The story of Joe Exotic, a gun-toting, gay polygamist who runs a tiger zoo in Oklahoma, and his nemesis, Carole Baskins, who runs a tiger sanctuary in Florida and is alleged to have fed her late husband to a tiger, the seven episodes take the viewer through a jaw dropping series of events and characters.

That’s Netflix though.

On Shimkat Motor’s Facebook page, theres a short spoof video of the show that’s gone viral. It’s the latest in a long series of videos they’ve done.

“We were over a million views last night,” TJ Pingel, general sales manager, said Friday. “We’ve had a couple go over 100,000, most are around 30,000 to 70,000. We’re super excited about it.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Jimmy “Exotic” Fitzgerald recreates the last scene in an online video Shimkat Motors produced to reach out to customers on social media. It’s a spoof on the Netflix documentary “Tiger King."

To play the lead roles, Pingel enlisted Jimmy “Exotic” Fitzgerald, a sales consultant. Lea “Carole” Hade, an inventory specialist, insisted on her role.

“When TJ said Tiger King,” she said. “I actually demanded to be Carole. I usually film. I want to be Carole Baskin.”

“She even found her own costume,” Pingel added.

Fitzgerald was less volunteer and a bit more draftee.

“TJ said ‘I need you to go shave your goatee, we’re doing a video.” Fitzgerald said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Jimmy “Exotic” Fitzgerald recreates one of the scenes from an online video Shimkat Motors created to reach out to their customers recently.

The video is a light-hearted spoof on Exotic showing up at Shimkat, asking for a job and being put to work. Spoiler alert: in the end, Baskin chases him out of the dealership.

All three have seen the Netflix show.

“My wife watched it,” Pingel said. “I said I don’t need to watch it, she said I’d better watch it. I binged it.”

“I binged it on a day off,” Fitzgerald said.

“I binged watched it,” Hade said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
TJ PIngel, general sales manager at Shimkat Motors, has all he can do to keep Jimmy “Exotic” Fitzgerald and Lea “Carole” Hade from having a tiger fight in the showroom Friday. The two starred in an online video produced to reach out to customers based on the Netflix documentary “The Tiger King.”

The actual show is frequently described as a dumpster fire or train wreck.

“I was almost shocked that there are people out there like that,” Hade said.

“It’s a dumpster fire,” Pingel said. “It’s not good but you can’t look away. You go ‘this can’t be real.”

“It was jaw dropping,” Fitzgerald said. “How is this even possible.”

During the actual show, the rivalry between Carole Baskins and Joe Exotic grows darker and more ominous. In one episode of Exotic’s own show, he fires a handgun at a inflatable doll made up like Baskin. As the show evolves, the disappearance of Baskin’s husband leads to accusations by Exotic that she fed his remains to a tiger. Eventually, Exotic is charged in a convoluted murder for hire scheme. It really is a train wreck.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
jimmy “Exotic” Fitzgerald, at left, puts the rivalry to bed with a socially distant elbow hug with Lea “Carole” Hade in the showroom at Shimkat Motors. The pair starred in an online video that was a spoof on the Netflix show “Tiger King.”

Hade stepped into character.

“I want people to know that I definitely feed my husband to the tiger,” she said.

In real life, Hade is engaged to Brent Anderson.

She doesn’t see him as potential Tiger Chow.

“Maybe a foot or toe,” she said. “Not the whole thing. There have been a few ‘moments.”

The others were unanimous. She did in fact feed the tiger with her husband.

Hade had her own favorite scene.

It involves the misuse of cleaning products in a spray bottle.

“He’s going pew, pew with the cleaning products,” Hade said.

The short videos actually have a four-year history, according to Pingel. It’s been a great way for them to keep in touch with their customers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“For those who are staying home,” he said. “We wanted to say we’re here for you and we wanted to add a little humor but still tell people we’re taking it seriously.”

They’re following the latest recommendations, he said. The staff has face masks, they do several major cleanings each day and cars are cleaned before going out to customers.

He’s fond of his costumers.

“We have the best customers in the world,” he said. “We’re not going to feed any of our customers to tigers.”

As an inventory specialist, Hade said the tiger inventory is a little low at the moment.

“We have none right now,” she said.

Fitzgerald and Hade consider their roles a one off.

“I think Cameron is going to want the spotlight back,” Fitzgerald said.

“Nope,” Hade said. “This is probably my one and only.”

More videos are planned in the future, just not Tiger King spoofs. They have a ready to go set in one of the offices.

“We were going to start a new podcast,” Pingel said. “That’s been postponed.”

Pandemic or no pandemic. Tiger Chow or no Tiger Chow, Pingel said they’re in it for the long haul.

“We’ve been here 75 years,” he said. “We’re a family.”

At the end of the Netflix show’s last episode ( Spoiler Alert ) Exotic is given a 22 year federal prison sentence for the murder for hire and for killing five tigers. Baskin remains in Florida and continues to run her sanctuary. Several other characters in the show were raided by federal authorities.

Fitzgerald and Hade will both go back to their lives as normal people.

Getting along and having fun at work and being displayed right next to each other on the Shimkat website.

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