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I'm Bret Michaels.
I've been on the road my whole life, and I know RVs.
♪ Got a few miles, a whole lot of rust ♪
♪ Got her dinged up good, got her stuck in the mud ♪
So if you want a rig that's rock-star-worthy,
I'm the man to help you get it.
Today on "Rock My RV"...
meet Eydie and Cary, a fun-loving couple
who love the RV lifestyle as much as I do.
This is their 1983 Chevy El Dorado.
Now, it's a little road-weary.
That's for sure.
But when I decided to take this RV on,
there is a turn of events like I have never experienced before.
Is that water in there?
This is not good.
It doesn't really look like we're gonna be able to salvage this thing.
BRET: But the show must go on,
so the boys and I band together to make some Michaels magic.
This is a build like no other.
♪ Gonna make this whole thing look like a million bucks ♪
I've rocked the world, and now I'm about to rock your RV.
♪ I'm gonna fix your old RV ♪
-- Captions by VITAC --
Now, Cary and Eydie
spend a lot of quality time in their '83 El Dorado.
We take trips, go to the desert a lot.
What I don't like about the RV is the minimal space inside.
They also like to spend time in their RV with their family,
which include four kids and, let us never forget, the two dogs.
What I love about the RV
is being able to get out as a family
and just go and spend time with each other.
When we go on a trip, and all of us are together,
it's fun and noisy and a full house.
Cary and Eydie, I hope you're ready.
Bringing in the old El Dorado.
This '83 El Dorado is every bit 1983.
Whoa.
[ Laughs ]
First of all, I got to tell you something.
The front on this thing is awesome.
The old '83 El Dorado.
Can we call it "The Senator"?
We love "The Senator."
I take it you don't want to keep the color.
CARY: That could be one thing that can be changed.
Still vintage-looking, yeah.
I love vintage.
BRET: Eydie mentioned vintage.
I thought, "I can make this thing retro awesomeness."
Far as out here, what would you like to see done?
How about a big awning out here?
Definitely, 'cause we like to go tailgating.
If you have an awning, all that stuff, man,
it really makes the world of living on the open road,
it makes it awesome.
We'll take it inside and see what we got.
BRET: Tell me what you want to see.
Dream it big.
The fabric on everything in there is not working for me.
I like more vintage kind of look.
We can make everything kind of old-diner, vintage-y.
We're almost throwing it into the future
but bringing it all the way back,
so we're taking '83 back to '53.
That sounds perfect.
Keeping it retro-cool.
I don't necessarily want to update.
I think I want to re-date this thing.
I'm thinking vintage travel-trailer restoration.
How about a flat-screen TV or two?
Right.
They want modern technology, but they want it all hidden.
It's gonna be a huge challenge for us.
All right, hand me those keys.
[ Laughs ]
I promise you this.
I am gonna re-date this vehicle.
I'm gonna make it rock.
And the first step
is pulling out that fugly '80s interior.
Put me to work.
JAKE: Get those chairs out of there.
MAN: Hold on. Here we go.
Yeah, pull it on out.
[ Grunts ] Ah.
Ooh. It's the owner's manual.
Get rid of that.
Come on.
Aah! It's not going anywhere.
BRET: Now, this RV has seen some definite hard living.
[ Sniffs, groans ]
Time for an update while still keeping a vintage vibe.
We're using '50s-era travel trailers
for our inspiration for this build.
They're cool, classic, and totally back in style.
I think we can give them more room
with this kind of vibe.
Yeah, I love it.
It feels really open.
Getting some retro appliances will be awesome.
Inside, we'll take that '80s interior
and transport it back in time
with modern appliances that look vintage.
We'll also outfit this rig with retro finishings
that scream 1950s travel trailer.
In addition to that, we'll build new cabinetry
that will cleverly hide all of the RV's modern technology.
This has got to go.
[ Grunting ]
Oh!
Oh, why don't you get that out of here?
I'm just gonna rest.
Haystacks-Calhoun-style! [ Grunts ]
[ Laughs ] Bodie, man!
All in a day's work.
Now, this old Senator's
rocking a vintage vibe already,
but not in a good way.
But old Brety's thoughts for the outside
are about to change all that.
My gut feeling says go paint on this.
I agree, either way.
BRET: Outside, this beast from '83 will look straight-up '50s.
We're talking old-school vintage.
I cannot wait to make this vintage machine insane.
When we get our hands on these RVs,
they all start out the same way -- by getting gutted.
But this old El Dorado had a big surprise for us.
As we were going through deconstruction of Vintage,
everything seemed to be okay until we saw the roof
and we started pulling the paneling off.
The thing was collapsing.
The roof's gone.
It is in really bad shape.
The walls are falling apart.
The ceiling's falling in.
What do we do about it?
The external roof is bad,
and it's destroyed the ceiling.
It's sagged everywhere.
You can see the bow right here.
JAKE: Structurally, this is just not sound.
You know, we were talking about putting a deck on this.
Not gonna happen with this.
The roof is so bad on this thing, it is literally unsafe.
Oh, my God. Is that water in there?
Oh, get that away from me. [ Chuckles ]
It just creates a nightmare for us.
So, you're saying a whole new roof?
A whole new roof.
Will we have to then rebuild all the cabinetry?
It really just depends on what happens
once it becomes a convertible.
The roof on this thing is so rotten and unsafe,
it has to be sent out from the garage to somebody
to see if we can even replace it.
I'm worried about the time crunch on that,
how long it's gonna take, and how much it's gonna cost.
It's gonna cut our timeline in half.
So, it'll be crunch time when it gets back.
Well, let's get this [bleep] thing out of here then.
This thing gone for a week totally screws us.
Truth of the matter is, no matter what you do with an RV,
you've got to make it safe to drive.
The repair team went to town on this RV
only to discover what all of us feared the most.
The water damage and structural issues were so severe
that both dollar-wise and safety-wise,
this RV was not worth saving.
BODIE: So, we heard back from the guys,
and it doesn't really look like we're gonna be able
to salvage this thing.
There's no amount of money and no amount of well wishes
gonna save that RV.
It is unsalvageable.
Oh [bleep]
I don't know what we're gonna do.
BODIE: Actually, it looks like we're gonna have
to get a whole-new RV.
So, we're back to square one.
I mean, square one.
Oh, my God.
JAKE: Just heard back from the guys
who were attempting to repair Vintage.
It is unsalvageable.
The only thing we can do right now is to get a new RV.
We're gonna have to do this on the fly,
so I sent out Jake and Bodie to help me find an RV
that would be very similar in style
and hopefully maybe to get them some more room.
We've found this 1979 Apollo.
It's got a similar vibe to the Senator, which is great.
Even better, it's got fewer miles,
and it's 5 feet longer.
The bad news is, it's got 5 more feet
that we got to work on with a lot less time.
JAKE: The outside -- Yeah, the exterior of this
Yeah.
We are three weeks behind.
Now we got to tear this thing apart.
it's like déjà vu all over again as we rip into a second RV.
Hello, junk.
Yeah.
Are we gonna need any of this, Jake, or no?
Nope. That's why it's all out here.
Should we navigate our way back through here?
JAKE: Yes, sir.
Hello.
You're not kidding, Jake, are you, man?
We are three weeks behind.
How does this affect our rendering?
I mean, what do we do? Where do we start?
It's different.
We have to start from scratch.
JAKE: We got a new RV.
The layout's completely different.
This, in and of itself, is a huge problem
because now we're behind even further.
BRET: This is a new RV.
We are gonna have to adapt and go '53
and get rocking on this thing.
It's got to stay '53.
We're all adamant, and we're all together in that.
Absolutely.
I made them a promise, and we got to get it done.
I know we're behind, so where do we start?
Phew. You know, there's still a lot, a lot of work.
Seeing that you kept the cabinetry in here -- Good idea,
Right.
Because we're in such a time crunch,
we've decided not to gut it.
That means we have to deal with this paneling.
How we're gonna do that, not really sure yet.
Reface or no reface?
I've got a drawer sample out right now to a scenic artist
to see if he can match that sort of vintage look,
Okay.
If that doesn't work out,
then we're probably gonna have to gut them...
Ooh, man.
...which is gonna be a huge nail in the coffin.
So, Jake, what are your thoughts
in looking around this place?
How are we gonna hide up that modern technology
but keep it '53?
We got this little window here.
If we can make it work,
Oh, nice.
And it'll be two TVs,
one on this side and one on the other side.
We're just gonna have to adapt the old rendering
and our design and our theme with the new layout.
BRET: This new RV is gonna be absolutely insane
if we get it done on time.
Got it.
We're a little behind, so let's rock it.
BRET: This new RV came to us
full of straight-up-'70s wall paneling.
Jake found a guy, and we got lucky.
He's gonna save us even more time
by putting a pretty killer faux finish
on all the walls and cabinets.
JAKE: We brought in a faux-finish artist.
He primed all of the existing wood paneling
and did this amazing technique
where he literally draws the wood grain onto it
and then finished it with some shellac.
Looks brilliant.
BRET: Faux finishes in RVs are becoming very popular.
People want the look of high-end materials like granite,
but because of the weight, they are not practical for every RV.
Luckily, technology is stepping in.
With faux finishes, you can get the look
of granite, marble, concrete, and wood
without weighing down your rig.
When Eydie and Cary step into their new RV,
we'd love to give them a few pieces
that remind them of the old El Dorado.
Just got to use those muscles, Brety.
I'm pulling them right now.
So, Jake and I are re-creating a table
that will look identical to the one from their old ride.
All right. You got the tabletop cut out.
Yeah.
And now we're working on this table, and it is awesome.
And it's making me feel a lot better about Vintage.
I think we go right in the same place...
...that it was in their old RV.
And it'll just sit just like that
Right.
This is awesome.
I feel things are moving along a bit on this RV,
but we are still way behind.
There's no doubt I have some concerns
about Vintage right now.
I wish the speed was up a little bit.
Jake is so screwed.
He's got so much work to do, and he's got so little time.
We're under the gun here at the 11th hour.
Couldn't be more pushed for time. Ugh.
I'm not sure it's even possible to finish this
because of how much time we've actually lost already.
BRET: Finding a way-safer RV
was the first big hurdle of this build.
Trying to adapt it to our design plan was a second.
Now our third and biggest hurdle is time.
JAKE: We had to basically start over from scratch.
You take almost a month out of our hands
when we could have been working on this,
and now our backs are really up against a wall.
BRET: There is much to be done,
so the team brings in a little backup
to help them replace the outdated kitchen.
PETER: We're installing some appliances --
stove, microwave, refrigerator, a couple cabinet doors.
It's old-school, so nothing fits.
So, you have to customize everything.
ZAR: It's amazing.
I can't believe that we're actually trying
to get everything done all at one time.
It's just something that I don't see every day.
Since we're so pressed for time right now,
any help we can get is just -- Ah.
BRET: Whether you're rolling down the road
in an oversized Prevost or a vintage travel trailer
or something in between,
the kitchen is the heart of the RV.
Making Mama's sweet home-cooked meals out on the road
has never been simpler.
Some RVs feature oversized stainless-steel cooktops,
refrigerators, and tons of counterspace,
while others are more compact and streamlined.
Either way, having an efficient kitchen
is critical to good RV living.
Couldn't be more pushed for time.
I got to get back to work. I'll let you guys do it, but thank you guys so much.
The Caraways want their RV to have a vintage vibe
but still come equipped with all modern technology.
So Jake gets started creating a bar
that will hide not one, but two TVs.
You just press a button, and up comes the TV.
When you don't want it,
when you want to use it as a counterspace...
[Hisses] drops back down.
Sometimes the majority of the work falls on me.
Sometimes it falls on Jake.
This time, he's got so much work to do,
and he's got so little time.
BRET: To make up even more time,
we have two crews working at once.
Yep, we are multitasking.
One tackles the inside,
laying down '50s-inspired laminate on the floor.
It looks awesome, and most important, easy to clean.
Outside, the wrap goes up, which leaves time for Jake and I
to head out to find some period-specific accoutrements
for the Caraways' new rig.
So, Jake and I are heading up into the hills.
We're gonna meet my buddies Johnny and Ed.
They have got some of the most unbelievable vintage stuff.
When I come here, it's overwhelming.
There's so much stuff.
JOHNNY: After collecting cars for 15, 20 years,
one thing led to another.
I got into travel trailers, mobile Americana.
I just love old American ingenuity,
architecture, art, music, fashion, the whole nine yards.
So, what kind of items are you guys looking for?
Jake?
We need lighting, little knickknacks,
hardware kind of stuff.
Well, we got knickknacks and some goodies over here.
The sconce is pretty awesome, man.
Done.
We've got a bunch of random items
that will probably fit into your era.
Oh.
I found something.
I can't afford both, but can I get one leg?
[ Laughter ]
Stack me up.
Why don't we do a front-yard setup for this?
This would be insane, man.
This is so vintage.
Lookit, they got flamingos.
Here. Could you hold these?
Yeah. Lay it on me. Come on.
That little front-yard setup,
that is gonna be an awesome idea for the Caraways' RV.
We still need more stuff, so you can carry more, right?
You know it. I'm your pack mule.
Bret Michaels is holding my pink flamingos.
I'm like, "Bring it. Let's go."
And he brought it.
You got this.
Check this out. That's sweet.
It's like a magazine holder or something.
Oh, you are a genius.
Okay.
But check out this old fan.
There you go.
Jake went over and got the fan,
and at that point, he said, "Let's go."
The old mule was about to give out.
You got it.
All this stuff is great.
It's time we pick this up,
Jake and I get back to the shop and get to work.
All right.
So, I am working on basically the midway process here
for our bar.
There's a really awesome feature to this bar.
What we got here is some hidden technology.
Not only is it hiding one TV, it's hiding two TVs.
What I'm gonna do is just fasten this piece down,
and I'm gonna shim this piece up to meet this.
It's so close!
Why are you rubbing the wall?!
That means I got to take it out and trim it down some more.
Fudgesicles!
Might not be perfectly level,
but I think it's gonna be a matter of 1/8 inch or so,
so it shouldn't be too big of a deal.
Oh, yeah.
We have been under the gun from Day 1 on this one.
I'm not sure it's even possible to finish this
because of how much time we've actually lost already.
It's really down to the wire.
BRET: The table I helped Jake build is installed,
and it looks great.
It will also give Eydie and Cary a little bit of familiarity
that will rock their new RV.
Finishes are definitely key in keeping the retro vibe.
Inside, Jake's hidden TV panels
get completed with some more of that '50s-feel wood grain.
And outside, the guys apply very old-school metal trim work
to complement the baby-blue wrap.
This was one where our time schedule was cut in half
because we really couldn't use the first RV.
The thing's attacking me.
I'm pretty happy with what we've pulled off
with the time that we did have.
Well, that's proven to be one
of the toughest challenges of this build.
A flamingo.
Thanks, Bret.
BRET: A couple, two, three finishing touches,
and we are ready to rock.
Jake, awesome job of making all this stuff work.
Yeah.
Cary and Eydie are on their way, so let's do this thing.
Here we go.
Eydie and Cary are here,
and I've got to give them a little news about their RV
that could either go really good or horrific.
We had a little problem with the RV.
There's a little bit of nervousness,
and that comes from the fact that Eydie and Cary
might be upset that they don't have their old RV.
It was so unsafe...
Bret just told us the news about our old piece-of-junk RV
that we thought was a great deal.
We got you a '79, and we made it amazing.
So, if you'll trust me, give me a little time,
we've got the big reveal coming, and you're gonna see it.
I don't want to say no more.
We are just trying
to let it settle in right now.
Yeah.
Cary and Eydie, are you ready?
Yes.
All right. Let's rock.
Oh, my God!
After months and months of twists and turns
and finally finding the right new/old RV,
we're getting ready for the big reveal.
I have no idea what the other one, you know --
what this new one that he found looks like at all.
So, hopefully you got medics here 'cause I might pass out.
We've had a slight change.
We put a lot of work into this,
and I hope you're gonna dig it.
Cary and Eydie, are you ready?
Yes.
All right. Erica, Victoria, are you ready?
Ready.
Let's rock.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Oh, my God!
Are you kidding me?
Oh, my God!
When the curtain dropped, it was just like, "Oh, my God.
Look at that thing."
[ Cheers and applause ]
BRET: Take it in.
Soak in the blue.
Are you kidding me?
Take it in.
BRET: Tears coming down her eyes.
This was a great build.
Obviously, you knew
we had a little hiccup with the '83,
so we went '79 on you.
It is a brand-new vintage RV.
Way beyond our expectations.
Let's walk up and lay our hands on this sucker.
This is so cool.
It's got the sleek lines, the custom wrap on it.
I love it.
You got the brand-new custom awning up here --
protects you from the elements --
lights, and the custom '50s front yard.
This is part of it, too?
What?
This is so cool.
The front-porch area was amazing.
Just to give you that vintage vibe,
everything here rolls up, folds up, goes with you.
This is one of the best scopes to check out the stars.
Why don't we go inside and take a look at this?
Yes.
All right. Come on in.
No way.
This is so awesome.
BRET: Now, you remember what the old one was, right?
CARY: Oh...yeah.
Give me a little description. Bring us back.
The floors were a nasty brown *** carpet.
Absolutely.
This one is just so wide open.
It just looks bigger.
This looks huge in here, yeah.
5 extra feet.
The doors aren't missing.
The wires aren't showing.
Everything's done.
It is definitely happening.
So much brighter and happier.
The whole thing sleeps six people
'cause this pulls out -- really comfortable.
All this stuff's reupholstered.
The floors are done.
All this is custom-painted wood-grain finish.
These are so nice.
We brought you a little something forward from the other one.
Yeah, that was our little card table.
Look at that.
You wanted to have vintage cool,
Yes.
Cockpit -- Kept the old 8-track for coolness,
That is so cool.
I love that he kept the 8-track player.
Oh, awesome.
Look at the Apollo --
I know. I was just looking at that.
Exactly. We kept the old -- Exactly.
Nice.
Look at this speaker. [ Laughs ]
I know.
Oh, my.
But you know what I mean? When you have stuff that's the real-deal vintage stuff
still mixed into it, it just feels right.
Do you feel like we've given you
that vintage feel you were looking for?
Oh, knocked it out of the park.
Yes!
Can't believe this is ours.
Now you got this awesome bar, entertainment center,
but I had to give you
BRET: double-sided TV.
CARY: [ Chuckling ] Look at this.
Oh, my God.
EYDIE: We have a TV in here!
I like the way he hid it, you know,
so it doesn't take away from the vibe of it.
Two TVs now, it's nice to have.
Yeah.
Give me a little feel of in the old one --
Our old bed over here.
But now I'm digging this a lot.
There's no comparison.
Your sleeping area here. You can sit down and eat.
This is all storage underneath here, right?
So, these pop right out.
They come apart. Slides right underneath there.
The layout is much nicer than the other one.
This one has just opened up a whole new chapter for us
to be able to go out and make more memories.
Let's get your friends and family.
Let's get them on up for the party.
Check this thing out.
Bret, you guys really nailed it.
Knocked it out of the park on this one.
[ Smooches ] Thank you.
Now, that there
is one badass vintage RV.
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.