For years, History has made a nice living putting together a series of reality TV shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars that tell stories about objects that people have owned for years and years and have value either from a monetary or historical standpoint. When Pickers hits the TV schedule, Mike, Robbie and the gang are often directed by Danielle to remote locations where they comb through homes, garages and barns to find pieces of Americana. But how random are these finds?
It may shock you to hear this, but not every moment on reality TV is 100% realistic.
What Goes On With American Pickers Before The Cameras Roll?
In fact, while it often seems that randomly journeying down one-lane highways and getting a little help from Danielle is what leads to the show’s unique finds, that may be one piece of American Pickers that’s fudging things a little bit. We know from interviews that a lot of the sites the guys come across happen because scouting was done in advance to find the best options for filming.
In an interview with Go San Angelo, one shop owner who appeared on the long-running History Channel series admitted they knew the cast would be coming in for a few weeks before the big day. They were even given enough advance notice that friends and family hung around the shop that day. Per Ken Young, the owner of Ken’s Toys (an unofficial museum in Brady, Texas):
We had a three-week lead before they came on Monday. I'm not sure how they found out about us. They have what you call a 'snoop.' They get somebody to go into a site and look around. The man who came in that day, he gave me his card (with the show's affiliation). Then I got a phone call and they said when they would be coming.
This is fairly typical for the series. American Pickers goes through different regions in the United States one at a time and often sends out casting calls before they reach a general state or region. When they headed to Ohio in 2020 for example, casting associate Sarah Perkins did an interview with the Columbus Dispatch as part of the announcement and noted:
We’re excited to be headed your way. We were last in Ohio in 2018, and there’s no corner too far away in the state for us to visit. Part of the fun in traveling across the country is seeing the stuff people like to collect and learning the history in each individual town.
While there have been some rumors Pickers could be ending coming up, it’s not happening anytime soon. Danielle Colby and Wolfe celebrate after the show was renewed for a huge number of episodes, and a recent casting call revealed the cast will be in Minnesota in September of 2024. In fact, that announcement featured an email (americanpickers@cineflix.com) and a phone number to call (646) 493-2184 if you think you may have a unique collection on your hands. Other residents find out the show will be in the area via Facebook announcements and more.
A few weeks after the behind-the-scenes exchange, Mr. Young said Mike Wolfe and then-host Frank Fritz (who later was fired from Pickers following health issues) showed up at his doorstep.
They were super nice. They came through the door and I felt like I knew them. I've never seen them in person, but they grinned and laughed and we had the best time.
Which brings us to what is real about the longtime History series.
Mike, Robbie And More Pickers Have Knowledge That Can’t Be Faked
While the setup is very much set up, most of the people who have actually appeared on American Pickers says the guys really do know their stuff. They’re looking to pick homes and collections that aren’t available in stores and they spend actual time with the people who are parting with beloved items.
Ken Young's son Rod, who was on hand the day the reality team showed up to look over his dad's place, admitted the guys knew what they were talking about.
They were very knowledgeable. You could tell they have a real passion for this and I was very impressed.
Another time when Pickers came to Owega, NY, a resident who appeared on the show told 12 News they knew a lot and spent all day filming at her home. According to Chris Knickerbocker,
I watch the show a lot and I know what their interests are, we had a lot of overlapping interests. We started outside, came into my basement, came up to my second floor and then here in my studio and they looked at everything. It was all day; it was wonderful.
She said Wolfe joked around with her and even had inside jokes sort of flowing by the end of the filming shift. So there really is a lot that is genuine about American Pickers. Just when it comes to the setup – not so much.
