The Real Reason American Pickers Never Visited Hawaii
If you've tuned into any "American Pickers" episodes recently, you may have noticed something (or someone) is missing. Frank Fritz, who had been with the reality series since the very beginning, was no longer Mike Wolfe's right-hand man. He was nowhere to be found in front of the cameras, and before you knew it, reports of a feud broke out in the tabloids. Fritz came forward with allegations that Wolfe hadn't spoken to him in years after he stepped away from the spotlight to focus on his health.
It's a significant shake-up, especially after 10 years on the air and over 20 seasons to the show's name. However, Fritz isn't the only thing missing from the equation. The show may be called "American Pickers," but the series has yet to actually visit all 50 states. A few notable exceptions to the show's resume include Utah, Nevada, and Delaware. And while it would make for a great special episode, Wolfe hasn't yet traveled to Hawaii to pick some wares, although there's a fairly reasonable explanation for why that's probably the case.
Hawaii's too far out of the way
In 2020, Mike Wolfe sat down for an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, where he spoke about his profession and all of the work and toil that goes into making the show a reality. During this time, he mentions how he drives over 70,000 miles annually for the sake of his work, but even with all those miles he's putting on his famous car, it's impossible to drive over to Hawaii.
It just wouldn't feel like the same show if Wolfe didn't have his van with him, and there are likely other reasons why the crew hasn't yet boarded a plane to visit the Aloha State. For starters, the state only has a population of 1.4 million people spread out across numerous islands and atolls. It's unclear how many of those people have valuable junk lying around in their garages, so the "American Pickers" team probably figures it's best to leave it alone.
On top of all of that, Hawaii has a hot, humid climate. That extra moisture in the atmosphere isn't great for storing antiques, and it can quickly warp and destroy wooden furniture unless appropriately stored. Suffice to say, don't expect Wolfe to drop by the islands any time soon.