Remember the Oklahoma City-based reality show Street Outlaws? I sure do.
Back in 2013, I was apparently the first person in the world to watch the “unscripted” (a.k.a. totally staged and fabricated) reality show about the Oklahoma City street racing scene and then write about it on the Internet.
As a result, our little site was flooded with visits from 13-year-old boys and unemployed 57-year-old men googling things like “How Do I Make The Street Outlaws List” or “Is Street Outlaws Real” or “Are Farm Truck and AZN gay?” Usually these visits ended with someone leaving a mean comment, sending us a very mean email or asking how they can race us.
Even though I kind of forgot about the show, it’s apparently still on the air today. In fact, thanks to BAM! over at The Oklahoman, we learned that show is not only beginning production for a 14th season, but now fleecing the pockets of Oklahoma taxpayers!
Via The Oklahoman:
Pilgrim Media Group, in association with the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, has announced that production is underway in Oklahoma for the Discovery Channel series “Street Outlaws.”
Discovery’s hit “Street Outlaws” continues to take viewers on a wild ride through the underground world of street racing in Oklahoma with fan-favorite local racers like Farmtruck and AZN. The successful series has been a staple of programming for the Discovery Channel since first premiering in 2013…
“Street Outlaws” will utilize the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program administered by the Oklahoma Film + Music Office for the first time with the filming of its latest installment. Principal photography began on July 24 and will intermittently film through next year, according to the release.
“It’s been wonderful to build a relationship with Pilgrim Media Group, and we look forward to their commitment to continue filming ‘Street Outlaws’ in Oklahoma, as well as future shows for which Oklahoma can help set the scene,” said Oklahoma Film + Music Office Director Tava Maloy Sofsky in a statement.
Really? Street Outlaws gets to take advantage of the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program? I thought the rebate was supposed to spur growth in our fledgling Hallmark Hall-of-Fame film industry, not help subsidize a stupid producer-driven reality show that’s been in production since 2013 and was going to film here anyway.
“But Patrick! If Street Outlaws didn’t get the subsidies, they would have covered the underground street racing scene in Amarillo! “
Good! Whenever a fake, producer-driven reality show needs taxpayer funding to survive, it’s probably time to do the right thing and put it down, or at least move it to Texas.
All that being said, you can’t really blame Street Outlaws producers for taking the subsidies. It’s hard to turn down free money even if you don’t need it. Plus, they’re not the only long-running show that’s set in Oklahoma and about Oklahoma people that gets subsidies. I checked out the entire list of projects getting tax breaks and look what I found:
Yep, we’re giving subsidies to the The Pioneer Woman to film her cooking show at her Pawhuska ranch. Not to get all OCPA on you, but don’t you think she could pay for that herself? Her brand alone is likely worth eight to nine figures, and she married into one of the largest private land owning families in the US. Why do taxpayers have to fund Ree’s hobbies? This is almost like the film rebate version of a welfare mom driving a new Cadillac.
The Reagan tale of a welfare mom’s Cadillac subsidy, if true, is less infuriating to this taxpayer than is state aid for Ree Drummond.
In your mind’s eye, picture Ree and that “welfare queen” standing side by side. What clear difference do you notice? Explains a lot, doesn’t it? Which one would our rulers in Oklahoma find more deserving of taxpayer money?
If your on welfare you should be driving within your means not a luxury car
Reagan’s tale of the welfare Cadillac seems to have no basis in fact. It’s a straw man… or straw woman in this case.
Meanwhile: If you’re a billionaire you shouldn’t be sucking on the State’s teat, getting money for filming in Oklahoma when you would never have considered filming anywhere else but on your own Osage County ranch.
It’s funny to me how every Republican who advocates for dismantling food stamps seems to have the exact same story about seeing someone in a grocery store pay with food stamps, buy cigarettes with a giant roll of dollar bills, and drive away in an Escalade. I’ve heard hat chestnut so many times it’s a cliche.
The reality is, you never know the circumstances of someone on food stamps. Maybe they had a great job and got laid off, and it’s not practical to trade in the nice car they had to take on a cheap, Republican-acceptable car to accept their new status as a welfare recipient. Maybe they had no car and received a decent car as a gift. Or maybe it’s used. And that goes with everything that people claim others on welfare shouldn’t own, we don’t know the circumstances behind them having it.
Welfare fraud does exist, of course, and when found it should be prosecuted. But it’s a tiny portion that’s blown out of proportion to rile up some easily excitable people who’ve bought into the notion that if we could just get rid of that darn waste we could suddenly have everything we ever wanted while no one ever has to pay any taxes on anything.
Raegan’s Tale was based (loosely) on a real person. Linda Taylor was a classic con artist who happened to con the system along with private citizens. He really glossed over all the other stuff she was accused including kidnapping and murder. He also inflated her welfare schemes by orders of magnitude. But she was real.
I like how they make you believe that this sham of a show is real. When you look in the background you see police lights because the police have the streets closed for illegal racing. And there is generators for lighting and EMTs on hand. Yeah totally real.
That’s socialism!!1!
I would like to see Oklahoma’s return on investment since the inception of this program.
I would like to think it is in the net positive. Local experienced people are hired as crew and the productions spend money in the state for supplies and lodging while they are filming here. We can’t seem to attract any other businesses just on our merits as a state and oil is dying a slow death, so it’s nice to have this program in the state.
Like circle_cat said, sure does sound a lot like the socialism that everyone decries. Like the State picking winners and losers.
Doesn’t anyone here believe in good old free-enterprise capitalism any more?
And Chief cant afford his cars, women or habits.
Give them a horse, a cow, an oil well, maybe a meth head and a crooked politician (who might also serve as the meth head).
The show is then pure Oklahoma.
How much could that cost us?
Great minds think alike my friend…I had an idea for a show like that…I even wrote some snapshot scenes and tried to shop them around …but of course Ozark came on about that time and I’d just look like a “copy-cat”…
The scripts would write themselves and so many of our fellow Okahomans are right outta central casting….lol!
Rather give tax payer money to a show then to all the drug addicts that are going to rob me after getting free money to get more or worse shot my family then rob us
Rather give taxpayer money for you to take remedial English. OKLAHOMA STANDARD!!!
Additionally, I’d like to know where Daniel is getting his “facts.”
WTH are you even talking about? Who’s giving money to drug addicts? Sounds like you’ve been sucking down the fear-laced, Fox kool-aid. Slow down, dude.
In many cases those “drug addicts” are your senior neighbors, your best friend’s sister, your high school baseball coach, your boss’s personal assistant, your ex-girl/boyfriend, and possibly someone under your own roof. Chances are those “drug addicts” also worked for many years prior to, at some point during their addiction, and will have gainful employment in their future. It’s not as if they woke up one morning and thought, “Today I want to tip the scales of addiction and risk everything I value in my life – my children, my relationships, my job, my home, and yes, my safety, dignity, and self worth.”
Being a person with a drug addiction doesn’t inherently qualify you for a long list of freebies. Sometimes there are extenuating factors. In that case, they have contributed and will contribute in the future to the taxpayer-funded programs that serve as an abysmal but much appreciated safety net for many Oklahomans. Oklahomans who find themselves overwhelmed by disadvantaged, complicated, and often tragic life circumstances in which they must access tax taxpayer-funded resources. Like grandparents raising grandchildren, or now-single moms leaving abusively destructive relationships, or individuals with debilitating medical or mental health care needs that leave them unable to work or struggling to find work. We are all one decision, one paycheck, one relationship, one house fire, one car ride… away from circumstances beyond our control that force our lives onto other paths. In my case it was one tick bite.
I would much rather contribute to a person in our community, who struggles with circumstances beyond their capabilities (and yes drug addiction is a medical disease that is beyond the scope of one’s ability to “fix” it themselves), vs a farmer who cashes a $25K check every 3 mos in farm subsidies, or a reality TV show personality who says she’s a “cinnamon roll evangelist” and “oats are great”.
I blame reality tv for trump. Previously not much know outside of New York where he’s been a running joke for decades.
Street Outlaws has brought more people to Oklahoma than any other show. Storm chasers would be second.
Obviously you haven’t looked at the ratings for this show. Did you know that street outlaws is shown in many countries? There are people who travel to see this show while there filming. I can bet you for what the state is giving them you are making that back 3 fold from people visiting OKC hotels restaurants fuel souvenirs. I would call that a cash cow for Oklahoma.
I totally agree !! Dont bitch about the film festival credit then take all perks that come with fans traveling to okc . Putting the $ into the pockets of OKC buisnesses
Amen to that! So much whining and jealousy, God just be happy for those who are succeeding in life and if you aren’t happy where you are get off your ass and do something about it! Yes, the Street Outlaws is a TV show BUT the racing is real! Unless you’ve actually been on set and watched this show being filmed you really should keep your mouth shut lol. These guys work their asses off and earn every damn dime they make. If you don’t think so ask some of the wives of these drivers, these guys film all hours of the day and night and still have to work on their cars and everything else they have going on. I’m happy for every single Street Outlaw from OKLAHOMA, it definitely brings revenue to our state! #405allday #streetoutlawsofthe405 #deathtrap #chuckyrules
Amen Brother. They have brought crowds and dollars to where ever they show up.
But we can’t get anymore Sweet Home Oklahoma?!
God forbid we put anymore money into education. Let’s fund a bunch of people who became famous for breaking the law.
Want the thrills and chills and death defying adventure of unscripted street racing? Tap into the highway cams on the Lake Hefner Speedway. Now there is your true reality show displaying all the dangers you could ever want. Plus a lot cheaper.
Carl, you got that right! My house backs up to the Hefner “Park”way, and it has become the defacto speedway, especially after 10 p.m. every weekend. Screaming exhaust from street bikes, Harleys, tuner cars, etc. It is out of hand.
Yep, every Saturday night right about 10 PM on the dot. Been listening to it for years, it’s absolutely unbelievable and the fact the OCPD doesn’t do anything is just pathetic.
One of these days somebody will be killed.
We are giving Ree Drummond a 35% rebate for the production of her series here??? She’s got MILLIONS! (and that was before she ever started that cook book / series /downtown Pawhuska real estate empire!)
White, non homo, men are always evil and should be eliminated. Stamp them Out! While we’re at it get rid of farting cows and all dogs and cats as they consume precious resources. Get ur dun, lefties, get ur dun.
Ree Drummond presents as white and straight, but female. Nice try at sarcasm, but you missed the mark.
Freedumb!
“non homo” huh?? Is that the same thing as straight?
Sounds like your having a sexual identity crisis there sooner “magic” Nothin new for a “rightie” huh shorty?
Why do you care? You are currently supporting illegal immigrants, drug users, alcoholics and who knows what else. This show is entertainment for many people who enjoy a few minutes from the reality of the major waste of taxpayer money. This show sells advertising which brings more money to the state. Why don’t you just shut up or better yet, start a protest movement against the theft of Social Security contributions, our politicians taking vacations when they are doing nothing for our country. Seems to me your priorities are screwed up!
DAMN DUDE!!
I’m a blue collar retiree in the state of oklahoma how the hell am I this?? “You are currently supporting illegal immigrants, drug users, alcoholics and who knows what else.” Barely support myself much less all your relatives!!
Ah yes, those damn anti-Republican alcoholics…
As the old adage goes, it’s better to keep your mouth shut and make people think you’re dumb than open your mouth and prove it.
So just because we hate repubtards we’re all alcoholics? Hate to let you know I don’t drink and I hate those kind of “people” with every fiber of my being!
You might tweet that “adage” to the FAT ORANGE TRAITOR because he proves that point every hour of every day!
It wasn’t a response to you, it was a sarcastic response to “Deryl” who seemed to equate being an alcoholic with being a liberal by some half-witted excuse of logic.
I mean, I personally will drink socially and don’t really have any prejudices against people who drink or don’t (or even are one political party or the other). I just roll my eyes at people like Deryl who make ridiculous statements as gospel because they think their side is always the right one.
Yeah, people were so much better off with Obama leading the U. S.
Farmers were, at least.
If you’re referring to commercials, it’s the tv network that benefits from the advertising dollars, not the state of Oklahoma.
The benefit to the state is that the production company hires locals as crew and spends money locally during filming. The money that gets pumped into the local economy exceeds the cost of the tax rebate, hence the net benefit. Unfortunately, paying a rebate for a show that would have been filmed in the state regardless negates some of that benefit.
That was meant as a reply to Deryl.
I had the pleasure of meeting the “local crew” not too long ago. There are four of them and they work out of a cheap two bedroom apartment off Lyrewood lane.
I know that sounds like BS but it’s true.
Not Lyrewood Lane!!!!
Yep. The old Woodlake Apts.
More like “Street In-Laws” amirite?