8/10
a view from the inside
26 October 2014
Okay, that title isn't totally misleading but I'm not completely "inside". At one point in my life I lived in the full throttle area. I have worked the rally and have seen the kind of things presented on the show. Also, I have known one of the primary stars for many years. The comment earlier that trashed the "players" was disgustingly out of line, inappropriate and wrong. Allow me to shed some light.

Operating a business of this magnitude that requires months of planning is tough. The logistics alone are mind boggling. A typical bar owner would have no idea how to pull it off. We are talking two truckloads of beer per night. Plus booking bands and staffing an event with quality personnel, souvenir shops and vendors. Pulling this all off requires more than most can handle. Throw in the need for some drama for a TV show, and you have a recipe for disaster for most bar owners.

Michael Ballard has always been a character But one thing he will not do is display himself in any different light than how he normally is. When he is upset, it's real. When he is happy, it is genuine. He gives what he can when he can and only asks for hard work In return.

Angie is much more than what is shown on the show. She is a savvy business woman, college educated woman, and has always worked hard to get to where she is now. She is giving and charitable, often donating time and money to animal shelters and causes she believes in. Most of her giving flies under the radar, but trust me, I see it and it's real.

I've never met Jesse, but my kids have and know him well, and they love him. He treats people well and is a loving and devoted family man by all accounts.

Understand this is a television show. It depicts what life is like running a successful business while balancing friendship, loyalty, and family time. The drama is real in that the situations depicted have actually happened. And some are ongoing struggles. Do they happen in exact linear timeliness like on the show? Not always, but they are situations they find themselves in.

All in all I love it, as does my wife and friends. But before rushing to judgement, get to know the people involved or don't comment.
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