by Karl J. Paloucek
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Once upon a time, tough guys joined the Marines or got hired as muscle by the mob, and were reputed to be very protective of their mothers. These days, tough guys get reality shows. Whether they’re deep-sea fishermen, ice-road truck drivers, pawn-shop owners, loggers or the guys who park your cars, they’re all over the place on TV. And three more just joined the bunch.
Discovery Channel‘s Carfellas centers on Mike DeLucia, a reformed convict who, with his crew, Tommie and Mario, runs Mikey D’s used car dealership in Amityville, Long Island. Of course, these three are characters, or they wouldn’t be on TV. As the namesake of the place, Mike runs the lot and keeps one eye on his guys as he uses the other to watch the inventory and keep things moving. Mario is the ace appraiser of the bunch, who has that talent of knowing a car’s value just by giving it the once-over. And Tommie, AKA “5×5” — five feet tall and five feet wide, though that description could apply to all three of them — is the muscle of the operation, with known soft spots for Cadillacs, cannoli and cute girls.
Mike may have made some mistakes in his past, but he’s paid his debt to society and is
determined to make an honest living … in the used car business.
Catch a sneak peek of Carfellas on Discovery Channel this Monday, Aug. 29 at 10pm and 10:30pm ET, following a new episode of American Chopper.