Fans of Rust Valley Restorers will enjoy more cool car builds, more laughs, more heartwarming stories and more Avery Shoaf in the upcoming fourth season of the Shuswap-based reality TV show.

With one more day of filming to go before the Feb. 24 premier of the first of 10 new episodes on The HISTORY Channel, Rust Valley鈥檚 Mike Hall and Avery Shoaf took time to chat with the Observer about the show, share some laughs and address some questions.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be the same but it鈥檚 going to be a little bit different,鈥� said Shoaf of Season 4. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a few more outdoorsy things that we鈥檝e done and a little more adventurous things. I think the viewers are going to be quite happy with the goings on of what we鈥檙e doing. Along with the normal restoring of cars and stuff.鈥�

Hall was equally enthusiastic.

鈥淚 personally think it was some of the best episodes we鈥檝e ever done,鈥� said Hall. 鈥淲e did some super cool builds, we鈥檝e got some great storylines.鈥�

One of those storylines revolves around last summer鈥檚 auction of Hall鈥檚 beloved collection of rusty cars amassed over 40 years. Hall described the experience as bittersweet but necessary.

鈥淚f you haven鈥檛 done something with something in 40 years, are you going to get to it?鈥� said Mike who, after selling the land the cars were on, found himself with six months to downsize the collection.

鈥淭he only way to get rid of them was an auction鈥� I was supposed to keep 10. I can鈥檛 tell you how many I kept but it鈥檚 way more than 10,鈥� said Mike, prompting a laugh from Shoaf.

鈥淭en to the what? Ten to the fourth power, Mike?鈥� howled Shoaf.

鈥淚鈥檝e still got way more cars than I鈥檓 going to do something with in the number of years I have left,鈥� continued Hall. 鈥淧eople think it was sad to see them go but in fact, those cars went all over North America and鈥� It鈥檚 way easier for 500 people to build one car than it is for one guy to build 500.鈥�

Though Hall deliberately avoids social media (he lets his son Connor handle that), questions and comments left online by fans have come up in discussion between he and Shoaf. One has to do with the popularity of the show among people who say they aren鈥檛 into cars.

鈥淚 can touch on that a little bit because I asked the same question,鈥� said Shoaf. 鈥淲e have a very high woman viewership for our show and it鈥檚 not because of our gazelle-like physiques鈥� I think both me and Mike bring a little bit of humour to it, where it鈥檚 not just so uptight about getting things done. And there鈥檚 a little bit of a personal edge to it鈥� a little bit of our lives and a little bit of the trials and tribulations that we go through. And then just our typical, conventional way we actually truly get along on the show and in real life.鈥�

鈥淭he demographic that watches our show is pretty unreal,鈥� added Hall. 鈥淲e get 80-year-old grandmothers that watch the show and four-year-old kids. We get pictures at Halloween of kids dressing up as me and Avery鈥�

鈥淏ut the biggest complement I get is, 鈥楳ike, you鈥檙e exactly as you are on the show.鈥� I mean, to me, reality TV is I try to be as real as I can, and what you see on TV is the same as what you see if you come up in my shop. I鈥檓 not an actor. They don鈥檛 pay me to act. They pay me to be me and I think people recognize that and they can relate to it.鈥�

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Hall and Shoaf have also encountered criticism from 鈥渉ardcore car builder.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e there to build the average car for the average person,鈥� said Shoaf. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e kind of like, 鈥榃hy do you guys have a car show鈥� we build premium cars and we don鈥檛 have a car show?鈥� You鈥檝e got to explain to them, listen guys, it鈥檚 not all about the cars, it鈥檚 about the cars and our personalities put together.鈥�

Another familiar comment, or rumour, has to do with Shoaf leaving the show.

鈥淎very is still on the show; he鈥檚 in every episode,鈥� said Hall. 鈥淓ven though he鈥檚 not working in my shop, we鈥檙e still working together, we鈥檙e still on the builds, it was another avenue for the show.鈥�

鈥滿y problem was I wasn鈥檛 getting any of my own stuff done鈥�,鈥� said Shoaf, who has his own gig, Wild Man Restoration, as well .

鈥淢ike was good, he had enough people there 鈥� he didn鈥檛 need my help anymore, and I wanted to get some of my 0wn builds done, some of my own stuff,鈥� said Avery, adding he and Mike are 鈥減robably together even more鈥� in season 4.

One of the numerous experiences Shoaf and Hall shared over the past year was judging the 2021 Dancing with the Shuswap Stars 鈥� an honour they earned after competing in the event, a fundraiser for Shuswap Hospice, in 2019.

鈥淚 tell you what, it was one of the hardest things I鈥檝e done in my life, learning how to dance,鈥� laughed Shoaf. 鈥淭hat and following directions.鈥�

鈥淲e could relate to what these people had gone through to get to where they were鈥�,鈥� said Hall. 鈥淲hen you see those people out there and they鈥檙e giving it their all, you recognize how much time and effort they put in. Because dancing, it鈥檚 not easy. Ask us.鈥�

Neither Hall nor Shoaf could say if a fifth season of Rust Valley Restorers is in the cards, but they didn鈥檛 dismiss the possibility.

鈥淲e hear rumblings but we don鈥檛 know if we鈥檙e doing this again or if this is the last waltz, so to speak, but we鈥檒l find out pretty quick,鈥� said Hall.

鈥淚f the people still enjoy watching us and our antics, then we鈥檒l continue to be on television,鈥� said Shoaf. 鈥淚f they don鈥檛 like us anymore, we鈥檒l be out doing something else.鈥�

In addition to catching season 4 on HISTORY, Rust Valley Restorers can also be watched on STACKTV on Amazon Prime, and seasons 1-3 can also be viewed on Netflix Canada.

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