Monster Garage "The Curse of the Hearse"

The Discovery Channel Monster Garage "Curse of the Hearse" was sparked from the original Halloween episode "Grim Ripper". The original monster plan was to turn an old, retired 1973 Cadillac Hearse into a mobile car crusher.

The Build Phase

After the design phase (Day 1) was complete, Jesse James and his build team started to rip into the hearse and cleared it out.

That's when the show's producers started to "play" with the team. A series of distractions poured into the garage, ranging from a casket go-kart created by one of the build crew members, to a guy dressed up in a Halloween costume, to the original George Barris Batmobile, which even distracted Jesse.

The failure was a combination of the distractions and a flaw in the design. The hydraulic pumps that were used to power the used Bobcat Buldozer digger linear actuators was hooked up to the hearse's motor. The immense friction given off from the motor kept burning through the rubber belts. The hydraulics ceased to function. At one point, one of the members yelled out "we seized one of the pumps", which was not directly linked to the motor burning the rubber of the belt but that one of the pumps sprung a leak, which cut off hydraulic fluid to the actuators. At one point, the team got the arms working, which lasted only until the motor caught on fire. After that, Jesse admitted defeat.

The Destruction

The clock ran out and the Grim Ripper failed. Where there was supposed to be a Monster Challenge, Big Schwag and Frankie Whiteside instead narrated the final moments of the 1973 Hearse. Jesse transported the car to Terminal Island for its destruction. After arriving to the junkyard, a Car Scrapper took over from there. After teetering over the edge to its destruction (with a little help from scrap engine blocks), the hearse went over the edge.

As suggested by the owner of the scrapper, the creator of Monster Garage threw a propane can in the back of the hearse. That move created one of the most memorable moments in Monster Garage history.

The Ending of the Curse

In the beginning of the third season, however, the legend was laid to rest. The same ill-fated build team took a scrap 1954 Cadillac Hearse and this time turned it into a Grave Digger. This challenge was finished, and the Curse of the Hearse was finally lifted.