Lately, Mike Wolfe finds himself in the spotlight answering some of fans’ most burning questions regarding the History Channel’s hit TV Show “American Pickers.”
For example, what did he fill his days with before joining the show? Actually, he recently opened up about that. He even revealed a lengthy history of service to his hometown of Le Claire, Iowa. The city holds a rich history of antiquing. This allowed for his role within the picking community to grow from a hobby into a career over time.
Still, many fans are curious about his involvement on the show, and we bet our Outsiders are too. This leads us into the question we’re going to tackle today. Does Mike Wolfe actually do the picking himself on the show?
A Deep Dive into Mike Wolfe and his Role
As with any “reality-based” series, there will be times fact and fiction intertwine. Sometimes it’s more fact, sometimes it’s more fiction. That’s just the entertainment “biz.” It makes sense, really, when you look at the logistics. A lot goes on behind-the-scenes, after all. This is true of any reality show you can think of– including “American Pickers.” We’re here to help you distinguish the real from the staged.
First and foremost, the different filming locations for the show aren’t done on a whim, like they sometimes portray. According to Living 101, the locations are almost always pre-meditated before filming actually starts. This same thought process actually extends into the picking process as well. The show typically always portrayed Mike and Frank as the ones to do the heavy lifting. Apparently, this might not actually paint the full picture, after all. Living 101 reports that the purchases are authentic, as is the picking crew, but the actual bidding process sometimes gets a little fluffed for the cameras. Supposedly, this has even been a point of contention for Mike Wolfe and the rest of the cast at certain times.
This is to say, sellers and buyers are typically able to come to some sort of agreement before the film starts rolling. However, Mike and Frank are accused of continuing to haggle down the agreed upon price once filming starts in a few different cases. While that may or may not be true, at the end of the day, it makes sense that the show is forced to showcase certain aspects of the picking process while leaving other bits out. This simply helps streamline the whole production process for the full crew.
A Picking Playlist
While it can be hard to distinguish fact from fiction when it comes to the show, one thing that stays true is Mike’s passion for picking. He also has a passion for country and rock music, it seems. Combine all those things and you’ve got the perfect picking playlist. Actually, Mike Wolfe worked directly with the History Channel to release a playlist just like that.
Give it a listen and let us know your favorite picks:
