History Channel Gone Wrong

[Maltese]

I really enjoy American pickers . But your right there is no way two men can just get into a van and drive cross country freestyle banging on doors
and one
not get shot and two make enough money to make a living with having to pay for gas which in most states is around 4.00 a gallon plus food and
lodging.

They have or what show is making it out that the duo opened another store. I do think now because of the Tv show that people would
just like to have anything that was shown on TV or just to say " I got this from pickers" But prior to this these two guys who I like to watch must
have been hoboing across the united states .

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Now everybody thinks they're sitting on a gold mine because they "saw it on American Pickers."

 

[Maltese]

lol I look at what they pay for stuff and being it a similar profession for the last 10 years
had no idea how these fellows were making any money at all . I thought at the start of the show it was reality but now that has gone out the window.
Its like a movie "based " on a true story . Which basically means close to nothing is real lol

 

[Alice Blue]

Maybe PBS is the History/Hitler channel now - I've been skipping "Secrets of the Dead" and "Nazi Mega Weapons" because they sound so cheesy, but one of the S of the D episodes is actually a UK Channel 4 documentary about the British program to eavesdrop on Nazi POWs in England, and the Mega Weapons series has German-speaking actors so I wonder if it is also imported. Importing shows is cheaper than producing them, of course.

 

[Shangas]

Now everybody thinks they're sitting on a gold mine because they "saw it on American Pickers."

And of course, the sad thing is, most things are not worth anything. Or at least not nearly as much as some people seem to think.

There was this one episode of 'Pickers' where they outlined stuff that people ask them about CONSTANTLY...and which simply aren't worth anything.

Among other things, stuff like...

Fridges. Some of the early ones, yes, maybe, but on a whole, no.
Typewriters. Every house and office had a typewriter. No, they're not worth a great deal of money.
Sewing machines. See above.

I've been bargain-hunting for years. And I've seen all kinds of ridiculous prices being put on all manner of things.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Shows like that aren't just dumb, they're destructive. If it's "not worth anything," why keep it. THROW IT AWAY. IT'S NOT WORTH ANYTHING. THE ONLY VALUE ANYTHING HAS IS MEASURED IN DOLLARS.

Disgusting.

When I die, I hope my whole houseful of stuff doesn't bring ten dollars for the parasites who will no doubt descend upon it.

 

[Zombie_61]

I really enjoy American pickers . But your right there is no way two men can just get into a van and drive cross country freestyle banging on doors
and one not get shot and two make enough money to make a living with having to pay for gas which in most states is around 4.00 a gallon plus food and lodging...

I've often wondered about that myself while watching American Pickers or "auto restoration and auction" shows like Fast 'N Loud. The narrator will say something like, "This week they made X amount of profit...", and I can't help but think it's not enough to cover the rent, the bills, the employees' payroll, etc.. Of course, none of them are doing these shows free, and sometimes it seems they're making more from being on the show than they are from buying and selling antiques and cars.

 

[Stearmen]

Let me admit upfront that I have not gone back and read this full thread so, perhaps, what I am going to write has already been written. That said, it seems to me that the original History Channel has simply moved to H2 - as H2 still runs mostly documentaries and specials on history. While a lot of its material is old, it does have new specials that (other than the abysmal, out-of-place and hosted by the most annoying host on H2 ever show "All You Can Eat") are history oriented. And I look at the original History Channel as an oddity that has these "reality" TV shows that are silly, but have some great, some fun and some quirky historical artifacts. I ignore the fake-reality, and enjoy seeing some of the items that come into the pawn shop on "Pawn Stars," just as I like seeing some of the items that get restored on "Rick's Restoration," or get dug out on "American Pickers." I know the reality is fake, but the items and history are interesting. And there is also the "Military Channel" for traditional documentaries and some well-done new shows such as "America: Fact versus Fiction."

Tonight on H2, Ancient Aliens and Haunted History. At lest one of them has history in the title.

 

[Story]

 

[Maltese]

His hair is epic lol

 

[splintercellsz]

His hair is epic lol

 

[Maltese]

You think pickers had gone bad. I just watched Gold Rush this
is a train wreck .

 

[Maltese]

lol lol

 

[Zombie_61]

I don't care who ya' are, that's funny right there! ound:

 

[Shangas]

You think pickers had gone bad. I just watched Gold Rush this
is a train wreck .

In my mind, Gold Rush has always been a train-wreck.

 

[Maltese]

In my mind, Gold Rush has always been a train-wreck.

lol I hear u but this is on a different level trust me .

 

[Fading Fast]

Tonight on H2, Ancient Aliens and Haunted History. At lest one of them has history in the title.

Fair point - H2 is not perfect, but is similar to the original History Channel, which had its own detritus if memory serves. With some work - checking H1, H2, the Military Channel, the three PBS stations I get on cable and a few others - I find I can accumulate a decent amount of traditional "History Channel" type programing on my DRV. Also, Netflix for about $9 a month, has an incredible amount of history documentaries (and other programing) that I watch all the time.

 

[Diamondback]

Sadly, for me the end of Classic History Channel was when they quit running shows like "Engineering an Empire", "Cities of the Underworld" and the Big Two with R. Lee, "Mail Call" and "Lock 'n' Load."

Now, with the end of Burn Notice and how Criminal Minds got flushed down the loo a couple seasons ago, the only things left worth watching on any channel are Good Eats reruns, NCIS and MythBusters.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

...the only things left worth watching on any channel are Good Eats reruns, NCIS and MythBusters.

What do you know, we like the same three shows.

 

[Jackanapes]

Technically speaking, every television show ever produced could be considered a form of historical documentation since they all, regardless of genre, represent the culture and social climate of the era and country in which they were produced. So, in that regard, by airing shows like Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy and Ice Road Truckers the History Channel is broadcasting history; they're just doing it as it's happening.

Technically speaking, the present is not history. The present is the future's history. The History Channel is more The Present Channel than anything else today. And it's not even a documentary time capsule of what's really happening today because of all the fake "reality" programming. At best, it's a cultural time capsule which records the ever descending decline of American television. The problem for future historians (of the distant future), is being able to discern that fact long after we're all gone and unable to correct them. It's quite possible they will interpret shows like this as accurate representations of how we once lived. For our reputation's sake, I can only hope not!