The American Pickers ratings continue to plummet. On Saturday, January 1, Season 23 of the History Channel series premiered without Frank Fritz front and center. Fans are not happy with the new host Robbie, who is Mike Wolfe’s younger brother. They promise to boycott the show until Frank returns.
The Season 23 premiere only attracted 1,050,000 total viewers. Ratings continued to plummet for the next episode. The Saturday, January 8 episode dropped down to 1,011,000 total viewers. The episodes that featured fan-favorite Frank in the past had much higher ratings.
He last appeared on the March 2, 2020, episode, which had a whopping 1,282,000 viewers.
Robbie Wolfe backlash
Fans call the new host “boring.” However, Robbie has made about 98 appearances on American Pickers since 2010. So, fans are already used to his personality. The History Channel replaced Frank Fritz with Robbie. They unveiled the cast photos on the official website ahead of the Season 23 premiere.
Viewers have since boycotted the show because of Frank’s firing. They also made their voices heard on social media. Some of them took the official American Pickers Twitter account to air their grievances. Meanwhile, others simply tweeted that they plan on boycotting the rest of the season.
- “Show really stinks without Frank. I’d be worried, Mike.”
- “The show needs Frank, Mike & Dani. Stop changing it. I’m sure Robbie is a nice guy but comes across boring on TV.”
- “I watched the new season with the Wolfe Brothers. Need to bring back Frank. Robbie has no personality he is absolutely boring!!!”
- “No longer follow or watch now that Frank was skidded.”
In March 2020, Frank was recovering from back surgery. However, the network decided to fire him while he was on the mend. They announced his firing in July 2020 despite his desire to return to the show. Frank also admitted that he was in a feud with the show’s favorite Mike Wolfe.
American Pickers Frank Fritz underwent massive back surgery
Frank was already down on his luck. He had to undergo arduous back surgery that left him with two rods in his spine and 185 stitches. Frank managed to turn his life around. He lost 65 pounds and became sober from alcohol. In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Frank revealed that he entered a treatment facility for alcohol abuse in Iowa for 77 days.
“I went to rehab and I’ve been sober now for 11 months,” Frank explained. “I didn’t like drinking anymore. My mom was an alcoholic and she died five years ago and it was alcohol-related. My grandfather was an alcoholic and he died. That didn’t sit well with me.”
He also addressed his feud with his co-star Mike. It’s unclear why the network fired him on the show. Frank is now focused on his Illinois-based store, Frank Fritz Finds, as he lives in Iowa. Yet, fans want to see him come back and save the sinking ship.
What are your thoughts? Do you think Frank should come back to American Pickers? Or, do you think it’s too late now? Sound off below in the comment section. Check back with TV Shows Ace for more news on the cast of American Pickers.
