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‘American Pickers’: The Way Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz Introduced Themselves Leave Fans Curious

We all know that even reality shows like “American Pickers” aren’t completely real.

There’s some staging involved. That staging is actually necessary in order to keep things moving and to create cohesive storylines for viewers to enjoy. However, sometimes that staging is a little too obvious. At least, that’s the case for these “American Pickers” fans on Reddit. They’ve noticed one thing about the show that seems a little peculiar.

“Has anyone noticed that when Frank and Mike show up, they don’t introduce themselves as the guys from ‘American Pickers’ or even ‘Antique Archeology’? I realize that for the show, it is basically all pre-staged, it’s always…..’you talked to Danielle,’” the fan wrote. “Just kind of curious.”

Another fan said that the original premise of the show was to be a documentary-like series that followed Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz as they traveled around and spontaneously went for picks. As “American Pickers” grew more popular, there was no need for introductions.

“Well yeah, when they first did the show they weren’t well known and the show was kind of meant to be candid, maybe some of the very first ones might have been?” said the fan. “‘Freestyling’ they called it. But since then it’s all been pre-planned and pre introduced. The show is supposed to keep its ‘just 2 guys driving around’ charm.”

Are The Introductions On ‘American Pickers’ Staged Or Real?

Another fan added that many of the introductions are staged. This makes sense because all of the picking is coordinated by “American Pickers” star Danielle Colby. Colby sorts through the viewer submissions and researchers which locations would be best for the show to visit. She then contacts the owners of the land and sets up a meeting between them and Mike Wolfe. According to one fan, some of these introductions are coordinated off camera and then staged during an episode.

“If you watch some of the scenes where Danielle is talking to them, you can see her phone is on the unlock screen with no actual phone call,” wrote one fan. “You can see the app icons and that she’s not on the phone.”

Another fan said that the introduction is a combination of staged and “freestyling.”

“I read it’s because the ‘introductions’ are all staged. Even the freestyling, to a degree. I read they do drive around and look for places but they call first and make sure they have consent to show up and film before showing up,” wrote the fan. “They do show up and a couple of times people still said “nope, leave,” which is why that has happened a couple of times, but most times people have advanced notice – like say at least 15-20 minutes.”