Scotty's Guilty Pleasures - History Channel Edition

Written by Scott Edwards

Say what you want about cable programming, but I cannot get enough of one particular channel that always provides us with some of the best shows out there, The History Channel.  I am a sucker for a ton of the programs that it brings to the table and since I love hearing the history behind things, it is the prefect channel for me to watch. Not catering to only one type of program, I have found over the years that whenever there is nothing better on, I am always able to find something great playing on History and before I know it, I have been watching for a better part of the day and have no regrets about it at all.

Ancient Aliens – I was beside myself when earlier in the year H2 was taken away from my available channel list.  And as far as I could tell, everyone else was as well because that meant that we could not see the history of the world being changed by Alien influence. Thank goodness The History Channel brought this show back because there was going to be a massive uprising of angry fans who were going to do something bad if they could not get their alien fix once a week. I love how this show delves into many different aspects of history and how an alien influence changed the world. While I do believe that there is something or someone out there, do I think that that the aliens are directly involved in our history? After watching the evidence that is presented on this show, I would have to answer yes.  Also, when you watch this show, you also have to take a moment and appreciate Giorgio A. Tsoukalos’ hair, it is epic.

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Pawn Stars – I never thought I would be captivated by a show that takes place in a pawn shop, but this one has done just that to me. With the great family dynamic of Rick, Corey, Chumlee and the Old Man, it seems like a venture that I might want to get in on. Learning all kinds of historical things about antiques that find their way into the shop like launch keys to old pedal cars, you never know what is going to walk through that door. Being in Vegas seems to add a little bit something extra to the experience, since there are plenty of gamblers out there that can fall on hard times and need to move something quickly to pay the rent. It is just a fun and informative show that not only gives you a great history lesson, prices of goods that you could hang above your mantel, but it also shows you how bald people are treated on a daily basis.

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American Pickers – One profession that I never thought would be fun is the one called 'picking'. I had never seen the appeal of doing something like this, until Mike and Frank took center stage and were able to bring rusty gold back to life. With some of the amazing things that they are able to find in old barns, buildings and so on, it makes we want to open up my wallet and try to do some of these things as well. While I am not a huge antique person, I am sure that I would be able to find something out of the ordinary that would look great hanging up somewhere around the house. Besides buying and selling some great pieces, you get a great history lesson to go along with them and sometimes they find something that blows your mind. 

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Counting Cars – I have never been a huge car guy, but when you see Danny and his team transform a piece of junk into a work of art, well I might need to find an awesome job to try and buy one of their creations. With so much of our history revolving around transportation in this country, it is amazing to see just how much cars have changed over the years. This show gives you different history behind what was happening between the years and why different brands did their things, not only for the money, but for the innovation. Then with the slick paint jobs that come out of Count’s Kustoms, you would never believe that the cars or bikes that have been released were a day older than the day you saw it. 

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The Curse of Oak Island – I don’t know what it is about treasure type shows, but they are just so much fun to watch and The Curse of Oak Island meets that criteria. It must be the whole 'discovery of the unknown' that pulls me in, but I will have to get back with you on that, because...something has to be discovered. Brothers Rick and Marty Lagina have spent a lifetime in pursuit of this crazy treasure that has been a part of folklore on Oak Island for over two hundred years and they will not stop until they are able to bring it to the surface. With different clues left all over the island, it seems like you just need to know what to look for and they will lead you in one direction or another. The Money Pit has fascinated me since the start of the show and it looks like they might actually be able to make it to the bottom and see what secrets have been hidden there for generations. But the thing that really keeps me glued to the screen for this series is all of the secrets about the island that are being revealed, and while I hope that there is a treasure, I also want to know who was behind all of the secrets as it seems like there are several different groups in history that used this island for their own purposes. 

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Hunting Hitler – While I am not a huge WWII buff, my father is and it is has been pounded into my head that Hitler may not have been killed in a bunker at the end of the war. It's a theory that has been shared by many over the years and this show is trying to find out where the führer may have actually escaped to. It is very interesting to see the locations that the research group has found over the past season and, it does seem plausible that Hitler may have had a life after the war. The thing that I find fascinating about the search that this group is conducting, is that some of the places that they check out are secured from the public and while that could just be a coincidence, it just adds credence to the theory that someone of importance was there, or may still be there. I really want them to try and find an old Nazi base in Antarctica, I have not seen that on the show yet, but everybody knows that there was more than one down there and if Hitler never wanted to be found, a snow base would have been the perfect spot.
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So there you have it, several shows that I cannot seem to pull myself away from, and they are all on one network. Which surprises me, mainly because I do not like to watch normal television these days since there are way too many commercials to interrupt my viewing experience. I know there are more great shows, even scripted ones that The History Channel is making a run with like Vikings, which I hear good things about, but it will be a while before I get to that one, since I still love the history aspect of these shows and usually feel like I am learning something while watching them, even the repeats. 

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