Opinion

S.A. family gets reality TV show

The multi-generational Méndez family (from left,Raúl Méndez , Jr. and his wife, Lorena; family partiarch Raúl Méndez , Sr. and his wife, Lupita; Johann and her husband, Rolando Méndez ) are the stars of a new reality show on Discovery en Español. less The multi-generational Méndez family (from left,Raúl Méndez , Jr. and his wife, Lorena; family partiarch Raúl Méndez , Sr. and his wife, Lupita; Johann and her husband, Rolando Méndez ) are the stars of ... more Photo: Discovery En Espanol Photo: Discovery En Espanol Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close S.A. family gets reality TV show 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — Las Vegas has “Pawn Stars”; West Monroe, Louisiana, has “Duck Dynasty”; and, now, San Antonio has its own TV reality program — “Texas Trocas” — built around a local family.

The ups and downs of the Méndez family and its successful big-rig renovation business, which has served everyone from a former Spur to a popular Texas band, is the focus of a new Spanish-language show debuting this month on Discovery en Español.

“Texas Trocas” (“Texas Trucks” in English) will showcase the life and work of the multigenerational Méndezes, who, using paint, lights, interesting upholstery and other materials, turn big-rig trucks into traveling works of art.

An example is one they renovated for Greg “Cadillac” Anderson, who played for the Spurs in the late '80s.

“We painted it orange, added rear fenders and lights, as well as a logo of a basketball, Cadillac's name and number, 33,” said Raúl Méndez Jr., who co-founded Texas Chrome with brother Rolando.

Musical group Intocable wanted a distinctive look for the rig that carries its equipment.

“Knowing they liked the Cowboys, we did it in blue, white and gray,” Méndez said.

Viewers will be treated to many other makeovers when “Texas Trocas” debuts at 9 p.m. Sept. 15 on Discovery en Español. It continues for seven more Mondays. (Check your cable or satellite carrier for the channel.)

I chatted with the two brothers, both South San Antonio High School graduates, about their reality adventure. Raúl said the channel was looking for a Hispanic family “that ran a pioneering business — particularly in the auto industry — that was pretty cool and bilingual.”

Last year, cameras began following them, their parents, their wives and five daughters, at their shop, home and all around San Antonio. Taping continued for six or seven months.

As with any reality series, “there's lots of drama,” Rolando said. “We don't always agree on things, prices, trucks, so we argue. Sometimes it gets out of hand. Our employees will get angry and run off. Or my wife gets on me.”

Acting as referee is mom Lupita.

“At the end of the day,” Rolando said, “the family's back to loving one another.”

A little history: 40 years ago, family patriarch Raúl Méndez Sr. came to South Texas from Mexico. He worked the fields until he saved enough to buy his own truck. He eventually opened a transportation business alongside his wife, Lupita. Years later, sons Raúl Jr. and Rolando saw a lucrative opportunity in personalized truck renovations and expanded their dad's company into Texas Chrome. The family business is located in Atascosa.

What started as a job to support a family is now, thanks to the Internet, an award-winning enterprise that services customers from across the U.S. and Canada.

“People grow very attached to their 18-wheelers,” Rolando said. “They're on the road in them 24 hours a day, sometimes for weeks, even months. They're used to support their families and have sentimental value.”

Some truck owners want to make a statement for their business, Rolando said, while other requests are more playful or rooted in emotion. The price for the work can be as little as $10,000 or as much as $150,000, as the eighth episode of the series illustrates.

Customers frequently name the renovated trucks to match their designs, such as “Caliente,” “Shorty” and “The Heartbreaker.”

Of that last name, the brothers explained the owner lost his wife to cancer, so they decorated it with a cross and dates of her birth and death.

Their craziest request? “One guy wanted us to put a stripper pole in his truck,” Rolando said, laughing. “But our wives wouldn't let us do it.”

KSAT launches show

Lights, camera ... hoopla! KSAT-TV is certainly giving its new local lifestyle and entertainment show, “SA Live,” a fabulous lift-off. Before the show debuts at 1 p.m. Monday, the station will celebrate it in an hour-long special, “SA Live in Prime” (7 p.m. Wednesday). It will introduce co-hosts Fiona Gorostiza and Jeff Roper and provide a taste of what to expect, including celebrity interviews, games and prizes.

Then, on Monday, the public is invited to a lively street party surrounding the show's actual debut at The Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. The station will close part of Houston Street (between Navarro and Presa streets) to vehicle traffic from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Entertainment will include the Sam Houston High School band, Spurs Coyote and Silver Dancers.

Jeanne Jakle's column appears Wednesdays and Sundays in mySA, and she blogs at Jakle's Jacuzzi on mySA.com. Email her at jjakle@express-news.net.