The Pickup Artist (TV series)

The Pickup Artist is an American reality television dating themed game show that aired on VH1. The show was hosted by pickup artist Mystery (Erik von Markovik) and his wings J-Dog (Justin Marks) and James Matador, with Tara Ferguson replacing J-Dog in season 2. The first season featured eight male contestants that had previously been unsuccessful in love and relationships. Throughout the show the contestants are tutored in the art of the "pickup" as taught by Mystery and his wings. In each episode the men were given challenges that involved picking women up in different situations, such as on a bridge during the day or in a nightclub. As the show progressed the men were instructed to pick up women of varying levels of difficulty, such as in the second to last challenge of the first season where the men had to pick up a stripper, described by Mystery as "the ultimate challenge."'The Pickup Artist' Finale Airs Tonight BuddyTV The winner of the first season was Alvaro "Kosmo" Orlando.

The second season featured nine contestants and aired in October 2008,The Pickup Artist 2: Mystery is Back Crushable with the second season's winner being 27-year-old Simeon Moses.

Seasons SeasonPremiere dateFinale dateWinnerRunner-upLocation1August 6, 2007September 24, 2007Alvaro "Kosmo" OrlandoBrady SprungerAustin, Texas2October 12, 2008November 30, 2008Simeon MosesMatt RadmanovichPhoenix, Arizona

Season One

Contestants

NameAgeStatus/Reason on ShowEliminatedKosmo (Alvaro Orlando)23Freezes up around womenWinnerBrady25Lacking in self-confidence7thJoe D.25The "friend" to girls6thPradeep22Overanalyzes and talks too much5thJoe W.24Starts off strong but often fails fast4thScott26Gets very nervous and stutters around women3rdFred4540-year-old virgin, plus 52ndSpoon (Steven Poon)27Does not know how to approach women1st

Episode progress +Call-out Order#Episode123456781KosmoJoe D.Joe W.KosmoPradeepKosmoBradyKosmo2BradyBradyKosmoJoe D.KosmoBradyKosmoBrady3FredKosmoPradeepJoe W.Joe D.Joe D.Joe D.4Joe D.Joe W.Joe D.BradyBradyPradeep5Joe W.ScottScottPradeepJoe W.6PradeepPradeepBradyScott7ScottFredFred8SpoonSpoon

The contestant won immunity. The contestant was chosen as a wingman and had immunity. The contestant was eliminated. The contestant quit the competition. The contestant won the title of the Pickup Artist. Note 1: Episode 1 had no elimination. Note 2: Alvaro changed his name to Kosmo in Episode 2. Note 3: Contrary to statements made earlier in the episode, no wing men were allowed to be selected in Episode 5. Note 4: Episode 8 was a recap episode.

Season Two

Contestants

NameAgeAlso Known AsStatus/Reason for coming on the showEpisode EliminatedSimeon Moses27The High-Pitched HottieCried when his girlfriend dumped himWinnerMatt Radmanovich26The guy with foot in his mouthFlew across the country and his girlfriend dumped him upon arrivalEpisode 8Greg Fellows26The LonerHas not had a date in 5 yearsEpisode 7Rian Turner28Patron Saint of the OverlookedA virgin who has not even had a girlfriendEpisode 6Brian Ly21The guy who kissed a girlKissed a girlEpisode 5Todd Pabst26The Girl's Best FriendHas had sexEpisode 4Karl Meyer21The Brokenhearted KidHis only girlfriend broke up with him and broke his heartEpisode 3Kevin Feng21Strike-out KingThe only girlfriend he has ever had cheated on himEpisode 2Alex William Shelley22Women think he's gayVirgin, lives with his parentsEpisode 1

Episode Progress +Call-out Order#Episode123456781BrianBrianGregRianSimeonMattSimeonSimeon2GregGregMattBrianMattSimeonMattMatt3KarlToddBrianMattGregGregGreg4KevinRianToddSimeonRianRian5MattMattSimeonGregBrian6RianSimeonRianTodd7SimeonKarlKarl8ToddKevin9Alex

The contestant won immunity. The contestant was chosen as a wingman and had immunity. The contestant was eliminated. The contestant won the title of the Pickup Artist.

Reception The initial viewer ratings were disappointing, debuting with only 673,000 viewers.Levin, Gary (August 14, 2007)."Nielsens: Big bucks, big start for '10'". USA Today. Retrieved on September 13, 2007.'The Pickup Artist' Ripples in Reality BuddyTV Viewer ratings picked up by the season's end, resulting in the series being picked up for a second season.

Critical reception for the series was mixed, with The A.V. Club panning the second season's opening episode.The Pickup Artist 2: If You Don't Go For Tired Openers The A.V. Club

Controversy Controversy began after revelations that some of the contestants' livelihoods were not as they were listed on the VH1 show profiles.A Look Back at the First Season of 'The Pickup Artist,' Plus Kosmo Speaks Out BuddyTV Alvaro "Kosmo" Orlando had been referred to as a game programmer, but he actually had been an aspiring actor for the previous four years - working out of Miami, New York, and Los Angeles."The Pick Up Artist: King Kosmo Konfesses! VH1 Blog" Runner-up contestant Brady Sprunger was characterized as a shy photographer, but he had been working for a modeling agency, the Los Angeles-based Action Agency, for five full years prior to the show's taping.

The Pickup Artist (TV series)

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