Drive Hard The Maloof Way is a reality TV series released on Netflix on 26 August 2022. It is executive produced by Will Ehbrecht, Mark Kadin, Anuj Majumdar, Tod Mesirow, and Ken Snow. There are 8 episodes in total with a runtime of about 32 minutes each. The show teaches practical automotive knowledge in an exciting and entertaining way.
Legendary racer Sammy Maloof and his family of racers and stunt drivers build the world’s baddest cars to make sure their clients take the checkered flag on race day. And when the racing dust settles, the Maloofs pull back the curtain on professional stunt driving as they practice and execute the most action-packed feats imaginably.
-Drive Hard The Maloof Way Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-
Sammy Maloof is the man that we meet first, he specializes in building high horse-powered racing engines with his special custom combinations. His work has been featured in many popular magazines and television shows. Apart from that, he is also a Hollywood stuntman for over 25 years, with a long list of movies such as Mission Impossible, Fast and Furious, Burn Notice, Three Kings, The Hitcher and many more.
He gave up street racing to open his business Maloof Racing Engines in 1984. Since then, he has been running the business and involving his whole family in it. His wife Jennifer Maloof runs the business side of it all. His adopted son Trevor and nephew Joshua, are young but crack mechanics who know their way around any car.
Drag racer and engine builder Hannah Maloof is his eldest daughter who has been working at her father’s auto shop since before she could walk. Lastly, his twin daughters Meghan and Kaitlyn are training to become professional stunt drivers like their dad, as well as help him in his stunt projects.
The whole family is completely invested in the business of speed and thrill. The series shows how they take on clients, who come up to them to fix up their cars to be fit enough for racing and along with that they get expert coaching from the man, Sammy Maloof himself. While they’re at it, you can’t leave out the winning prize from competitive races.
Every client is an opportunity for them to spread their name, make the racer a winner and bag in half of the winning money. Many of the racers come up to him because they challenged someone or they’re having a grudge race. With every new episode, they educate the viewers in the most simple way about the work they do on the cars.
From engine components to suspension and horse powers, you get to know a lot about the vehicles, without getting bored or bombarded with jargon that goes over your head. While these grudge races are thrilling enough, we also see the stunt side of the business and what goes on in the process.
Sammy Maloof performs a dangerous stunt in the first episode itself, in which he storms through a bus with his car. It is a stunt for an indie film and it looks quite dangerous if not performed well. It certainly impacts Sammy’s body but with his years of expertise, he is able to recover fast from it.
Each person in the family has a distinct role and they perform it diligently. The stakes are always high in their line of work which is equally dangerous and exciting, at the same time.
Summing Up: Drive Hard The Maloof Way
The reality show is definitely entertaining and fun to watch, especially if you love fast cars, racing etc, this show is for you. Being a reality show, some things are definitely scripted to make the show interesting. Like every racer has a grudge race to win and some don’t have the budget to afford the car repairs but can give away $10,000 in cash when they lose (?)
Many times I just wanted the twin sisters to tie up their hair while working, but I guess they prefer to look good for the cameras instead of being realistic. At first, it didn’t seem like the siblings get along well as they were always seen in different settings but by the final episode, they all came together for Hannah’s big race.
Overall, the show is exciting and funny at times, like comparing Hannah’s hair to Princess Leia from Star Wars but with the height of Yoda. You also get to learn some with the show and maybe even feel like taking your own car for a spin.
Drive Hard The Maloof Way is currently streaming on Netflix.
Another scripted, terrible show. As a life long mechanic and builder it’s upsetting to see another wannabe car show.