American Pickers star Michael Wolfe will be going it alone because his former co-star Frank Fritz reportedly isn’t returning to the beloved History hit series. Amid tension in his relationship with Wolfe and his year-long absence, sources close to production told TMZ that there are currently no plans to bring Fritz back to the show on which he had starred since 2010.
The news comes just after Fritz opened up about his and Wolfe’s strained relationship, telling The Sun earlier in July that he and his former co-star drifted apart due to the “shared American Pickers stardom.” According to Fritz, he and Wolfe haven’t spoken “in two years.” Fritz also said that the show is “tilted towards [Wolfe] 1,000 percent” and he is second while Wolfe is “number one on the show.” However, according to TMZ‘s sources, the former co-stars’ fallout is not the cause for History opting not to bring Fritz back. Rather, the decision boiled down to Fritz’s health.
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Fans of the show know that Fritz hasn’t made an appearance on American Pickers since March 2020. Fritz, who also has Crohn’s disease, was forced to take a step back from the series due to health reasons that required back surgery. Amid his absence, American Pickers had to continue on, and the show continued filming without Fritz, TMZ‘s production sources claimed. Although Fritz previously indicated he would love to return to the show, producers reportedly feel the show’s doing fine with Wolfe going solo.
His lack of involvement will be a major change for Fritz, who according to his History biography, “started picking early, collecting rocks and beer cans as a kid.” After working as a fire and safety inspector, Fritz turned his passion for antiques and junk into a lucrative career, officially joining Wolfe to travel across the country in an effort at “transforming one person’s trash into another’s treasure.” The former duo’s first travels and finds were aired on History in January 2010, and prior to their fallout, “their complementary personalities and shared love of picking” made Wolfe and Fritz “the perfect team,” the History bio reads.
Wolfe may not be going solo for long, though. Fritz previously speculated that his former co-star is hoping to bring his brother Robbie, who has made a handful of appearances on American Pickers recently, onto the show amid his absence. However, TMZ‘s production sources claimed this is not currently in the works.
