American Pickers' Frank Fritz Remains The Only Thing Fans Really Want To Talk About
With its 23 seasons, "American Pickers" has been a History mainstay since 2010. However, the reality show that focuses on Antique Archaeology's hunt for cool items with decent resale value hasn't exactly coasted through the years with ease. In 2020, longtime co-host Frank Fritz left "American Pickers" in an abrupt fashion, and it soon transpired that he and Mike Wolfe had a feud due to personal and professional issues that led to Fritz's exit from the show. The two men's public comments have made pretty clear that Wolfe's return isn't particularly likely, either.
Fritz may have been away from the show since "American Pickers" Season 21, Episode 7, but fans continue to remember him. In fact, whenever they discuss the show online, the former star's name tends to come up sooner rather than later. In fact, it wouldn't be unfair to say that he's pretty much the only "American Pickers" topic they want to talk about, based on how often the discussion turns to him and how much they miss his presence in the show.
In a Reddit thread about Wolfe and his brother, Robbie, multiple commenters express their desire to see Fritz back in the show. Lifetime TV's Instagram promo post about "American Pickers" and "Everything But the House" was also flooded by pro-Fritz comments. "I liked it a lot better when Frank was on," user Midmichiganman1965 wrote in the post's comment section. "American Pickers without Frank is like Hall without Oates," fellow Instagrammer Miatabrians chimed in. One Reddit fan poll about the show's favorite faces even specifically anticipated Fritz's popularity by asking, "Who's your favorite non-Frank co-picker?" Of course, multiple comments were nevertheless about Fritz.
Many fans think Frank Fritz was the show's X factor
A big thing about the Frank Fritz discussion online is that after his departure, many people seem to have pegged him as the show's MVP, or at the very least a vital missing component in "American Pickers." In a 2021 Reddit discussion about the host's removal from the show, Redditor u/Ipsonofacto declared they wouldn't be watching the show without Fritz, both because they felt that Wolfe had done his former co-host dirty by removing him from the show amidst Fritz's personal struggles and because they felt that the show simply isn't as compelling without Fritz's presence. "I would never watch the Mike Wolfe alone or with guests show again because he makes *****y television," they wrote. "Frank was a thousand times more interesting and more watchable." Other fans have expressed similar sentiments over time. "Will not watch without Frank. Mike Wolfe is a punk," Twitter user @Park420420 responded to a tweet by the official "American Pickers" account.
The show's viewership numbers seem to indicate that the pro-Fritz sentiment isn't coming from a small subset of vocal superfans, either. In early 2022, "American Pickers" ratings confirmed that Fritz's absence had a negative effect on the show's viewership — possibly because a number of fans had promised to boycott the show in the wake of his departure.
Fritz and Wolfe have been in touch behind the scenes
Right now, it seems unlikely that Fritz will join the show any time soon, given that he's still dealing with the fallout of a stroke he had in 2022, along with a number of other health issues (via Quad City Times). However, fans of "American Pickers" will no doubt enjoy the news that the animosity between the two hosts seems to have subsided. In fact, it may not have been as bad as reports indicated in the first place.
On the Memorial Day weekend, Wolfe visited Fritz at the hospital in a reunion that was both joyous and tearful. According to Fritz's unnamed friend who says she set up the meeting, Wolfe even expressed a desire to bring his longtime partner back in the "American Pickers" fold ... though this might be a long time coming, considering Fritz's various ailments. "Mike really stressed all the good times they had before the show and during the show," the friend described the discussion. "Mike did say he'd like Frank back on the show, but Frank is focused on his health."