I don't watch the History Channel as much as I should, but caught an episode a month or so ago on a Sunday afternoon. I was hooked. I quickly set my DVR to record it every time it was on. Thanks to repeats and the first season being on DVD, I think I'm all caught up now.
AMERICAN PICKERS is a reality show that follows two guys, Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe. They run Antique Archeology, an antiques store of sorts in Iowa.
Each episode has them driving in their van in a different part of the country, looking for treasures. They visit people who contact them or they "freestyle", look for old run down barns or yards filled with trash, and go to speak to the owner about looking through and finding things to buy. The two literally crawl through old barns and basements looking for old oil cans, motorcycle parts, pretty much anything they could resell.
Back at home, they keep in touch with their office manager Danielle, sort of a tattooed version of Ashley Judd. She gives them tips of where to stop.
The best part of the show comes, not from the "picking", but from the people they meet. They come across some of the most interesting people you are likely to see on TV. From the man in Pennsylvania who has built an underground dwelling with 23 rooms, to the ex-hippies living in the woods, you never know who they are likely to meet.
The show is sort of an anti-HOARDERS. While HOARDERS gets people to clear out old junk, AMERICAN PICKERS finds a way to almost celebrate it. While some of the people on the show, who refuse to sell items that have been buried in old rundown barns for decades, clearly may have issues, others have very nice collections of stuff that they enjoy.
Unlike a lot of the "reality" shows that are on the air these days, this doesn't feel too scripted. Sure, some of the scenes back in Iowa seem a bit staged, but it all works.
If you are looking for a reality show that doesn't insult your intelligence, be sure to tune in.
AMERICAN PICKERS airs Monday nights at 9 PM EST on the History Channel.
3 comments:
I was never entirely sure why I liked this show but it's one that I don't seem to be able to not watch when it's on. I think you're right it must be the interesting people they meet.It sure is different!
I hated this show. The buyers were just too... mean spirited.... laughing at people as they drove away or being way too cocky about things. Now "Pawn Stars" and "Storage Wars" are pretty great shows.
Joseph, I never saw them as mean spirited.
In fact, there was one episode this season where they found out that what they bought was worth a lot more than what they paid, and they went back and gave the guy more money.
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