Bobby Brantley
Actor and TV personality Bobby Brantley – not to be confused with the former vice-governor of Florida – was born on 11th February 1970, in North Carolina, USA, and is best known for his three-year stint in the scripted ‘reality’ show “Lizard Lick Towing”.
After that, in 2014, Bobby was the assistant director and leading man of “The Lonesome Curse”, a short movie which received a barrage of negative reviews due to its poor cinematography and weak script. Since then, he’s maintained a relatively low profile – despite having over 50,000 Instagram followers, his account is private and he posts sporadically.
On the other hand, Bobby’s Facebook presence is much stronger, as the actor appears to feel more comfortable with sharing snippets of his life on that particular platform.
Family
Since 2011, Bobby has been married to his ‘partner in crime’ and greatest supporter, Anita Grissom. The TV personality and Anita share several children, amongst them twin daughters Juli and Vannah; however, they prefer to protect the privacy of their young ones.
One of the last times Bobby posted his daughters was in June 2016, when he proudly announced that they’d matriculated high school with honors. Months prior, he commemorated his and his son Hunter’s birthdays, as well as his youngest son Nash turning three weeks old, with a sweet Facebook post that received over 14,000 Likes.
Overall, the “Lizard Lick Towing” star is believed to have five children; replying to fan comments, he previously confirmed that he also has a daughter who would be around 24 years old at time of writing.
“Lizard Lick Towing”
Although the reality series “Lizard Lick Towing” was about a real repo company and its employees, the episodes were actually dramatized and scripted reenactments of their exploits. Viewers of the show were mostly aware of this, and took it at face value: for example, in one particularly memorable episode, the repo company workers attempted to repossess an expensive Mustang, and almost had to get law enforcement involved.
Despite having a dedicated audience, the majority of “LLT” reviews were overwhelmingly negative. ‘Every episode appears to feature NUMEROUS felony assaults, both against and by the LL team. And yet nobody cares,’ one viewer complained, while another wrote: ‘I would rather watch Nancy Grace twenty-four hours a day, while she’s badgering innocent people, than have to flip through the channels and accidentally come across these horrible actors and this GOD-AWFUL television program.’
In the season four premiere, Bobby was rushed to the hospital after a horrific car accident, while his friends and co-workers Ron and Amy tensely waited to hear updates about his condition. In one scene, the unresponsive reality TV personality was ushered into an ambulance, while ominous music played; later, the bruises and cuts on his face were clearly visible and he was confirmed to have suffered various injuries.
Adding even more drama to the situation, Ron had to be visibly removed from Bobby’s side, and began crying while telling his wife what had happened. Although there isn’t much information regarding Bobby’s accident, which took place in 2013, it appears that the actor was driving his truck when it flipped four or five times for unspecified reasons. Nevertheless, he made a speedy recovery and was soon able to resume filming as normal.
Tragedy
In February 2022, it was revealed that Ron’s son, Harley Alexander Shirley, had been pronounced dead at a local gas station following an altercation and gunfight. The death of Harley, who was just 21 years old, left the local community shaken to its core; according to one neighbor, over 20 gunshots were heard in just one minute, and the shooting took place during a balloon release and vigil, a few miles away from the gas station where Harley’s body was found.
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A heartbroken Ron confirmed the news in a Facebook post, writing: ‘He’s at peace now – waiting on the rest of us to arrive at those gates- we will be there soon Big Shur – and will always cherish the times we had while you were with us son’. Meanwhile, Harley’s older sister Lexy asked that people allow the family time to process the unexpected loss.
A day after Harley’s death, Lexy set up a GoFundMe campaign to launch a scholarship in his memory. ‘Anyone who knew Alex, knows how important helping people overcome addiction was to him,’ Lexy explained. The aim of the scholarship foundation was to provide financial assistance and professional help to individuals struggling with drug addiction; however, as the campaign raised just $5,000 of its $30,000 goal, the Shirley family were unable to launch the initiative.
Less than a week after the tragic incident, two teenagers were charged with killing Harley; four arrests were made overall, although a fifth person was allegedly suspected of being involved in the deadly altercation.
Ron & Amy
Lizard Lick Towing & Recovery is the family business run by Ron and Amy Shirley, and although the show has been off air since 2014, the reality TV power couple continue to excel in their professional ventures.
As the president of LLTR, Ron oversees the day-to-day operations at the repo company, and is also in charge of heading up the repossession skip tracing department. Meanwhile, Amy is the vice-president and ‘backbone’ of the business. Some of their current employees are Cousin Johnny, who is described as a ‘jack of all trades’ on the LLTR website; Big Juicy, Amy’s right-hand woman and front office assistant; Tammy, the merchandise store manager; and last but not least, Swirly Earl, who seems to have replaced Bobby as one of the drivers.
According to a US Sun article, Amy is a power-lifter and former mortician, whereas Ron is an Evangelist and serves as the pastor of the Eastern Chapter of Dirt Church. The couple have an estimated $4.5 million net worth, but their lifestyle is far from flashy, and they’re big believers in giving back to the needier: some of the charities they support include the American Cancer Society, the Hero Award, and Gabriel’s Wings.
