What Ever Happened to Pork Chop from Ice Road Truckers?

Ice Road Truckers was one of the most popular reality TV shows during its heyday, giving viewers an inside look at the wild and dangerous work of truck drivers navigating icy roads in remote locations. One of the show’s most memorable cast members was a Southern driver named Pork Chop. With his big personality, Pork Chop quickly became a fan favorite during his short time on the show. But whatever happened to him after he left Ice Road Truckers? Let’s take a closer look at Pork Chop’s journey.

Pork Chop’s Time on Ice Road Truckers

Pork Chop, whose real name is Ronald Mangum, joined the cast of Ice Road Truckers during season 6 The show followed truckers driving across the treacherous Dalton Highway in Alaska, battling extreme weather and road conditions

Pork Chop brought 14 years of trucking experience to the show. But it quickly became clear that driving on icy roads was very different from Pork Chop’s past jobs. He struggled to control his truck on the slippery roads, and had some close calls that could have been disastrous.

Pork Chop didn’t get along well with the other drivers either. He was known for being headstrong and refusing to follow safety protocols. The other truckers felt Pork Chop hadn’t earned his place on the dangerous Dalton Highway. There were concerns that his lack of caution could put them all in danger.

Why Pork Chop Was Fired from the Show

As the end of season 6 approached, the show’s producers made the decision to fire Pork Chop. His dangerous driving was the primary reason for his dismissal.

In one incident, Pork Chop was driving too close to another truck. The roads were icy and visibility was poor. Pork Chop claimed he couldn’t see the other vehicle’s taillights so he didn’t know to slow down. Situations like this showed that Pork Chop didn’t have the skill set needed for Alaska’s hazardous roads.

Additionally, Pork Chop didn’t appear to be putting in maximum effort when the cameras were rolling. He often resisted advice from other drivers who had more experience. It seemed like Pork Chop was more focused on causing drama than listening to pointers.

The final straw was when Pork Chop drove on a flat tire and damaged his rig instead of stopping to fix it. At this point, the higher-ups decided it was too risky to keep him on the show any longer. Pork Chop was fired with just a few episodes left in the season.

Pork Chop’s Response to Being Let Go

As you can imagine, Pork Chop wasn’t exactly happy when he got canned. He insisted the flat tire incident wasn’t his fault and felt he’d been treated unfairly.

On social media after his firing, Pork Chop complained about Ice Road Truckers casting him as the “villain.” He believed the show purposefully portrayed him in a negative light to create more on-screen tension.

In Pork Chop’s opinion, the showrunners exaggerated his mistakes and conflicts for dramatic effect. He didn’t think he deserved to be fired and criticized the way the show depicted him.

Regardless of how he felt about it, Pork Chop’s time on Ice Road Truckers had come to an end. Next, he’d have to figure out what his life after reality TV fame looked like.

What Happened to Pork Chop After Ice Road Truckers

Not much is known about what Pork Chop did immediately after leaving Ice Road Truckers, He returned to his home state of South Carolina and presumably went back to routine truck driving gigs,

Being on a popular TV show earned Pork Chop some notoriety in the trucking community. He was invited as a special guest to various trucking industry events. Locally, Pork Chop did some interviews and news spots about his Ice Road Truckers experience

A few years after his firing, Pork Chop’s name resurfaced in relation to some financial difficulties. News reports indicated he was struggling to collect unemployment benefits from the state of South Carolina.

Around this same time, Pork Chop posted on his social media that he was looking for work again after being laid off twice since April. It seemed Pork Chop had fallen on some hard times after his stint in the reality TV spotlight.

Recently, Pork Chop’s online presence has been pretty quiet. He doesn’t appear to have any major projects or announcements in the works. It’s likely he still works as a truck driver in the Southeast U.S.

While Pork Chop hoped his time on Ice Road Truckers would launch an entertainment career, that doesn’t seem to have panned out. Aside from minor appearances at trucking events, he hasn’t reentered the reality TV scene.

The Legacy of Pork Chop on Ice Road Truckers

Although his tenure was brief, Pork Chop left a memorable impression on Ice Road Truckers. Fans were entertained and intrigued by his antics, even if his castmates were often at their wit’s end.

In later seasons, the show would try to recreate Pork Chop’s over-the-top personality with drivers like Double Trouble. But none could quite capture the chaotic energy Pork Chop brought during season 6.

Pork Chop also highlighted the immense skill and caution needed to drive on Alaska’s hazardous ice roads. His poor driving demonstrated how quickly things could go wrong in those conditions. The job takes far more precision and training than Pork Chop had.

So while Pork Chop was eventually deemed unsuitable for the role, he gave viewers a taste of life out on the ice roads. He showed all the drama, danger, and difficult decisions associated with this intense vocation.

What’s Next for Pork Chop?

Given his past television fame, some fans wonder if Pork Chop will ever return to the small screen. After a few years out of the public eye, could Pork Chop make a reality TV comeback?

While anything is possible, Pork Chop would likely need to prove he has matured and improved his driving abilities before getting another shot. His antics were entertaining at first, but wore thin due to safety concerns.

That said, networks do tend to reward polarizing figures that get people talking. If the right opportunity came along, Pork Chop may be tempted to give reality television another go. He certainly wouldn’t shy away from the chance at more fame.

For now though, it seems Pork Chop is keeping a low profile, trucking away in the Southern states. But if we’ve learned anything, it’s that a quiet period for Pork Chop usually means more over-the-top hijinks aren’t far behind. It will be interesting to see if this larger-than-life character finds his way back to TV someday. Wherever the road takes him, something tells us we haven’t seen the last of Pork Chop!