One of the most successful TV shows right now is American Pickers. It has been on the air for almost 10 years now and helped the History Channel receive some of its highest ratings. The show basically focuses on two guys, going around the country picking antiques. They go through attics, basements, garages and even storage sheds to find anything from that past.
However, in addition to Mike and Frank, there is one person on the show who is a fan favorite. Viewers fell in love with Danielle Colby, the talented and creative store manager. The Iowa girl is filled with spunk, confidence, and an incredible assortment of tattoos. Still, it’s her sense of humor and positive attitude that draws people towards her. But who is she? Where is she from? And how did she get the coolest job ever? Here’s everything you need to know about Danielle Colby.
American Pickers
American Pickers is a show that practically took over the world recently. It follows Mike and Frank, two guys traveling the country looking for cool historical items in old junkyards.
Danielle Colby is the female force behind all of the sales. She finds everything and sets them up. Colby has a story way more interesting than any of the items she has ever picked.
Iowa Girl
Danielle Colby grew up in Davenport in a Midwestern town in Iowa. The town is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. Moline, Illinois is right across the river, and Chicago is just a short drive away.
The closeness to her country roots in that city had a huge influence on her life. It was an escape for her and it exposed her to an alternative subculture.
Managing the shop
Danielle Colby is the manager of the antique archaeology which proved a huge responsibility. She usually takes care of everything including business plans. She also gives the guys a budget on how much they can spend while they are out on the road.
In addition, Danielle is also in charge of choosing the items with antique collectors all over the country. She then finds a buyer to sell the items too. It’s not an easy task, but she’s doing a great job.
Danielle and Mike’s Relationship
So, of course, everyone wants to know if there is anything romantic going on between Danielle and Mike. They are always together and seem to be VERY friendly with one another. However, the pair are only best friends.
Mike is more like a brother to Danielle at this point. They have known each other for over 20 years. When you know someone for that long, I guess you grow that kind of ‘sibling’ bond.
Her Actual Husband
Although she was never romantically involved with Mike, Danielle did have a string of her own relationships. She used to be married to Alexandre de Mayer, a French designer. Unfortunately, the two split shortly after the wedding.
She then married a man named Robert Strong, and the couple had two beautiful children together. Sadly, her fame caused too much pressure on their lives together, ultimately destroying their marriage.
Two Adorable Kids
Colby has two adorable children, a boy and a girl. She had them in the mid to late 2000s with her husband at the time, Robert. Apparently, Colby is a big kid-fan and regularly takes pictures with kids who look up to her.
She is a firm believer in trying to instill confidence and self-worth into her own two children. However, she hopes to instill self-pride in all her younger fans from all over the world.
The Body is a Canvas
You know what they say, ‘the body is a canvas.’ This is definitely true when it comes to Danielle. She obviously loves getting tattoos and currently has over 30!
However, every single one of her tattoos represents something special to her: a place, a moment, or even a person. Danielle has two favorite tattoos. They are the ones her kids got to draw for her on her hands.
Highly Successful show
It turns out that America Pickers is one of the most-watched shows in America. It’s been breaking records all over the place. For some reason, people just seem to connect to Mike and Frank.
Is it their Midwestern manners? Maybe their incredible chemistry? I personally think it has something to do with the cool office manager, Danielle.
Punk Rocker at Heart
Danielle is really into punk. She loves the lifestyle and also the music. She said that the Irish band, The Pogues, is what really got her into that genre. She’s been hooked ever since she heard them.
Danielle mentioned she loved a few bands such as The Flaming Lips, The Dead Kennedys, and Against Me. She actually wore their t-shirts in one of the episodes.
Strange Love for Bugs
Danielle Colby is an entomologist and entomophile. What does that even mean? It means that strangely, Colby really loves bugs and learning all there is to know about them.
Most women like to live their lives completely free of bugs and all crawling insects. Colby has a strange inclination toward them and is interested in how they help balance out the ecosystem. She loves them so much that she even has a tattoo of a fly on her arm.
Roller Derby
Danielle Colby has done a lot of adventurous things in her life. One of the most daring was being part of roller derby. Danielle loves the idea of women’s strength in a female sport, so she decided to form a team with a bunch of other Irish women.
They named their team the Big Mouth Mickies and played competitively for three years. Unfortunately, Danielle suffered an injury and was forced to stop competing.
Burlesque
One day, while Danielle Colby was living with her family in Chicago, she decided to go check out a comedy show with Margaret Cho. In the show, there was a burlesque dancer named “Satan’s Angel.”
Danielle instantly fell in love with the classy art of burlesque and wanted to learn how to do it herself. She was quickly captivated by the art and quickly advanced.
Le Mustache
Danielle has an idea of creating a burlesque show and decided to run with it. She got a bunch of her friends and family together. Once she got her sister involves, she assembled everyone else.
Danielle mostly picked the girls from roller derby; the ones on her team as well as another team, The Quad City Roller. Together their burlesque squad was formed, calling themselves Le Mustache.
The “Modest” One
It was a little bit difficult for Danielle to get girls to join her burlesque group. The main issue was that many women felt very uncomfortable showing off so much of their bodies.
When her sister first joined, she said that she wanted to be the “modest one” and not show off her whole body. Eventually, all the women in the group wanted to be the “modest one.” Danielle decided that during practice, she was going to get everyone comfortable with their bodies. That way, no one would be the “modest one.”
SG Magazine
People wonder why Danielle hasn’t posed for a very popular magazine that features the proud punk woman with little to no clothes. When asked about this, this was her answer…
She simply explained how the magazine’s focus is showcasing girls in their 20s with perfect and tiny bodies. Colby said since she is over thirty with two children, she may not be suitable. Eventually, Colby did pose for the magazine and looked incredible!
Burlesque is Freedom
Danielle said that her connection to burlesque came from the sense of freedom associated with it. She expressed that since her first burlesque show, she felt like she is capable of anything.
She felt like her size didn’t matter, and neither did the fact that she had two children. She just felt very comfortable in her own skin on stage, and that’s what made her put on a good show.
A.K.A. Danny Diesel
When Danielle performs, she does so by the name of Danny Diesel. It’s a stage name and a nickname that she got when she was just three years old from one of her dad’s friends.
Eventually, Danny Diesel became her alter ego and her on-stage persona. What’s interesting is that Danielle says she feels a closer connection to this alter ego than to herself. She feels free through Danny while she’s dancing.
They Go Way Back
Danielle and Mike Wolfe have known each other way before American Pickers. The two of them actually met when they were both living in Iowa, about 20 years ago!
Danielle explained that Mike helped her with multiple projects over the years, even when people thought she might be too wacky to work. Mike stayed by her side and always believed in her. Of course, that’s finally paying off now.
Managing the Store
Mike Wolfe has been picking garages and attics for a while. He did it for at least two decades before History Channel finally offered him his own show.
That when Mike asked Danielle to manage the antique store and be on TV. Danielle said yes, with no hesitation. She already knew Mike and felt very comfortable working with him.
How it Started
Before starring in his own TV show, Mike was kind of a YouTube sensation. He went around the Midwest to pick people’s basements, attics and garages while someone was filming him.
The videos were sent to multiple television stations before the History Channel decided to pick it up. The channel enjoyed the items, but more than that, they loved the way he interacted with people.
Her Problem With the Show
Back when she was starting off, Danielle was asked in an interview if there was something she didn’t like about how the show was made. She said that she wishes the show would show Mike more and how he gets to know all the people he is picking from.
Colby explains that the reason Mike is so good at what he does is because of his high interpersonal skills. She said he is such a people person and wishes that the show could capture that more.
The New Boyfriend
If you follow Danielle on Instagram or Twitter, you might notice that a new man has been popping up in her pictures for the past year or so. They seem to go just about everywhere together, but who is this mystery guy?
The man’s name is Jeremy Scheuch. The two are a couple and have been dating for a while now. The two have been going to Puerto Rico a lot, bringing 10 suitcases of medical supplies to Puerto Rico every time.
Moving On Up
Danielle Colby decided to leave Chicago and move her family back to Iowa. She made this decision when her father was sadly diagnosed with leukemia and wanted to be closer to him.
She knew she had to pay for his medical bills but didn’t want to do it working at a random unfulfilling job. Instead, she followed her passion and opened up a store selling antique art. She later opened up shop in another location at Wicker Park, Chicago.
Documentary Producer
As a television star, Danielle got used to being followed by cameras. She’s only been doing it for ten years. This could be the reason she wasn’t afraid to create her own documentary and base it on Tempest Storm, a burlesque dancer and one of Danielle’s personal heroes.
Colby expressed how drawn she was to Storm. She spread beauty, kindness, and strength. No matter what size or age, Storm was always able to uphold her self-worth and confidence.
The Taxman is After Her
With her many streams of income, Danielle Colby needs to pay a lot in taxes. Unfortunately, Danielle seemed to have forgotten for some reason. She hasn’t paid taxes for several years now.
Colby reportedly has gotten multiple letters from the IRS demanding that she pay her taxes. The first one was for $6,000 but, apparently, she owes tens of thousands of dollars in taxes.
Her Net Worth
Since selling makeup in Chicago, it seems Danielle Colby has come quite a long way. She made most of her money from American Pickers of course, but Danielle is currently worth $1.5 million!
Being a manager of antique archaeology on a successful show definitely brings in money. However, Colby also makes money through her burlesque shows in addition to her two stores in Iowa and Chicago.
A Fan Favorite
Some people would say that the viewer’s interest in American Pickers isn’t necessarily from the items that get picked. It’s not even from how hilarious Mike and Frank are!
It turns out that a very high percentage of guys watch the show because they get to see Danielle. This is understandable. She’s beautiful and has a strong way of carrying herself. She’s been rated as a fan favorite numerous times.
Clothing lines
What you may not know about Danielle is that she has two clothing lines that she is very proud of. She takes vintage and antique items and likes to incorporate them into clothes.
Mike very much encouraged her to make the clothing line. The two had a conversation where Danielle was feeling upset. Mike explained to her that she is a creative person and won’t feel happy or fulfilled unless she is making something. Danielle took his advice, and her clothes are selling really well!
Her Own Show?
Danielle Colby was asked recently in an interview with Miami News-Times if she would be interested in having her own spinoff show. She said her first priority is Mike since her success came because of him giving her the manager job.
She went on to explain that her job won’t last forever and neither will the show. At that point, she does wish that the History Channel or even a different TV station gives her her own program.
A Rocky Start
It’s clear that Danielle Colby is a big part of American Pickers. However, things weren’t so great at first. When the History Channel first showed up to shoot the show, they didn’t want to film Colby at all because she wasn’t on the original contract that was signed.
The film crew had no idea who she was or what she was even doing there. Fortunately, Mike was able to use his people skills, and after he spoke to the producers, they changed their minds.
A Book Lover
Danielle is passionate about a lot of things. She loves antiques, fashion, and burlesque. In addition to all that, Danielle loves to read. She is interested in learning from books and is mostly interested in books that focus on women’s studies.
Danielle admitted in an interview that she would much rather read than spending time with people. She can finish an entire book in just a few hours. Sitting down and reading a book is one of Colby’s favorite things to do.
Dreams Do Come True
Danielle Colby is an icon to many American Picker fans. However, Danielle still has her own role models and heroes. She finally got to meet one of them in 2014 when Dolly Parton asked American Pickers to help her find items for a new theme park ride.
When it was time for the team to deliver the items, Danielle wanted to make the trip to Tennessee. She was so excited that she got to personally bring the items to Dolly and was thrilled when she got to meet her icon.
Conservative Upbringing
Danielle gives off a very free-spirited persona. However, she wasn’t raised that way. Colby’s parents are Jehovah’s Witnesses, and she grew up in a very conservative home.
Her parents didn’t approve of their daughter’s tattoos and burlesque dancing. Clearly, Danielle is too driven and passionate, so nothing was going to deter her. Unfortunately, her relationship with her parents is now strained.
Dog Lover
Danielle is a huge Animal lover! She particularly loves dogs. In 2013, she adopted her dog Vida from a shelter in Chicago. She is very active in different organizations that help abandoned dogs.
Also, Colby is a strong advocate and is constantly trying to raise awareness about the misunderstood treatment of certain dog breeds, such as Pitbulls.
Strong Instincts
One of the many reasons Colby is such a great addition to American Pickers is because of her incredible instincts when it comes to leads. She sends Mike and Frank to locations where they have the best finds.
In 2010, Danielle heard about an old amusement park that had unwanted items stored in a warehouse. She sent Mike and Frank there, and they found sideshow banners that they bought for $700. They soon found out these banners were worth $5,000 each!
Words of Wisdom
Danielle is a kind, intelligent woman. People ask for her advice on all kinds of different things. She stated that her best piece of advice is “When in doubt, love.” I couldn’t agree more.
She went on to explain how people shouldn’t get carried away with their differences. More often than not, people get caught up in the idea that they are right and the other person is wrong. “If you think about it, there’s very little right and wrong in the world.”
Stop, Drop and Roll
In most interviews, Danielle gets asked the same boring questions with some predictable answers, but once in a while, a reporter can come up with a really good one. An interviewer once asked her what item everyone would grab if Antique Archaeology caught on fire.
Her answer was pretty funny. “Mike would grab the 1911 Indian motorcycle he keeps it in his office, Frankie would grab the cash register, and I would grab Mike,” Danielle said. I guess this makes sense if you look at their stance.
Tattoos With Meaning
As we mentioned, all of Danielle’s tattoos represent something important such as the ultimate truths of life. This includes deep topics such as life and death. She’s said to interviewers that her tattoos “are about death and love and people I’ve lost.”
She expressed how she uses her body as a memorial to all her loved ones. Dead or alive. She likes being able to carry memories and people with her wherever she goes. That’s what her tattoos are all about.
Her Favorite Picks
Mike and Frank have shown their interests in American Pickers when it comes to picking, such as motorcycles. Danielle would rather find vintage stage costumes, and she is very serious about them.
She has a collection of pieces and some that date all the way back to the 1800s. She has a very rare Lillie Langtry costume from the 1890s. She also has a banana skirt that used to belong to Josephine Baker.