‘American Pickers’ Fans Claim Season 23 Is ‘Staged’ & ‘Not The Same’

American Pickers fans have been outspoken about Season 23. The show has since returned from its hiatus on Saturday, January 1, 2022, without Frank Fritz as the host. The History Channel fired him and replaced him with Mike Wolfe’s brother Robbie. However, fans are not happy with the network’s unexpected decision.

They dubbed him “boring.” Meanwhile, others are vowing to boycott the rest of the season. Some fans continue to watch the show even though they’re not happy with it. They feel that it’s “staged” and “not the same” since Frank’s firing. The ratings continue to decline for the reality series.

Season 23 dubbed “staged” and “boring”

Once again, fans are bored with the new season. There are more complaints about the current season. Viewers think the show is “staged” and “boring” as they demand the network to bring back Frank Fritz. The ratings are on a steady decline with each passing episode.

The American Pickers official Twitter account shared a photo before the Saturday, January 15, episode. The image features Mike and Robbie looking at the squid robot, which was built by Chris and Gene Warren. It was seen in the 1996 horror movie, The Beast. The new episode teased a brother vs. brother show-off, but viewers weren’t excited.

They can’t help but notice how different the show is these days. Mike hosts the show with his younger brother, Robbie and Danielle Colby. Frank last appeared on the series in March 2020, which is one of the highest-rated series. Viewers took to the comment section to share their dismay for the show.

• “I’d rather watch a rerun from 7 years ago which is less staged and not like taking Ambien. Nothing against Robbie, but the show is a bore now.”
• “It’s our loss not to watch the show. It’s your loss not to have #frankfritz back. He comes back, so do we.”
• “It is not the same without Frank! We want him back.”
• “Frank must return.”
• “Bring Frank Back.”

American Pickers ratings continue to decline

The boycott is paying off. As TV Shows Ace previously reported, the show’s ratings continue to decline after viewers refuse to watch Season 23. The premiere only drew in 1,050,000 viewers. Ratings have been on a steep decline since. The Saturday, January 8, episode attracted only 1,011,000 viewers.

Notably, episodes featuring fan-favorite Frank Fritz boasted higher ratings. His last episode was on March 8, 2020, and had 1,282,000 viewers. Frank had to take time off from the show to recover from back surgery. It’s unclear what led to his firing.

The show only announced that they were replacing him with Robbie Wolfe. Since his time on the show, Frank lost 65 pounds and entered rehab for alcohol addiction. He’s been sober ever since. Frank is holding out hope for a spinoff series since he was fired from the show.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree that Frank needs to come back to save this show? Do you miss him? Sound off below in the comment section.

Check back with TV Shows Ace for more news on American Pickers.

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Chanel Adams

Chanel Adams is a reality TV addict. She's been writing about entertainment and pop culture since 2006-07. When she's not writing about television, she reflects on early aughts culture on Substack.

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