Who is Alloy Ash?
Alloy Ash – yes, that is her birth name – is an actress, international model, and social media influencer of “Fast N’ Loud” fame, who resides in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The quirky blonde, who is sure to stand out from the crowd with her unusual tattoos and grunge aesthetic, is thought to have been born in the early 1990s, but prefers to keep details such as her birthplace private.
TV Career
Viewers saw Alloy for the first time in a 2011 episode of “Mad Scientists”. Two years later, she appeared in the controversial reality TV series “Fast N’ Loud” and earned herself the nickname of ‘Richard’s favorite welder’ thanks to her skills in Gas Monkey Garage.
In 2016, Alloy participated in an episode of the reality show “Bert the Conqueror”, in which the actor and producer Bert Kreischer travelled the states to try out different theme park rides. Other cast members included Dolly Parton and Gjee Wade II.
Alloy’s short-lived acting career ended on a high note with a lead role in “You’re Falling”, a sci-fi music video directed and written by Ben and Julien Deka. From then on, the attractive social media figure turned her creative talents to other professional ventures, such as being a brand ambassador.
Personal Life
Despite a lack of information regarding Alloy’s parents, childhood, and education, the former actress loves keeping her Instagram followers up to date with the more superficial details of her daily life. Her boyfriend, affectionately nicknamed Meuw or MeuwMeuw, is a regular feature in Alloy’s social media feed, and has been a calming presence throughout traumatic events such as the death of their beloved pet cat Knives.
In January 2021, Alloy shared that she and her boyfriend had made a cast of Knives’ heart, and added a drop of their blood and his to the resin “so we are always together and we can always keep him with us”. Apparently, a surgical vet friend of hers removed Knives’ heart so she could preserve it. “I plan on building a saintly alter [sic] to hold it, soon I will be… possibly driving him to someone to have his Skeleton articulated!” the influencer added.
https://www.facebook.com/AlloyAsh/photos/pb.100050375084920.-2207520000../1393118004145605/?type=3
Some of Alloy’s hobbies include travelling, visiting art galleries, baking, and cooking. Going for long walks and appreciating nature is another of her favorite pastimes, and she often posts snaps of the small animals she finds on her strolls. Lastly, Alloy is also an avid hunter, and loves shooting with her PCP rifle, despite having faced some criticism for it in the past.
YouTube Channel & Modelling Portfolio
Like any self-respecting content creator, Alloy has an active social media presence, and previously dabbled in YouTube for a few years. Some of her most popular videos see her review small clothing brands and vape pens, unbox gifts, or answer FAQs.
To date, her most popular videos are “Aspire ATLANTIS-2 review” and “Cosmic Fog Vape review!!! YUM”, with a combined 94,000 views. The last time Alloy posted on her YouTube channel was in 2018, to talk about her boyfriend’s “perfect” proposal, so it’s safe to say that she has no plans on returning to the platform anytime soon.
Some of Alloy’s modelling exploits include gracing the covers of Tattoo Magazine, Skins Magazine, and Real Detroit Magazine. Despite her enviable measurements of 36-24-36, and striking blue eyes, the welder prefers to be an Instagram model these days, which is considered easier and better paid work.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBj5vI9Bwbb/
“Fast N’ Loud”
In September 2016, Alloy took to Instagram to discuss the harsh backlash she received following her “Fast N’ Loud” appearances. “It’s crazy to think the sh*t talking people did when it aired, and people were afraid that their weekly show was going to change,” Alloy wrote, referring to how her image differed wildly from what the show’s target audience were used to seeing.
The post ended on a positive note, with Alloy sharing that the show’s producers encouraged her to get dental work done as soon as she could afford it. According to the social media influencer, she was born premature, and always suffered from weak tooth enamel as a result; sadly, biased viewers claimed that she was abusing drugs such as meth, as well as calling her anorexic and a prostitute.
https://www.facebook.com/GasMonkeyGarage/photos/a.421321434557863/1213315318691800/
According to an article by “The Gentleman Racer”, Alloy – who was advertised on the show as a car girl, welder, and model – was actually a popular cast member on “Fast N’ Loud” amongst male viewers. Allegedly, so many men were visiting her website that it crashed, and a poll on the Discovery Channel to make Alloy the newest employee of Gas Monkey Garage was hugely successful, despite “animosity from women nitpicking everything about her weight, looks, and the overall exploitation of women”.
It’s not known to the general public why Alloy didn’t join the show permanently, but many think that her alternative lifestyle and the pornographic content on her website was one of the main reasons. Others suspect that the skilled welder made the most of the exposure she gained to boost publicity for her explicit adult channel.
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Cast Members
Former cast members of “Fast N’ Loud” who also made a big impression on viewers include Aaron Kaufman, Christie Brimberry, C. Mathieu, and Mike Coy. Fans were particularly shocked to see them leave – some for health reasons and others to branch out professionally – many still wonder where they are now.
Aaron, considered by many the backbone of the show rather than Richard Rawlings, was the lead mechanic of Gas Monkey Garage, and gained international fame when “Fast N’ Loud” premiered in 2012. The bearded TV star had worked on Richard’s car a few years earlier, and the host was so impressed that he offered him a professional partnership. Aaron readily accepted, and yet another dynamic small-screen duo was born.
Known for his flawless work ethic and long beard, Aaron was a loveable figure who made for great viewing, with his witty one-liners and calm approach to pressure. However, he left the show in 2017 after teetering on the edge of burnout, when the show’s producers gave him the impossible task of working on dozens of vehicles in a fortnight. According to the Texan, the last five years he spent with Richard felt like 20. Ouch!
Today, Aaron has set himself up nicely with his new business enterprise, Arclight Fabrication. Specializing in rare Ford F100S and supplying aftermarket components, there’s no doubt that the hardworking mechanic has carved out a unique niche in the auto market.
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Christie, Richard’s right-hand woman and the garage’s office manager, appeared in dozens of episodes and charmed viewers with her bubbly personality and sunny outlook on life. Unfortunately, her 2016 cancer diagnosis forced her to drop out of the show a year later to undergo chemotherapy.
Christie’s story had a happy ending as her cancer went into remission, and she was able to witness her daughter’s college graduation and the birth of her grandson. Although the former TV star’s popularity has led to some setbacks, such as trolls creating fake pages in her name, her experience in the public eye has been largely positive.
Although not all former cast members maintain a close relationship with Richard, the controversial host and Christie remain on good terms. In March 2019, the tattooed influencer wished Richard a happy 50th birthday, and shared some cute snaps of them on the set of “Fast N’ Loud”.
https://www.facebook.com/RRRawlings/photos/pcb.1229713260517325/1229716063850378/
C was another vital component of the “Fast N’ Loud” franchise until 2015, the year he decided to move to Fort Worth and open his own shop. Business is booming at K.C’s Paint Shop, thanks to an ample range of services that include restoration, painting, and fabrication of custom vehicles.
Merging new technology and vintage autos is another staple of C’s business that sets it apart from competitors, and it’s little surprise that there are hundreds of positive customer reviews to be read online. When not managing his shop, C can be found at car shows in every state, promoting his craft and brand.
Mike, the show’s skilled painter who received an outpouring of support from fans after leaving “Fast N’ Loud” for unspecified reasons, has become something of an online celebrity lately, with over 200,000 Instagram followers. When not spending quality time with his wife or beloved pet dogs, the Texan can be found hard at work on a new project, be it restoring a vintage Volkswagen Beetle, or doing custom paint work for motorbikes.
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Apart from snagging lucrative deals with brands such as Pirelli Moto and Motul, Mike has also found work at a new shop located in Big Spring. Texas Street Rods, which was founded in 2011, specializes in custom and specialty vehicles, with the aim of making each client’s automotive dreams come true.
Strange “Fast N’ Loud” Facts
It’s undeniable that Richard and his team created a hit show with “Fast N’ Loud”, which is discussed by gearheads and casual viewers alike to this day despite being cancelled well over a year ago. Sadly, the show’s legacy has been tarnished over the years by scandals, petty feuds, and outrageously scripted scenes, proving that not all publicity is good publicity.
For example, the rivalry between Jesse James and Richard was a hot topic of discussion for a while. Jesse, known these days for being Sandra Bullock’s ex-husband, and for being pictured wearing Nazi hats, first clashed with Richard during a bike-building competition way back in 2012. Apparently, the heated discussion turned into a very personal war of words, with each party taking shots at the other’s family.
In one audio released years later, Richard described Jesse as “someone in Texas trying to act like a Texan”, which led to Jesse depositing a truckload of horse manure in the driveway of Gas Monkey Garage. Although there’s no documented timeline of the feud between the two reality TV titans, both men went on record saying ridiculous things about the other, with TMZ and other news outlets having a field day, thanks to the juicy recordings and drama born from the situation.
Richard also rocked the boat when controversial images of him and Aaron posing in thongs for a marketing campaign went viral, over a decade after they first saw the light of day. The 2006 photoshoot session was part of a marketing campaign for the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) car show, but as they say, the internet never forgets. At the time, Richard was an aspiring celebrity and Aaron was the shop manager of Gas Monkey. Although both men have tried to clean their image up since then, these photos will always be around to haunt them.
Another publicity stunt that went too far was the firing of Tom Smith and Jordan Butler, former Gas Monkey employees who told TMZ that they’d been fired for letting a fan with cystic fibrosis pose with one of Richard’s beloved cars. As it happens, the incident was to provide a backstory for a new spin-off show entitled “Misfit Garage”.
Beady-eyed viewers noticed that Richard – who was the bad guy on “Misfit Garage” and seemingly went out of his way to undermine the team at Fired Up Garage – actually owned the workshop and was the producer of the rival show. This led to an online backlash from fans, who weren’t pleased about Richard and the others using a person with cystic fibrosis to generate outrage and publicity for a new program.
The show’s most inoffensive lie, perhaps, is that the team at Gas Monkey are struggling to get by and have to take any job they can to stay afloat. The reality is that, although the Gas Monkey brand started off in a tiny shop with no running water or air conditioning, as of 2022 there are between 40 to 50 cars in the garage at any given time – and from energy drinks to restaurants and a booming merchandise line, Gas Monkey’s growth shows no signs of stopping, despite the occasional online scandal.
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