I used to spend some time watching those shows as well. I only caught parts of "Pimp" a couple times and wish I hadn't. In any case, it suddenly dawned on me one day that instead of watching these clowns hack up cars with the added bonus of the scripted drama I could spend my time more wisely. I now spend a few extra hours a week in the garage working on my stuff.
Seriously, I can't count how many times the following scenario played out...the engine wouldn't fire at two minutes to deadline, when the team suddenly realizes that the distributor is 180* out (monster garage referenec here).
Turn off the TV and get to work!!
