Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge Cars are kept in warehouses after the makeover on the show. The cars are never meant to ride the road.
Moved by the classic toy car brand ‘Hot Wheels’ which was introduced by Mattel in 1968, Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge is a 10-episode car renovation competition series.
Hosted by a TV star and Car specialist Rutledge Wood, each episode of Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge features two Hot Wheels ‘superfans’ who transform an ordinary car into a life-sized Hot Wheels car.
The Ultimate prize is allowing their design to be made into an authentic Hot Wheels car along with a cash price.
Produced by Endemol Shine North America, Workerbee, and Mattel Television, “Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge” released on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and stream on Peacock.
What Happens To Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge Cars?
Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge Cars are kept in a warehouse after their makeover. However, the host hopes they end up in his house someday.
The host believes that the cars will be recycled for parts while some others could be getting a third chance at life.
He believes that certain cars that render high value may certainly end up with someone who can possibly make them available for the streets.
Since the cars are made with no rules in the garage, they are not put out on the streets.
The cars shown on the show are fantasy-based and not something created for roads. That’s the very idea of the show, which allows the contestants to go back to their childhood and create something that they were not able to have as a kid.
Holding that 164 scale card in hand and translating that into actual life is the real point.
Where Is The Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge Garage Located?
The Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge Garage is located in Manchester, England, United Kingdom. The whole series was filmed in the same location.
The contestant work in an open garage, seeing their opponent make progress as time slows down. This creates more pressure.
The creators face each other in the ‘chrome zone’ presenting high-tech and decked-out garages.
There are two garages that have fully functional lifts, welding, and anything that could possibly be in a garage.
They are 30 feet away from each other inside this huge studio, which looks like a Hot Wheels track.
To keep things honest and tremble the experiments up, the show presents ‘The Inspirationator 5000’, a superior vending machine that distributes design barriers instead of snacks.
Celebrity Guest Judges Anthony Anderson, WWE Superstar Big E, Terry Crews, Sung Kang, Jay Leno, and Joel McHale will help to determine the winners of “Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge.”
Who Won Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge?
Jim, Sheilah, and Aldavid Jimerson won the Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge. They are the winners of Episodes 1, 2 and 3 simultaneously.
The winner of each round earns $25,000 and a “Golden Key” to the finals. The final round winner gets another $50,000 along with their design made available for purchase by the public.
Episode 1: Cyber Slicker vs. Power Charged
Jim’s ’69 Dodge Charger won against Jadejha’s futuristic 2009 Chevrolet Camaro. The episode premiered on 30 May 2023.
Jim, a custom van outfitter transforms a ’69 Dodge Charger, like the one he restored with his dad into Power Charged, and Jadejha, the kind of car her aunt used while picking him up to stay with her.
Jadejha’s vision was to make his car huge, ground level, and with a futuristic look, while Jim stuck with the Charger being able to have a big wheelie bar welded to the rear of the car.
In this round, the trio judge focused on the creative engineering expertise and the display of getting the giant on two wheels despite failing to add the twist element presented by the Inspirationator 5000.
Episode 2: Monster Bug vs. Buckaroo
Sheilah’s Monster Bug defeated Kevin’s 1977 Ford Thunderbird. The episode premiered on June 6, 2023.
Sheilah, a 67-year-old drift-passionate, remodeled a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle into a Monster Bug and paid homage to the Texas Horned Lizard.
Meanwhile, Kevin, a self-declared cowboy, changed the Thunderbird into a horse-bucking Texas pride mobile.
Sheilah’s transfiguration was what made her win through Kevin’s car’s bounce like a Bronco because of hydraulics were also impressive.
Episode 3: Spirit of Detroit vs. Flamin’ Fire Truck
Aldavid Jimerson’s “Spirit of Detroit” took over Rob Anders’ “Flamin’ Firetruck”. The episode was released on June 13, 2023.
The judge noticed the similarity in both contestants’ cars. Aldavid’s Dodge K5 Blazer is primarily the shortest category of the Dodge short bed pick-up, while Rob began with a Dodge pick-up with a longer bed.
Rob’s car left too much real estate untouched. Judges were impressed by Aldavid’s Bone Shaker-inspired fuel tank and flaming exhaust pipes and his creativity in tackling the challenge.
Apart from that, the judges loved how Aldavid showed passion to his city Detroit.
Meet The Host Of Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge
Rutledge Wood is the host of Hot Wheels Ultimate Challenge. He is also one of three judges in the show.
Rutledge Wood was born in Birmingham, Alabama is an auto racing analyst and TV show host.
His passion for cars and sports vehicles grew at an early age. He started learning about buying, selling, and repairing cars from his father both new and old.
After moving to Peachtree City, Georgia in 1955 and finishing high school, Wood went on to graduate from the University of Georgia with a degree in marketing.
Before being one of the three hosts for History’s Top Gear, Wood was a host at Speed Road Tour Challenge in 2007.
In 2015, a new show ‘Lost in Transmission’ appeared with him as a host focusing on him driving his hometown in Georgia along with a friend of his fixing up old classic cars.
He owns over 60 cars which do not include all nice cars. His car collection includes a 1970 Dodge Charger, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS, 2005 Scion xB 2JZ, 2004 Volkswagen Jetta Ute, and many others.