The Cancelled 'American Chopper'... is Ready to Film Another Season?!?

Once again, people, I'm forced to ask the question: what the hell is going on here?!? Did up become down? Has black become white? Did Ken Jennings lose his 'Jeopardy!' winning streak record to Karl Pilkington?

TLC canceled the long-running bike building reality show 'American Chopper' back in February, but new reports have surfaced they are bringing the show back, or at least part of its principal cast, for another run.

Has anyone at TLC, which once stood for "The Learning Channel," learned about the concept of cognitive dissonance? Maybe they could learn about it by watching some of their pre-'Jon and Kate' programming, back when you could actually learn something from watching TLC other than how to exploit extremely fertile women for money and/or fame.

I'll admit it. When the 'American Chopper' first hit the airwaves on the Discovery Channel, I sat down and watched it with a fair amount of regularity. Even though it took the tone of your typical expletive beeping, petty-fight-having reality show, it still spent a fair amount of time taking its audience through the design and construction of some very cool custom choppers from start to finish. I probably never would have become a wannabe gearhead without the likes of high-octane reality shows like 'Top Gear,' 'The Great Biker Build Off' with the late Indian Larry and 'American Chopper.'

As the show dragged on, it became less of a show that celebrated the cult and camaraderie that bike building creates and more of a sub-average reality show. In fact, the explosive and sometimes volatile personalities of the Teutel family overshadowed just about everything that made their lives so cool to watch. By the time TLC picked it up, it had become a full-fledged reality series that only served to further divide and deride its stars until a full-on, chair flinging, drywall punching fit between father and son sealed its doom.

The show won't be a complete carbon copy of its former self since the show will focus on Paul Sr. and Paul Jr.'s two separate shops. Since it's back on TLC, a network that makes more seedy cookie-cutter entertainment than a naughty bakery, it's bound to be more of the same.

I hope TLC hasn't invested a whole lot in the series. The drywall repairs alone could send them spiraling into bankruptcy.