I don’t particularly care whether there’s minimal historical content on the History Channel. Or discovery on the Discovery Channel. Or learning on the Learning Channel. And perhaps most famously to the point of self-parody, music on MTV. Sometimes I simply want to be entertained and that’s enough. I’ll read a book when I’m craving serious history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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“Reality” Hotspot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"MGM](\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/3705\/8860977244_74302ac425_b.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nNo, I had Vegas on my mind. It probably had something to do with my recent Frank Sinatra article<\/a>. Then I began to wonder, as the shows blended into each other hour-after-hour, whether I could use Google Maps to find their filming locations. While the episodes were largely contrived, the underlying businesses actually existed so they should be easy to locate.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCursory research quickly revealed the source of The History Channel cluster, an outfit known as Leftfield Pictures<\/a>. Their most successful series to-date has been Pawn Stars<\/a> which launched in 2009. This served as Leftfield’s platform to spin-off various derivative programs. Pawn Stars was set in Las Vegas so the others businesses happened to be nearby. Had Pawn Stars spawned elsewhere then we’d probably see a cluster of shows in some other town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nGold & Silver Pawn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I enjoy Pawn Stars although I’m not a big fan of it’s name. I don’t think of myself as being Puritanical by nature. Even so, the name feels gratuitous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Premise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"Pawn](\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/14229304729_bb56275aec_b.jpg\")
<\/a>Gold & Silver Pawn: 713 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnyway, the show focused on the daily adventures at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop where people come to pawn or sell their wares. The proprietors examined prospective merchandise and talked about objects in an historical context while assessing dollar values. That, I guess, qualifies it as sufficient “history” for the History Channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It included the usual reality show stereotypes of inter-generational differences, family strife, financial miscalculations, oddball customers and a village idiot character thrown in for comic relief. It seemed to sidestep the whole down-on-their-luck gambler vibe that undoubtedly drives a lot of Vegas pawnshop business. However, look closely and one can catch just a whiff of desperation in the eyes of some of the customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behind the Curtain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A Google Street View image<\/a> will seem familiar to anyone who has watched the show even once because the exterior appears frequently. What surprised me was the long queue of tourists<\/em> waiting outside the shop. Gold & Silver Pawn has apparently become quite an attraction due to the success of the show. Supposedly the pawnshop attracted maybe a hundred visitors per day before the series aired, and thousands per day afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDespite the show’s popularity, one can find a glimpse of the grittier side of Las Vegas through the company it keeps along Las Vegas Boulevard, a sampling of which includes Showgirl Video; Jailbusters Bail Bonds; Graceland Wedding Chapel; Super Bail Bonds; Cupid\u2019s Wedding Chapel; and Nevada Title and Payday Loans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s not intended to disparage any of these perfectly legitimate businesses. I was quite pleased with my Elvis renewal of the vows<\/a> at the Graceland Wedding Chapel a few years ago, for example. Rather, it’s intended to demonstrate that life is a little bit different just a few blocks away from the sparkling casinos on the Strip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRick’s Restorations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"Las](\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/4303\/35102271874_51822ec6e7_b.jpg\")
<\/a>Rick\u2019s Restorations: 1112 S. Commerce St., Las Vegas, NV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRick Dale of Rick’s Restorations appeared regularly on Pawn Stars. So eventually Leftfield Pictures figured he could anchor his own show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
American Restoration<\/a>, known in some markets outside of the United States as Kings of Restoration, debuted in the latter part of 2010. It’s the same basic formula and same guilty pleasure, although a different business model. He restores old metal objects and machines just around the corner from Gold & Silver Pawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRick’s Restorations didn’t seem to achieve the same public visibility of Gold & Silver Pawn, at least not by the time Street View last rolled past it. The business is housed within a light industrial area without any clear signage that I could discern (map<\/a>). I recognized the restaurant supply shop across the street from one of the episodes so I know it had to be within this general vicinity. I’m not convinced that Google Maps recorded the exact<\/em> spot either although it must be somewhere nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCount’s Kustoms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"Las](\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/5318\/14121804846_cd19b0d568_b.jpg\")
<\/a>Count’s Kustoms: 2714 S Highland Dr., Las Vegas, NV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nSimilarly, Count’s Kustoms (map<\/a>) was featured on both shows and served as the inspiration for Counting Cars<\/a> in autumn 2012. The same winning formula applied once again, albeit focused on the restoration and customization of automobiles and motorcycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAll of these shows feed off one another. They rely upon a common set of experts and appraisers who drop-in randomly for supporting cameo roles. The most unlikely recurring character may be Mark Hall-Patton, an administrator and curator for the Clark County Heritage Museum (map<\/a>) and the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum (map<\/a>). Even he seemed perplexed by his popularity<\/a>. You’ll recognize him instantly<\/a> if you’ve watched even a small number of episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTanked<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I did stumble across one more (seemingly unrelated) reality show with a similar formula set in Las Vegas. This one appeared on the Animal Planet channel and it was called Tanked<\/a>. I’m not sure if it had something to do with the success of Pawn Stars or whether it was completely coincidental. Let’s add it as an honorable mention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nNo, I had Vegas on my mind. It probably had something to do with my recent Frank Sinatra article<\/a>. Then I began to wonder, as the shows blended into each other hour-after-hour, whether I could use Google Maps to find their filming locations. While the episodes were largely contrived, the underlying businesses actually existed so they should be easy to locate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cursory research quickly revealed the source of The History Channel cluster, an outfit known as Leftfield Pictures<\/a>. Their most successful series to-date has been Pawn Stars<\/a> which launched in 2009. This served as Leftfield’s platform to spin-off various derivative programs. Pawn Stars was set in Las Vegas so the others businesses happened to be nearby. Had Pawn Stars spawned elsewhere then we’d probably see a cluster of shows in some other town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I enjoy Pawn Stars although I’m not a big fan of it’s name. I don’t think of myself as being Puritanical by nature. Even so, the name feels gratuitous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway, the show focused on the daily adventures at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop where people come to pawn or sell their wares. The proprietors examined prospective merchandise and talked about objects in an historical context while assessing dollar values. That, I guess, qualifies it as sufficient “history” for the History Channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It included the usual reality show stereotypes of inter-generational differences, family strife, financial miscalculations, oddball customers and a village idiot character thrown in for comic relief. It seemed to sidestep the whole down-on-their-luck gambler vibe that undoubtedly drives a lot of Vegas pawnshop business. However, look closely and one can catch just a whiff of desperation in the eyes of some of the customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Google Street View image<\/a> will seem familiar to anyone who has watched the show even once because the exterior appears frequently. What surprised me was the long queue of tourists<\/em> waiting outside the shop. Gold & Silver Pawn has apparently become quite an attraction due to the success of the show. Supposedly the pawnshop attracted maybe a hundred visitors per day before the series aired, and thousands per day afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the show’s popularity, one can find a glimpse of the grittier side of Las Vegas through the company it keeps along Las Vegas Boulevard, a sampling of which includes Showgirl Video; Jailbusters Bail Bonds; Graceland Wedding Chapel; Super Bail Bonds; Cupid\u2019s Wedding Chapel; and Nevada Title and Payday Loans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s not intended to disparage any of these perfectly legitimate businesses. I was quite pleased with my Elvis renewal of the vows<\/a> at the Graceland Wedding Chapel a few years ago, for example. Rather, it’s intended to demonstrate that life is a little bit different just a few blocks away from the sparkling casinos on the Strip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rick Dale of Rick’s Restorations appeared regularly on Pawn Stars. So eventually Leftfield Pictures figured he could anchor his own show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n American Restoration<\/a>, known in some markets outside of the United States as Kings of Restoration, debuted in the latter part of 2010. It’s the same basic formula and same guilty pleasure, although a different business model. He restores old metal objects and machines just around the corner from Gold & Silver Pawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rick’s Restorations didn’t seem to achieve the same public visibility of Gold & Silver Pawn, at least not by the time Street View last rolled past it. The business is housed within a light industrial area without any clear signage that I could discern (map<\/a>). I recognized the restaurant supply shop across the street from one of the episodes so I know it had to be within this general vicinity. I’m not convinced that Google Maps recorded the exact<\/em> spot either although it must be somewhere nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, Count’s Kustoms (map<\/a>) was featured on both shows and served as the inspiration for Counting Cars<\/a> in autumn 2012. The same winning formula applied once again, albeit focused on the restoration and customization of automobiles and motorcycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of these shows feed off one another. They rely upon a common set of experts and appraisers who drop-in randomly for supporting cameo roles. The most unlikely recurring character may be Mark Hall-Patton, an administrator and curator for the Clark County Heritage Museum (map<\/a>) and the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum (map<\/a>). Even he seemed perplexed by his popularity<\/a>. You’ll recognize him instantly<\/a> if you’ve watched even a small number of episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I did stumble across one more (seemingly unrelated) reality show with a similar formula set in Las Vegas. This one appeared on the Animal Planet channel and it was called Tanked<\/a>. I’m not sure if it had something to do with the success of Pawn Stars or whether it was completely coincidental. Let’s add it as an honorable mention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nGold & Silver Pawn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Premise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Behind the Curtain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRick’s Restorations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>
\n\n\n\nCount’s Kustoms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>
\n\n\n\nTanked<\/h2>\n\n\n\n