March 24, 2010 is a day that would go down in American Pickers history, and maybe just history in general. Why? Because it was the day that the world was introduced to Mole Man, AKA Ron, an interesting character who has a serious thing for digging underground tunnels. Yeah, it’s totally creepy. He may have only appeared on 1 episode, but that was enough for Ron to amass an almost cult-like following among some viewers.
He’s reported unwanted people stopping by his house after the taping, and someone even tried to use his name on some items they were selling, when it didn’t have anything to do with him. Apparently, he is still very active in picking, himself.
You know Hobo Jack? He’s not a Hobo.
Good old Hobo Jack is a fan favorite on the show and has appeared countless times over the seasons. However, Jack Sophir, as he was born, is definitely not a homeless person. The persona that everyone sees on the show was invented for entertainment purposes. Well, that’s certainly good news for Jack.
In real life, Sophir actually owns quite a bit of property, on which he’s got a nice and comfortable home, and he is seen regularly bidding on big-ticket items in auctions. He has also dabbled in music, and written quite a few accomplished books, including a “philosophic fantasy” novel dubbed Amazing Adventures of the Tramp Prince, which is rated 5 stars on Amazon. He continues to use the name Hobo Jack on all of his work and is reportedly writing yet another one of his novels.
Danielle Defaults on Taxes
Between Danielle’s day job working on American Pickers, and her night gig moonlighting as a sultry burlesque dancer, she’s got a pretty comfortable salary. Not to mention the little shop she owns called, 4 Miles 2 Memphis. Unfortunately, she didn’t exactly pay any out to the IRS, which got her in a little bit of trouble.
After a few years of unpaid taxes stacking up, the IRS finally caught on and started sending her notices. But apparently, she let those stack up for a while, too. So much so, in fact, that she acquired even more debt in excess of about $5,000. Tsk-tsk, Danielle. Hopefully she got all that taken care of by now!
Frank Doesn’t Care That Much About Antiques
Mike has basically lived his entire life as a picker. He’s been doing it since he was a kid, and it’s not hard to see that he’s extremely passionate about what he does. Even without taking his demeanor on the show into consideration, the fact that he’s owned his own antique shops for several years is enough to convince anyone that Mike is doing what he loves. But Frank isn’t necessarily so excited about the whole thing.
Let’s just say this – while Mike may be in the industry because he followed his passion, Frank is only around because of the potential for some serious money to be made with each pick. Sorry to disappoint you if you were under the impression that Frank was in it with his heart, but hey – he is basically an actor on the show, so it shouldn’t come as that much of a shock. Plus, as long as he looks like he’s enjoying it while the cameras are rolling, who cares?
Breaking Up is Hard to Do
On the show, Mike and Frank are always together, acting as if they’re good friends. But according to those that have met the pair in person, things aren’t so buddy/buddy when the cameras aren’t turned on. They also live in entirely different parts of the country – sorry to shatter your dream of them being around one another 24/7!
Mike is married and lives with his family in Tennessee, while Frank stays in Illinois and lives a sort of bachelor-style life. And, if them having their own lives wasn’t disappointing enough – they really don’t even like each other. In fact, things are so shaky between them that there are rumors the show will be coming to an end in the near future. Noooo! Come on guys, you can work it out for the sake of your insanely awesome salaries!