There are a few elements that are common to all auto restore related "reality" shows. In my opinion all of the shows would be better off without them. These are 1) Time Constraint - Supposedly makes for drama for the audience, but everyone I know that watches any of these shows finds it annoying. 2) The little quiz panels that pop up periodically. Who doesn't know that the early Pontiac trucks had a Native American in profile wearing a massive headress as their hood ornament. The segment itself drastically reduces the cool factor of these shows. 3) The rediculous prices paid at every level. $8800 for a 57 Chevy 4 door with a smashed fin on the passenger side. Stupid.
Of all the car related shows I like FnF the best. The personalities of the guys on the show are the easiest to handle. They're loose and have a way of slinging barbs at each other that shows the regard they have for each other.
The personnel on all the other shows aren't enough to keep me interested. I'd rather see the cars than the contrived drama.
The show about the pickers is the worst of them all. These guys are driving around in a 20 mpg van to all parts of the country spending all day just finding enough trinkets to put into their store. Even the big stuff only will yield a couple hundred $ profit, after transport, handling, displaying and waiting for someone to come along and buy. The real money is made from the TV show itself.
As a weekend warrior mechanic without the space or tools or experience to do this stuff, not to mention the patience, I like seeing snippets of what goes into the restores, and the "Art" part of it. To me it takes a lot of balls to chop and channel a car that is one of just a small number of remaining examples of the same.
