Reality TV honestly has some of the best stuff out there, especially American ones, be it “Married at First Sight” or “Catfish”. Mostly the drama surrounding them is either funny or downright ridiculous. Besides the cheating rumors and emotional drama of the previously mentioned shows, something else that also claimed high viewer points are shows like “Pawn Stars”.
History Channel was the one to bring forth these absolute gems from the realm of reality TV. In “Pawn Stars” we used to see people from all around America bring old stuff to the ‘World Famous Gold and Silver Pawn Shop’, located in Las Vegas. The interactions ranged all the way from hilarious to threatening, but the audience ate it up nonetheless.
“American Pickers” more commonly known as “The Pickers,” is a reality tv show set in North America. This show is a little similar to “Pawn Stars,” as here we see our hosts driving around America collecting what they presume to be valuable artifacts and bringing them back to their store for sale.
America Pickers also aires on History Channel, and the first episode was released on January 18, 2010. The episode became an instant hit, reaching over 3 million viewer strength, and ranks as one of the highly-rated debut series on the History Channel. The show also has an Australian variant, known as “Aussie Pickers,” released in 2013.
The Cast of American Pickers
American Pickers is directed by Anthony Mastanduno and developed by Mark Poertner and Stephen Pettinger. The show was created by Mike Wolfe and also starred Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz as the main hosts of the series. We also have Danielle Colby, who stays back at the crew’s main store or office, located in a beautiful city in Scott County called LeClaire in the state of Iowa.
Their store is called Antique Archaeology. In recent times, the group has opened a new store in Nashville, Tennessee. The three have been a constant in the series ever since its premiere in 2010, but Frank Fritz has stepped out of the show since 2020 due to major health issues, as reported by TMZ.
Premises of American Pickers
We follow Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz as they travel the country picking up items of aesthetic value, mostly old stuff and also collector’s items they think would make them some money. They used to drive their Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van on their little quests, but they have now switched to a Ford Transit.
Danielle is the one to conduct research for the pair to travel to the said area and collect the items. The two often take detours on their way to places they think they can find potential items of interest. They don’t hesitate to visit people’s backyards, storage units, or garages, basically anywhere they can find something of value.
The series has 23 seasons with over 300 episodes and is still going strong. The pair goes over to former collectors, hoarders, or people that have inherited antiques from former owners in the family and now want to rid themselves of them. The items collected by Wolfe are sold at his store in LeClaire, and the ones that Frank finds are sold in his store called ‘Frank Fritz Finds,’ located in Illinois.
Wolfe has been a collector since his early childhood and has a special knack for sniffing out some of the best motorcar antique pieces. As mentioned earlier, Frank had taken his leave from the show in 2020 due to a stroke and other health issues. In their 2023 reunion, he informed the audience that he still wasn’t fit to rejoin the team. Ever since Wolfe is accompanied by either Danielle, Wolfe’s brother Robbie or their antique expect friend, “Jersey Jon”
Filming Locations of American Pickers
Owing to the type of reality show “American Pickers” is, the cast, mostly Mike and Frank (before 2020. Presently, Mike is accompanied by others), are seen to travel far and wide within the States to find their unique pieces. The show gives the viewers a good idea about the rural towns of the US and the people’s lives in general.
Listed below are a few of the prominent places the show has been filmed at:
1. California
Rural California has some of the most splendid landscapes in the country. The Pickers visit this state frequently, focusing mainly on Mendocino, followed by Merced and Tulare County. These parts of CA have amazing museums, national parks, ranches, old churches, and other factors that make the place very concentrated in historical events and artifacts, just like what the pair are on the lookout for.
2. Pennsylvania
In episodes from 2015 and some of 2019, we find Mike and Frank traveling in places within Pennsylvania and some parts of Philadephia. Pennsylvania has quite a large number of automobile museums; some are simply for vintage cars, and others for heavier automobiles like trucks as well. Mike is known for having a special interest in cars, so it’s no surprise that we found him sniffing around this state.
3. New England
Again a state which is super rich in history, even though some of it was really sad. New England is known for its Colonial past and rich culture. Places like Derby in Connecticut have an impressive number of antique and thrift stores, and we all know what that means for our host. They were also seen in other places like Wiscasset in Maine in the earlier releases of the show, then revisited again in 2020.
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