American Pickers' Oddest Collector Might Be Prince Mongo (A Self-Proclaimed Alien)
It might seem like the crew on "American Pickers" has a pretty easy job. They travel around the United States looking for antiques and oddities they can then restore and turn around to sell at a profit. They've come across plenty of rare items most people would be lucky to lay eyes on in a lifetime. However, part of traveling around the country and going into people's garages is that they also have to interact with the people owning those rarities, and some of them are more down-to-earth than others.
That's literally the case with Prince Mongo, who was introduced in Season 12, Episode 1, "Alien vs. Picker." From the moment he's first seen, he instantly makes an impression with giant glasses, an intricate headband, and a psychedelic-inspired outfit. In a bonus scene released on YouTube of his appearance, Frank Fritz asks him where he's from, and Prince Mongo responds with "Zambodia," another planet. Things only get more bizarre from there.
From buried bodies to Elvis' car ...
Claiming to be an alien was the tip of the iceberg when it came to Prince Mongo. Before showing Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz around his place, he gave them a spiritual blessing, which involved sprinkling them with white dust. Once they actually get a chance to check out the premises, the oddities continue stacking up. Wolfe stumbles upon a hole in the ground, to which Prince Mongo states that's where bodies used to be buried years ago.
Fritz stumbles upon an innocuous-looking vehicle and asks how much it is, to which Prince Mongo wants $300,000. It's probably a bit too rich for the pickers' blood, but he goes on to say how it was Elvis' car. But he quickly changes the story to where Elvis simply rode in it with him and drove it a couple of times. Take it with a big ol' grain of salt.
Fritz admits that he didn't buy a whole lot from Prince Mongo, but it certainly made for an interesting adventure. Wolfe puts it best, saying, "This whole day has been bizarre, weird, freakish, different, and exciting." It's definitely a pick the two of them, as well as the viewers at home, won't forget.