While many auto-restoration reality TV shows aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, the success achieved by History channel’s “Counting Cars” is undeniable. Besides providing its viewers with jaw-dropping classic car modifications, the legendary Danny “The Count” Koker and his expert team are always in our minds, either through their eccentric personalities and unquestionable talent.
Now that it’s been a decade since “Counting Cars” premiered, the most loyal section of its audience can remember the most memorable restorations shown in the series with a smile on their faces. However, the question of what happened to those former cast members – such as Scott Jones – seems to resurface now more than ever.
So what’s up with Scott Jones nowadays? Why did he leave Count’s Kustoms, and where does he work now? Is he ever coming back to his old job as a manager? Keep with us to know the answer to all these questions!
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Why Is Scott No Longer In The Show?
Any keen fan of “Counting Cars” remembers Scott Jones well for his sassy attitude, emblematic dark sunglasses, and for being Danny Koker’s former right-hand-man. His work as a manager and accountant in Count’s Kustoms made him easily recognized by the audience and though he was sometimes bothered by Danny’s attitude, he was humble enough to admit how talented his boss was.
Scott’s charismatic personality and increasing popularity during his time in “Counting Cars” made him the right man to attend fan meetings and garage tours for the show. Nonetheless, all of that came to an end in 2013, when he left in the middle of the series’ third season.
As explained in “Counting Cars”, his son’s birth prompted him to move to Tennessee, which actually makes sense, since months before his departure, he told the news website The Greeneville Sun that he’d lived in Tennessee years prior to the show’s premiere, and missed the place.
Describing Greeneville as his ‘home’, Scott revealed his plans to move back there as soon as he could: ‘I’ll spend some more time in Vegas before I get done. I’m 43 now. I’m ready for a slower lifestyle’.
All in all, it’s evident that Scott’s exit from the show was a willing decision on his part.
What Are Scott’s Connections To Tennessee?
Besides wanting to live a slower and more tranquil lifestyle, Scott Jones’ choice to move out of Las Vegas goes deeper than just comfortability.
Scott’s connection with Greeneville in Tennessee started in the late 2000s, when his sister Mona White moved there with her husband Tim. As it happens, the couple had a successful trucking business in Nevada, but their desire to spend their retirement in a tranquil place won in the end. Eventually, Scott fell in love with Greeneville too, and moved there, soon being hired by a company named Kyker’s Extreme Automotive.
Though Scott often traveled to Las Vegas to visit his then fiancee, he didn’t make the move until he was hired by Danny Koker in 2011. However, it’s apparent that he was never into the big city lifestyle: ‘When someone asks me how my day was here, they sincerely want to know. You say that in Vegas, that’s just a bull line you run by someone’, he said to the Greeneville Sun.
As well, Scott and his former boss Dale Kyker from Kyker’s Extreme, were clearly on good terms. As Kyker said in an interview in 2013, he and Scott were planning on establishing a garage shop in the near future.
Where Is Scott Now?
Unbeknownst to many, Scott Jones is active in the entertainment world nowadays. As it happens, he took back his job at Kyker’s Extreme Automotive following his comeback to Greeneville in 2013, and though Scott stayed low for almost a decade, his career has taken an unexpected but welcomed turn in recent times.
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As the Greeneville Sun reported in late 2021, Kyker’s Extreme was to be featured in the newest Netflix series – “Swap Shop: Dash For Cash” – to be premiered in November that year. The show consists of the business ‘sell and swap’ activities involving vintage car parts, comics, action figures, in fact anything considered collectible.
Under the motto ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure’, “Swap Shop” shows Dale Kyker’s wife Lisa promoting the shop’s artifacts on radio, while Dale and Scott Jones are often out hunting for hidden car treasures in the north of Tennessee. Although the show hasn’t had a lot of promotion on social media, the production is apparently successful enough to make Netflix order a second season, as seen on Kyker’s Extreme Facebook page. However,, the best part about all of this is the opportunity to see Scott again on our TV screens, after so many years.
Who Took Scott’s Place In “Counting Cars”?
Following Scott Jones’ departure from Count’s Kustoms, the shop needed someone reliable to take his place. The most obvious option was always Kevin Mack, who besides having enough knowledge about the business, has also been Danny Koker’s best friend for almost three decades.
Becoming The Count’s right-hand-man surely isn’t an easy task, but Kevin Mack successfully took on the job. His trustworthy opinion also helps Danny to make the right decisions while looking for cars for sale, as “Counting Cars” knows very well. As Danny told the website Matt & Jess, ‘Kevin is thinking two or three months down the road, about what a car is going to look like when it’s done. I think his creativity and my organization work very well together’.
Unsurprisingly, Kevin and Danny’s good work dynamic is nothing new for them. They met In 1994 while riding motorcycles, and instantly became friends, eventually joining the same bike group to go on trips to Los Angeles or Arizona.
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After Danny established Count’s Kustoms in the early 2000s, Kevin went to work for him after leaving his ‘labor job’ behind, as Apex Automotive Magazine reports. Seeing how Kevin and Danny’s long-time friendship wasn’t affected by their then-new professional relationship, it’s obvious why Kevin was the right man to replace Scott.
Who Else Left The Show?
Besides Scott Jones, the only popular cast member of “Counting Cars” to ever leave the show is Roli Szabo, the usually light-hearted polisher of Count’s Kustoms, the one who usually showed customers their finished cars.
One of the most memorable traits about Roli was his characteristic Hungarian accent, plus of course the fact that he was very talented in his job. As a regular in “Counting Cars” for over six seasons, Roli gained the hearts of the audience, and huge popularity.
Unsurprisingly, Roli’s departure from the show left his fans flabbergasted and confused, and the fact that neither Danny nor “Counting Cars” ever explained why he left only worsened the situation.
Rumors were soon circulating online, linking his exit from the show to the stealing of his van, which apparently contained his work equipment valued at thousands of dollars.
Though there’s no way to confirm the real reason behind Roli’s exit from Count’s Kustoms, it’s nice to know that he’s doing well nowadays. As seen on his Instagram page, Roli often travels the US for car exhibitions and conventions, in addition to establishing a hi-tech transportation business with his brother.
While it’s almost certain that Roli won’t return to “Counting Cars”, in a 2021 Instagram post, he’s thankful that regardless of the years he hasn’t been on TV, people still contact him thanks to the show.
Did Someone Steal Count’s Kustoms?
One of the biggest scandals to which “Counting Cars” has ever been linked doesn’t have anything to do with TV drama. It all goes back to 2013, when a man named Joseph Frontiera was hired by Count’s Kustoms through a hiring firm in Delaware.
Though Frontiera appeared in “Counting Cars” a couple of times, he didn’t have much of a chance to become a memorable cast member. His time in Count’s Kustoms soon ended, when his bosses discovered that he used $75,000 of the business’ money to buy airline tickets, and pay for his Range Rover. On top of all, he also forgot to pay Count’s Kustoms taxes, resulting in an $18,000 penalty for the business.
Reportedly, Frontiera’s easiness in committing such a crime was due to the fact that his bosses in Count’s Kustoms put him in charge of company assets, which served him well after he also stole the company’s seals with Danny Koker’s and Kevin Mack’s signatures. However, Frontiera apparently shouldn’t have been given said privileges, as he had previously been charged with embezzlement.
Count’s Kustoms accused Frontiera of theft, and the hiring company which referred him for allegedly hiding his criminal records. The case was settled in 2020 with financial compensation in favor of Count’s Kustoms.
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Was The Business Sued?
The second most famous scandal involving Count’s Kustoms had to do with another lawsuit, though this time it was against the shop for apparently fraudulently withholding money they supposedly paid for a car.
The lawsuit was filed by Jeanette and Paul Hurt, a couple from Nevada who commissioned Count’s Kustoms to buy and restore a 1967 Ford Mustang Coupe, for $50,000. According to court papers, the initial payment included $11,000 to buy the car, with the rest of the money to pay for the shop’s crew labor. They were also told that “Counting Cars” would showcase the car in an episode meant to be filmed in late 2013, however, only a couple of months later, the couple was told that their future car wouldn’t be featured in the show, but that the schedule to complete the restoration remained the same.
In October that year, the Hurt family visited Count’s Kustoms only to find that the business had bought a 1967 Mustang for them instead of the car agreed, on top of that discovering that Scott Jones, who coincidentally took their commission, no longer worked in the shop. Fortunately for Jones, the lawsuit didn’t include him, but the case surely damaged Count’s Kustoms’ reputation for a while. Eventually the case was settled out of court.
How Did Count’s Kustoms Start?
Unknown by many, Count’s Kustoms story started in the late 1990s. As it happens, Danny Koker has always been involved with auto-mechanics, having been taught by his father, but also learning a lot by himself during his early years.
Danny’s adventures as a biker eventually led him to establish his motorcycle repair business, becoming so popular in little time that it ended up expanding to a fixing and rebuilding car shop. By the time Danny hired his long-time friend Kevin Mack for the business in 2006, the garage was apparently really busy with work, although only having seven workers.
Nowadays, Count’s Kustoms has over 40 employees, and is known all around the world thanks to the History Channel. The shop’s crew has also been personally affected by these changes, as the fame provided by “Counting Cars” follows them everywhere: ‘It’s gotten to the point where almost anywhere we go, there’s a fan there to talk to you about something. It amazes me, frankly’, Danny Koker told Matt & Jess in 2013. Nonetheless, Danny also affirmed that he and his team see themselves as ‘entertainers’, not as celebrities.
Related Businesses
Count’s Kustoms has always been Danny Koker’s main business, but as an entrepreneur he has expanded into other fields as well. In 2011 he established his Las Vegas’ bar Feelgoods in partnership with rock singer Vince Neil, but who not long after sold his share to Danny.
Left as the main owner of the business, Danny rebranded the place as Count’s Vamp’d Rock Bar & Grill, and today the bar is a main attraction in its location on Sahara Avenue, having become a restaurant and night-club which hosts big-name rock shows.
Danny is also the owner of Desert Moon, the production company which is in charge of his bar’s live events.
Danny also owns Count’s Tattoo Company, which was initially named Vince Neil Ink back when it was established in 2009.
Is “Counting Cars” Real?
Just like any reality TV show out there, “Counting Cars” is the subject of doubts regarding how real it actually is. Aware of these questions, Danny Koker affirmed that he and his crew don’t do acting, despite what people assume: ‘when we’re out in public, or we’re in private, we’re the same people because we don’t know how to act. You’re not going to see somebody who isn’t there’.
Danny’s words are convincing enough, but it’s for sure that certain aspects about “Counting Cars” are edited or staged in some way or another, to make the show more attractive to the audience, and to satisfy broadcasting time constraints.
While knowing that not everything in the show is completely genuine could be disappointing for some people, real fans know that the real “Counting Cars” entertaining factor comes from its cast’s personalities and work, rather than from somewhere else.
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