AMERICAN Pickers has seen a surprise surge in ratings despite fans begging for History Channel to cancel the long-running series.
Season 26 of American Pickers premiered with Mike and Robbie Wolfe, Jon “Jersey Jon” Szalay and Danielle Colby on October 9.
Mike Wolfe on the October 30 episode of American Pickers[/caption]
Mike Wolfe stars on the show alongside his brother Robbie, Jon ‘Jersey Jon’ Szalay and Danielle Colby[/caption]
The show has been experiencing a ratings crisis, as the series has brought in the lowest numbers in years.
The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal the third episode of Season 26, The Great Razooly, had 566,000 viewers tune in.
A description for the episode reads, “Flying solo, Mike heads to the California castle home of the Great Razooly–a sculptor, entrepreneur, and horror icon whose one-of-a-kind collection includes monsters, gargoyles and a custom rocket ship on the front lawn.”
Though ratings are still low, this is the highest episode of the season.
The premiere episode brought in 565,000 fans as Mike, 59, picked through Evel Knievel memorabilia.
The second episode of the season, which aired on October 16, brought in just 463,000 viewers, an over 100,000 drop in just one week.
Episode three brought in the highest ratings of the season[/caption]
SEASON 26 RATINGS
The ratings for Season 26 are low compared to the prior one.
Season 25, which kicked off with a two-episode premiere in December 2023, brought in 723,000 viewers for the first episode and 676,000 for the second.
Episode three saw an increase to 880,000 viewers.
The numbers remained around the same throughout the rest of the month.
By the January 24 episode, ratings surged to 948,000 viewers.
The numbers dropped back down through most of February with the lowest rating on February 14 at 774,000 viewers and the highest on February 28 at 966,000.
The season finale on March 27 brought in 832,000 viewers.
FAN REACTION
The show reached over a million viewers before fan-favorite Frank Fritz was fired from the series in 2020.
Fans recently took to social media to demand the series be canceled after 26 seasons on the air.
“This show needs to go… cancel this show it’s a husk of what it was,” one fan wrote.
Another said, “It was never good. This show ruined the buying/selling market.”
A third asked, “Will American Pickers continue?”
Fans also recently accused the series of staging scenes.
In a clip from a recent episode posted on the American Pickers’ Facebook page, Mike and Jersey Jon check out a “mystical Shelby hidden in a barn.”
Mike called an expert who checked out photos of the rare car, which the star noted had missing parts.
When Mike asked how much it would cost to restore, the expert said “well over $100,000.”
When the expert said offering $75,000 was fair, the buyers declined to sell the car to Mike.
The seller said, “It might sound crazy turning down an offer for a $75,000 car that’s been sitting there 35 or 40 years, but it’s a big decision to make.
“I understand people would say, ‘This guy is a total idiot.’”
Fans accused the scene of being “staged.”
One viewer commented, “Not at all ‘staged.’”
A second said, “These sort of shows have to be staged… it’s entertaining television. Sellers have to give permission to appear on TV, contracts are signed, camera angles are plotted, sellers unfamiliar with filming rehearse, etc.
“Who cares… it is a good program.”
A third commented, “All are staged.”
“I think a lot of this stuff is planted ahead of time,” a fourth said.
A rep for American Pickers did not respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment at the time.
MISSING FRANK
Frank’s friend Jerry Gendreau previously told The U.S. Sun how the series hasn’t been the same without the star.
“I think the show is not nearly as good as it was.
“With the ratings, it doesn’t have to be me or somebody thinking that, the nation knows it’s not what it was.
“It needed Frank.”
Jerry also told The U.S. Sun how Frank would’ve returned to the show had it not been for the stroke he suffered in July 2021.
“My analogy of the two, Mike and Frank were like Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin.
“Jerry Lewis, Frank, was just as important or maybe even more important for the show. It’s very hard to be the Jerry Lewis all of the time.
“I think Frank would’ve went back, but he had his health issues. And he did have some serious health issues. From 25 or 30 on he suffered from Crohn’s.”
Crohn’s is a bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract.
Jerry explained how Frank became a fan-favorite on the show because of his “spontaneity.”
“He was truly the comedian who popped out with some of the weirdest and dumbest things that you just go, ‘Wow,’” Jerry said.
“He made a mark on history.”
Frank’s final episode was in March 2020.
He passed away two years after suffering the stroke on September 30, 2024.
MORE PICKING
The U.S. Sun previously reported the stars have signed on for three more seasons.
But despite the contract, The U.S. Sun previously reported Mike and Robbie are nearing the end of the series.
“I don’t know how long the show will last,” a source previously told The U.S. Sun.
“I don’t know how long Mike and Robbie will want to do this. I think they would want to retire at some point.
“It’s a strain on your life [and] they’ve done this a long time,” Mike’s friend revealed.
“When they’re around it’s, ‘Ah, we’re on the road again. I ain’t got time to do this, I ain’t got time to do that,’” the source claimed.
“It’s a love-hate like with any job.
“Some days you don’t wish you had that job and you could do whatever you wanted; some days you’re all excited about your job,” the pal concluded.
Mike Wolfe’s businesses
Mike Wolfe has created a business empire featuring real estate, antique stores, and more.
OVER THE SHOW?
Mike has been focusing on other projects outside of American Pickers.
He runs his vacation rental company Two Lanes Guesthouse in Columbia, Tennessee and Le Claire, Iowa, and his bike shop Columbia Motor Alley.
The reality star also owns a number of properties in Le Claire and Columbia, as he rents them out to businesses.
Ratings have been low for Season 26[/caption]
Fan-favorite star Frank Fritz left the show in 2020 and passed away from a stroke in September 2024[/caption]
