Netflix's Tex Mex Motors: Why Do So Many People Think It's Fake - And Is It?

Car aficionados looking for their next Netflix binge-watch will want to turn their attention to "Tex Mex Motors." It's a new reality series following six people in El Paso, Texas who are on a mission to restore old cars and sell them at a tidy profit. Plenty of drama ensues with the team tracking down vehicles, finding the right parts to fix them, and locating potential buyers. But as is the case with many reality shows, viewers wonder if what they're seeing is actually real.

It's a genuine feat for a reality show to be largely truthful, and the likes of "Below Deck" and "Deadliest Catch" have achieved that. On the other hand, others have been revealed to be substantially fake, with writers and producers intervening to tell a more dramatic story. As such, it may not come as a surprise to see many online assuming "Tex Mex Motors" is fake.

Many Redditors seem to think the show misrepresents itself, like u/americanista915 claiming, "Unfortunately they have no connection to [El Paso] and the shop was a pop up shop. They filmed it here but it's not EP people involved from what I've seen." However, another user chimes in, "Scooter is local. Used to be a news photographer for a couple of the TV stations. Some of the crew was local." Others, like u/300BLK-IS-KING, have qualms with what the show portrays: "First scene with the 'Mexican police' is staged. Every 'negotiation' the buyer comes up not just a grand or two, but several thousand." So what's going on with "Tex Mex Motors?"

Unless someone comes forward to discuss "Tex Mex Motors" staging everything, it appears as though the show is real (for the most part). Editing and other techniques can increase a sense of drama with any reality series, but one would assume the bulk of the action happened. After all, the show primarily deals with the central team tracking down cars to touch up and sell, and those cars do actually exist, so they must have fixed them somehow.

Creator and cast member Marcos "Scooter" Carrera spoke with KFOX14 to discuss why he wanted to make the show and what it meant to him. He mentioned, "I'm extremely proud of the Borderland and I want the whole world to see it the way I see it, which is kind of what the theme of the show is." And at least one of the buyers comes from El Paso, too. Episode 2 of the series featured KFOX14 photojournalist Richard Zamora and his daughter, Hazel, as they searched for a car for her. Zamora ultimately bought her a 1966 Ford Mustang GT, which also lends some credence to the series. Zamora stated, "My daughter, she's into classic cars and she loves these classic Mustangs, so crazy that we ran into a nice Mustang on this show."

For all intents and purposes, "Tex Mex Motors" is likely the real deal. It's always possible certain aspects were exaggerated, like the Mexican police scene mentioned by one Redditor. But until something else comes to light, this show is authentic and a must-watch for gearheads.