bumper for $50”.
Aspiring mechanics and designers who wanted to customize their vehicles cheaply began eagerly watching Chad’s online content, which included videos of visits to junkyards and local car shows. After announcing that he was going to build Jolene a $40 million car for just $3000, Chad began working on his lengthiest project: putting together a personalized Bugatti from the ground up.
Over the next few months, Chad kept his followers up to date, and regularly showed them his progress on the Bugatti. From fabricating doors and windows to building control arms from scratch, the expert proved that there really is nothing he can’t do when it comes to cars. One video detailing the project, “Building the $40 Million Bugatti for my girlfriend”, has since been seen over 250,000 times. In fact, this particular project was the one that went viral, and led to Chad getting his own show.
As to be expected, Chad’s YouTube channel began gaining more traction when his show premiered.
Although he posted more sporadically, the Canadian still kept his online fans entertained with videos such as “Chassis engineering on the ’32 Ford” and “How to chrome your running board for $10”.
Another theory regarding the abrupt possible cancelation of “Bad Chad”, is that the production team didn’t approve of Chad posting on YouTube and wanting control over his channel. However, things worked out well for the social media sensation: after leaving the Discovery Channel behind, he began professionally editing his videos and posting once a day, much to the delight of his following.
The hugely popular new videos are informative – see “Buyer beware: what to look for when buying an old car” – and easy for everyone to follow. In just one month during 2021, the prolific content creator rebuilt a Ferrari, painted a vintage Jaguar, and reconstructed a weathered 1940 Plymouth.
He also began a YouTube mini-series entitled “Bad Chad Builds Another Bugatti”, with each episode being seen 100,000 times on average.
Jolene helps run the channel and can often be seen in the videos, as well as Colton and Aaron.
Chad’s Biography
Hailed as a modern-day innovative genius by some, Chad’s fans are always seeking out new tidbits of information regarding his life before fame. The Canadian is secretive when it comes to his family, but we do know that he dropped out of high school and college for unknown reasons, and even enrolled in an auto-body course which he never completed.
After being fired from various workplaces including Grain Mills, Chad decided to turn his love for cars into a full-time career. Inspired by his father Doug Hiltz, the creator began his car transformation company with little help, but has since won three World of Wheel awards.
Chad’s influence on his son Colton is clear, as both are covered in tattoos and love getting inked up.
Some tattoos of the former include lightning bolts on his forearms, and distinctive birds on his face. The media sensation is 5ft 8in (1.72m) and weighs 130lbs (59kgs), but vital statistics unreported. His net worth is estimated at over $1 million, thanks to his tireless work, innovative creations, and occasional sponsored social media post.
Jolene MacIntyre
As Chad’s long-time girlfriend and number-one supporter, Jolene has amassed her own fanbase over the years. Proving herself to be more than a pretty face, the blonde – who was born in 1989 in Centreville, Nova Scotia – graduated with a Commerce in Finance degree from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada. She was also part of the college’s soccer team, playing midfielder for the SMU Huskies.
After graduating, Jolene worked as a waitress before becoming a supervisor at a Centreville golf resort. She met Chad at the Annual Rockabilly Weekend Car Show, and then left her supervising job to join the staff at Green Goblin Customs (the former name of Hiltz Auto Co.), where “Bad Chad” was filmed.
Nowadays, Chad’s partner is in charge of budget planning and crew management.
Chad popped the question in August 2017, but the pair are in no rush to marry for now, although an old article claims that the couple were planning their wedding. Jolene doesn’t have children that we know of either. A fan of travelling, fashion, and vintage vehicles, the Canadian beauty also enjoys bike riding in her free time, and has a great relationship with her stepson Colton.
Jolene is definitely the romantic one in the relationship, as demonstrated by a 2020 Valentine’s Day post dedicated to her partner that read: “There is a rare breed of people who go all in. They teach. They motivate. They hardly ever receive the same passion and effort in return, yet they never change. They stay authentic. I am very thankful for you Chad”.
Fans also love Jolene because she brings out Chad’s elusive playful side.
In one particularly humorous Instagram video captioned “swipe right to see @badchadcustoms skincare routine”, the reality TV star could be seen typing on his laptop with a sheet mask on.
Despite the blonde receiving various offers from online brands to become an ambassador, Jolene shows little interest in being an influencer, and prefers to support Chad in all his professional ventures. She’s not known for giving interviews either, so fans know little about her family and upbringing.
Jolene’s net worth is thought to be over $100,000, thanks largely to her hard work at Hiltz Auto Co., although some sources estimate the figure at close to $1 million.
Colton Hiltz
People are curious to see how Colton will continue his father’s legacy, and want to know everything they can about the attractive car enthusiast.
Born on 4th October 1998, in Spring Hill, Nova Scotia, Colton was raised by his mother, Chad’s ex-wife Carla Mooring. The former couple divorced when their son was just a year old, but tried to ensure that he had as normal an upbringing as possible.
Dysfunctional relationships are actually a pattern in Chad’s life, as it’s reported that he had his first daughter at the age of 16 with an anonymous ex-girlfriend, and his youngest child Harlee also has a different mother. With that said, Chad has always been an involved father, even when his relationships didn’t work out.
From 2016 to 2019, Colton played in the junior hockey league in his hometown, scoring over eight points for his team. The tattooed social media personality is also a ladies’ man, and has been in two serious relationships that we know of: one with Gabby Simmonds in 2013, and another with Katy Reid in 2014. Old posts also show the junior mechanic posing with many female friends. However, as of 2022 he’s either single or keeping his personal life private.
It’s hard to calculate Colton’s exact net worth, but an accurate figure would be approximately $50,000, as he hasn’t appeared on TV in a while, and is currently working at his father’s store.
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