In my previous post, "Thumbs up for Billy Joel and AMERICAN RESTORATION" I discussed the History Channel's attempts to increase their shows' ratings by having celebrities make guest appearances. Two days later, the History Channel is at it again...this time with their top rated show PAWN STARS. In this case, the show's move to its new slot at 9 pm Eastern time on Thursdays was marked by Rick Harrison's visit to Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp with not one, but two celebrities in attendance.
The celebrities featured in this episode were 1980s Rock n Roll heartthrob Kip Winger (from the band Winger) and Rock n Roll legend Roger Daltrey (lead singer of The Who). Of course, Daltrey was the bigger draw here and Rick was appropriately star struck by the British singer. Rick's efforts to sing like a Rock n Roller were entertaining, albeit brief. Most of the show proceeded as usual with people bringing merchandise into the pawn shop and Corey, the Old Man and Chumlee wheeling and dealing with them.
In several of my other posts, I addressed the issue of whether or not the History Channel's reality shows are staged. My conclusion is that they are...especially PAWN STARS. After all, I've never heard of a single pawn shop anywhere in the world that gets the kinds of treasures brought into it that are offered to the folks at the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop of Las Vegas.
When I assert that the show is scripted, I'm referring to more than just the items that come into the pawn shop. I'm also talking about the things the main characters do and the people they meet. I've never been to a Fantasy Rock and Roll Camp before, but my guess is that the average person would not get a private tutorial from two Rock n Roll stars the way Rick Harrison did...especially if one of the stars is as big a name as Roger Daltrey. Make no mistake, this is not real reality television.
But we don't really watch TV to see our own lives, do we? We watch to be entertained and to see the lives that others live...or the lives we think they live. In that case, the fantasy world of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop fits the bill nicely. And throwing a Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp into mix only heightens the illusion.
So why do we like PAWN STARS so much? It's consistently the #1 rated show on cable and has spawned numerous copycats (one of which is also on the History Channel...CAJUN PAWN STARS). My guess is that it is because the principle characters are likeable, the give and take between them is entertaining, often amusing and the items which are featured are almost always unique and interesting. Added to that, we get our history handed to us in an original way.
Above all, however, I think the show is appealing because it feeds a fantasy that we all have. No, I'm not talking about a fantasy to become a rock n roll singer, or to even hang out with one (or two). The fantasy I'm referring to is the near universal belief that somewhere in our mountains of possessions there is an item that we could take into a pawn shop and exchange for a huge payday. I must admit that I've had that thought. And I know my wife does every time she looks around our house and sees the things I've accumulated over the years.
So there you have it...PAWN STARS isn't reality television, it's fantasy. And tonight's episode just made it that much more obvious.
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