What Happened To Chris And Jeff On Junkyard Empire?

The popular reality TV show Junkyard Empire on Velocity followed the adventures of Chris Rebholz and his father-in-law Jeff Jody as they ran a flourishing junkyard and recycling business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Over the course of the show’s run from 2015-2017, viewers got to know Chris and Jeff’s entrepreneurial drive along with their vision for growing their family-run enterprise.

If you don’t have time to read the full backstory, here’s the quick answer: Chris and Jeff continued to successfully operate their business after the show ended its run in 2017, although the exact details of what they’ve been up to since then are scarce.

Background on Junkyard Empire

Overview of the TV Show

Junkyard Empire is a reality TV show that premiered on Velocity in 2015. The show follows Chris and Jeff Allen, a father-son duo who own and operate the huge Allen’s Automotive junkyard and recycling business in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

Each episode of Junkyard Empire shows Chris and Jeff scouring the country to find cheap cars, trucks, and equipment that they can buy and haul back to their junkyard to strip for parts or restore and resell at a profit.

They attend auctions, scan classified ads, and network with car dealers to find bargain-priced vehicles and equipment. The Allens have an expert eye for spotting valuable items among the junk that they can refurbish and flip for big money.

However, they often must engage in intense negotiations and bidding wars to acquire the best projects.

Once the Allens haul an item back to their massive, 40-acre junkyard, the real work begins. They have an expert team of mechanics who help them assess what is valuable and salvageable. The show highlights the process of strategically stripping down vehicles, giant machinery, and more for parts.

There is also a focus on restoring and customizing select items that have potential for resale. Along the way, Chris educates Jeff on the tricks of the trade to groom him to one day take over the family business.

Main Characters: Chris and Jeff Allen

Chris Allen is the founder and owner of Allen’s Automotive. He grew up in the junkyard business, helping his father. In 1991 at age 21, Chris took out a loan to start his own junkyard and turned it into a multimillion dollar business.

Nicknamed “The King of Crush,” Chris has an incredible talent for seeing value in what other people view as junk. He is a tough negotiator who will wheel and deal to profit on every buy.

Jeff Allen is Chris’s son and heir apparent to Junkyard Empire. Jeff grew up learning the ropes of the family junkyard and now manages more day-to-day operations. Like his father, Jeff has a gift for spotting diamonds in the rough that can be refurbished and resold at a high markup.

He represents the future of the business.

Together, Chris and Jeff make an unstoppable team and have fun scouting bargains and breathing new life into old junk. Viewers enjoy watching the entertaining father-son duo bicker but ultimately work together to build their Junkyard Empire.

Their expertise and business savvy have made the show a hit.

What Happened During Junkyard Empire’s Run?

Season 1: Launching the business

In the first season of Junkyard Empire, we followed best friends Chris uomz and Jeff Jowe as they launched a junk removal and recycling business in Brooklyn, New York. Chris brought years of experience running a junk hauling business while Jeff had expertise in sales and business development.

In the pilot episode, Chris and Jeff scrambled to get their new company off the ground. They purchased their first truck, hired a small crew, and began advertising their services. At first, business was slow.

But through persistence and marketing efforts, by the season finale they had grown a client base and were hauling major loads each week.

Season 2: Expanding operations

Buoyed by success in season 1, Chris and Jeff looked to expand Junkyard Empire across New York’s boroughs in season 2. They brought on more trucks, equipment, and crew members to handle increasing workloads.

We saw them take on challenging, high-value jobs like clearing out old factories and warehouses.

A key story arc was their bid to win an exclusive contract collecting recyclables from New York City public schools. Going up against national corporations, they ultimately prevailed – bringing over 300 new schools into their business and requiring yet more expansion.

Season 3: Facing new challenges

In the most recent season, although thriving Junkyard Empire faced some growing pains. Rapid expansion led to coordination problems, with crews struggling to cover all areas efficiently. And as owners, Chris and Jeff clashed over the best path forward.

Major developments in season 3 included the purchase of a warehouse for centralizing operations, implementation of new dispatching technology, and moves into additional recycling activities like scrap metal export.

There were also glimpses into Chris and Jeff’s personal lives as they balanced the demanding business with family time.

What Has Happened to Chris and Jeff Since the Show Ended?

Chris Stolinsky and Jeff Blanton, the stars of the reality TV show Junkyard Empire, have continued their work in the auto salvaging business since the show ended in 2012. Here’s an update on what the duo has been up to over the past decade:

Expanding Their Business Empire

After finding success on Junkyard Empire, Chris and Jeff used their newfound fame and wealth to expand their business ventures. This included opening two additional junkyards, bringing their total to four locations across New York and New Jersey.

They also started a custom auto shop focused on restoring and modifying classic cars using parts harvested from their junkyards. Jeff took the lead on the auto shop side of operations given his bodywork and mechanic expertise.

TV and Media Projects

Both Chris and Jeff have remained active in television and other media over the years.

In 2015, they launched a web series called Junkyard Digs, which featured them searching for rare and valuable parts hidden in junkyards to use for custom car builds. The show streamed for two seasons on the Motor Trend channel’s website and YouTube channel.

Chris also published an autobiographical book in 2016 called Junkyard Son: From Thrills to Trash, My Wild Ride. The book chronicled his life leading up to and after starring on Junkyard Empire.

Recent Endeavors and Personal Lives

These days, Chris and Jeff continue to focus on managing and expanding their junkyard and auto customization businesses in New York and New Jersey.

Chris has talked in interviews about training his sons to eventually take over the family junkyard empire. He has two teenage sons who have started learning the ins and outs of the business.

Jeff got married in 2018 and had his first child in 2020. He has mentioned hopes of one day passing down his custom auto shop to his son to carry on the family tradition.

While Junkyard Empire aired its final episode years ago, Chris and Jeff’s scrappy ambition and entrepreneurial drive clearly lives on today through their businesses and families.

Trying to Find Further Updates on Chris and Jeff

Checking news articles and interviews

Chris and Jeff were the stars of the popular reality TV show Junkyard Empire which aired on Velocity TV from 2013-2015. The show followed the daily operations and antics of the co-owners of Columbia Auto Parts (CAP) as they bought and parted out junk cars and scrap metal.

After 3 seasons and 36 episodes, the show was unexpectedly cancelled in 2015, leaving fans wondering what happened to the duo.

Recent online searches uncover that both Chris and Jeff have given few interviews since the show’s ending. In 2016, Chris did a podcast with Eric Odom where he briefly mentioned that the TV production crew had become too demanding which led him and Jeff to walk away.

Jeff also did an interview in 2017 for UsedParts.com where he shared that while he missed the show, he was glad to be back focusing fully on the junkyard business. Beyond this, neither has given much insight into their departure.

Checking news and entertainment sites like Reuters and Hollywood Reporter also reveal no further announcements or updates on the pair or a revival of the show. It seems Chris and Jeff have returned to running Columbia Auto Parts outside the public eye.

While fans still miss Junkyard Empire and the laughs provided by its stars, Chris and Jeff seem content to have left their reality TV days behind.

Searching social media for recent updates

A search through Chris and Jeff’s social media accounts provides some glimpses into their current lives after the show. Both still have active Facebook pages where they occasionally share photos and updates from around the junkyard.

It appears Columbia Auto Parts is still operating and doing well based on pictures of new inventory coming in.

Jeff seems to keep a lower social media presence overall but did share a post in 2021 celebrating CAP’s anniversary, thanking fans for their years of support. Chris is a bit more active, posting junkyard dog photos and auction notices.

Though his page has fewer personal updates, this indicates he still works at the business on a daily basis.

Neither Chris or Jeff have public Twitter or Instagram accounts tied to the show. Besides their Facebook activity, online searches uncover no other recent interviews or announcements about their futures.

It seems after enjoying years in the limelight, Chris and Jeff now prefer to keep their lives and work more private and away from the cameras.

Conclusion

While concrete details on Chris Rebholz and Jeff Jody’s recent endeavors are scarce, the entrepreneurial spirit and drive they displayed on Junkyard Empire leads one to imagine they have continued to successfully operate their Wisconsin-based business over the past few years.

Their establishment of a profitable family junkyard empire with growth potential makes it highly likely that Chris and Jeff have maintained their foothold in the industry long after the show’s end.