What happened to Joel Balboa on Iron Resurrection? (2024)

Joel Balboa left Iron Resurrection behind after season three, but fans can now see him on a new reality show.

There is absolutely no doubt that the team at Iron Resurrection’s Martin Bros. Customs shop, are some of the most talented builders and customizers on television.

But, while many long-time Iron Resurrection fans are still fond of the show’s “original” cast, the show and this shop have changed quite a lot throughout the last eight years on the air.

And with the most recent seventh season of Iron Resurrection now in full swing – you may be wondering what happened to those “original” cast members who are no longer part of the show.

What Joel Balboa is doing now

When Iron Resurrection was first starting out, the show featured many of the talented builders who worked in the Martin Bros. Customs shop. But few made an impression quite like Joel Balboa.

This is also what made it so heartbreaking when Balboa, and many other fan-favorite Iron Resurrection cast members (including Shorty) suddenly disappeared from the show after season three, which concluded in 2018.

However, while it may be sad that so many of these old Iron Resurrection cast members will no longer be on the show – Balboa has actually branched out on his own, outside of Martin Bros. Customs.

If you have kept up with Balboa’s recent updates on his social media pages after his departure from the show, you will already know that he now runs his own design, fabrication and installation business called Balboa Customs.

Balboa has also kept in touch with his old Iron Resurrection cast mates, and fans can actually see him working alongside Shorty on his new(ish) show, Shorty’s Dream Shop.

Everything you need to know about Joel balboa’s new show

Shorty’s Dream Shop is hosted by Javier “Shorty” Ponce as he and his team of expert builders and craftsmen work to restore beloved classic cars and turn them into the sleek, custom hot rods of their owners’ dreams.

Shorty’s Dream Shop has already survived the dreaded one-season-wonder pitfall and recently concluded its second season, which is now available on MotorTrend TV and MotorTrend+.

The second season of Shorty’s Dream Shop can be summarized as follows:

Why did Joel Balboa leave Iron Resurrection?

There has been a lot of speculation about why the Iron Resurrection cast has changed so much over the years (bar for Joe, Amanda and Shag, who are still part of the show to day).

However, Balboa did shed some light on his reasons for leaving the show in the comments of one of his 2020 Instagram posts.

According to Balboa, he and Shorty simply left the show because it became too difficult for them to travel the 3.5 hours to the shop – and in the end, it was just simpler logistically for them to work out of Shorty’s shop instead.

How Joel Balboa feels about leaving the show

Although it has now been over five years since Balboa last filmed for Iron Resurrection and he has since found a home on a new reality television show, it seems like there is no bad blood between the current and former Iron Resurrection cast members.

In fact, Balboa frequently shares his favorite memories from his days on the Iron Resurrection set. In one post from January 2021 he even admitted that he missed “being with the crew on set of iron resurrection…”

The benefits of working closer to home

While Balboa may occasionally miss the shenanigans of the Iron Resurrection shop, working out of Shorty’s Dream Shop’s Midlothian, Texas location certainly has its perks.

Not only has Balboa been able to work on projects ranging from ’59 Impalas to a 1978 Monty Carlo through the years, but working closer to home has seemingly also given Balboa more time to spend with his family.

The Balboa family is involved in Shorty’s Dream Shop both in front of and behind the cameras. In fact, Balboa’s son, Romeo, often cooks for the crew behind the scenes, when the cameras stop rolling.