The Most Awkward Mike Moment Ever On American Pickers

"American Pickers" has become one of the great comfort viewing experiences of the last decade or so. Since 2010, The show's stars have used their negotiation skills and talent for recognizing valuable collectibles and antiques to travel the country and buy colorful things from even more colorful people. The easy chemistry of the pickers and the peculiar antique archaeology Mike Wolfe's very company is named after have been a winning combination, and the reality show has been running for a very respectable 22 seasons so far. 

Because the show often deals with peculiar folks and strange items, it's only natural that even the experienced hosts, who generally have a good poker face remarkable gift of gab, haven't been immune to the occasional double take and odd moment. But has there ever been a truly uncomfortable situation that the show's leading picker, Mike, has faced? let's take a look at the most awkward Mike moment on "American Pickers."

Really, there's just one moment that makes sense here. The biggest "oof, that's awkward" moment in the entire history of "American Pickers" is Mike Wolfe's feud with former co-host Frank Fritz, who was phased out of the show after his final appearance in the March 2, 2020 episode of the show. Since then, plenty of dirty laundry has been aired — mostly by Fritz, who has been very open about his feelings about Wolfe's alleged cold attitude towards him. 

Though "American Pickers" has kept on going without Fritz, and hasn't really acknowledged his departure onscreen, this kind of behind-the-scenes drama can't help but bleed into the show. As such, Wolfe's most awkward moment in "American Pickers" is most likely the episode "Ghost of the West," the very first episode after Fritz's then-unannounced departure. The episode itself is largely business as usual, with cool old-school sites, ghost stories, a Wild West theme, and that kind of stuff. However, the way the show just abruptly replaces Fritz with Danielle Colby — who up to this has been largely been holding the fort back at the base — is plenty awkward in hindsight, especially as the two rather pointedly carry on the show's signature happy-go-lucky banter like nothing's happened.