15. American Pickers
‘American Pickers’ is grounded in the haggling process, but as it turns out, the price bargain happens in advance. Guests who have been on the show have spoken out about the fact that locations are scouted by producers and not the pickers. This gives them a chance to investigate before they start shooting and takes any type of real discoveries off the table to begin with. The character of “Hobo Jack” isn’t even a homeless man. He’s a successful collector and owner of multiple properties. The first time he has ever been called a hobo was as a result of the show, largely because producers thought it would add another layer to their storytelling process.
American Pickers
16. Cake Boss
Wouldn’t we all love to have a birthday cake from Buddy’s bakery? The promos sure make the show look enticing, but unfortunately, any semblance of reality goes out the minute from the second they start filming the show. The storylines are all developed upfront and staged after the fact. The show always features excited customers waiting in anticipation for the surprise of the cake delivery, when in fact, they’ve been informed of what they are getting (and seen the final product) before filming even begins. Nobody would pay hundreds of dollars for a cake for a milestone event and take the risk of it being something they don’t like at all. One thing that isn’t staged? The queues outside Buddy’s bakery, featuring tourists from all over the world who have seen ‘Cake Boss’.
Cake Boss
