‘American Pickers’: Are the Antique Sellers Paid to Appear on the Show?
Fans watching History’s hit reality TV series, American Pickers, continue to watch Mike Wolfe and Robbie Wolfe buy hidden treasures from sellers. The brothers are fantastic at hunting down the most unlikely finds, and before Robbie took part in the show, Mike partnered up with his friend, Frank Fritz, to do the job. While the show’s stars receive a paycheck, do the antique sellers get paid to appear?
How much did Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe make per episode of ‘American Pickers’?
Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz starred in over 20 seasons of American Pickers. Together, they traveled across the U.S. for hidden finds, many of which ended up in Mike’s Antique Archeology shop. From vintage cars to posters to oil canisters, the pickers never know what they might find — and the show has gained a huge following throughout the years.
So, how much do the Antique Pickers hosts make? According to Looper, Mike reportedly brings in a salary of $500,000 per season. When Frank still co-hosted, he brought home about $300,000 per season. Recent seasons of the show had over 20 episodes, meaning Mike likely made around $25,000 per episode, and Frank likely brought home around $15,000. It’s unclear what Mike’s brother, Robbie, makes now that he took over for Mike, but he likely receives a paycheck similar to Frank’s.
Do the sellers get paid?
Does American Pickers pay the antique sellers? According to a Reddit user who worked for the company that produced the show, they are not.
“I currently work for the company that produces this show and should be able to answer your questions for you,” the Reddit user wrote. “No — people are not paid to be on the program. They do, however, receive the money that the ‘Pickers’ spend purchasing the items. We don’t pay to use their property; however, in most cases, they are handed between $3-7k in cash at the end of filming. The filming takes one entire day, from sunrise to sunset. It includes a crew of roughly 10 people and more than one camera. We also do aerial shots of the property for a better edit.”
According to Screen Rant, the hosts can’t lie about a sale that happens on the show, either. Because both Mike and Frank had their own antique businesses, they wanted to remain truthful about whether they bought an item seen on the show.
What is Mike Wolfe’s net worth?
Frank Fritz is no longer on American Pickers. But with Mike Wolfe still going strong as the show’s host, what his net worth now?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Mike Wolfe’s net worth is $7 million. While he started searching for antiques in elementary school, he’s been able to make a killing with his hobby over the years. Celebrity Net Worth notes Frank Fritz’s net worth is also high at $6 million.
We don’t know if Frank will ever return to the show, as the network never asked him to return after he left for back surgery. More recently, he had a stroke that he’s still recovering from. He’s made it clear he’s still interested in returning to the program.
American Pickers airs Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET on History.
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