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 and his wings J-Dog 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 winner of the first season was Alvaro "Kosmo" Orlando.
The second season featured nine contestants and aired in October 2008, with the second season's winner being 27-year-old Simeon Moses.
Seasons
Season One
Contestants
| Name | Age | Status/Reason on Show | Eliminated |
| Kosmo | 23 | Freezes up around women | Winner |
| Brady | 25 | Lacking in self-confidence | 7th |
| Joe D. | 25 | The "friend" to girls | 6th |
| Pradeep | 22 | Overanalyzes and talks too much | 5th |
| Joe W. | 24 | Starts off strong but often fails fast | 4th |
| Scott | 26 | Gets very nervous and stutters around women | 3rd |
| Fred | 45 | 40-year-old virgin, plus 5 | 2nd |
| Spoon | 27 | Does not know how to approach women | 1st |
Episode progress
- 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
| Name | Age | Also Known As | Status/Reason for coming on the show | Episode Eliminated |
| Simeon Moses | 27 | The High-Pitched Hottie | Cried when his girlfriend dumped him | Winner |
| Matt Radmanovich | 26 | The guy with foot in his mouth | Flew across the country and his girlfriend dumped him upon arrival | Episode 8 |
| Greg Fellows | 26 | The Loner | Has not had a date in 5 years | Episode 7 |
| Rian Turner | 28 | Patron Saint of the Overlooked | A virgin who has not even had a girlfriend | Episode 6 |
| Brian Ly | 21 | The guy who kissed a girl | Kissed a girl | Episode 5 |
| Todd Pabst | 26 | The Girl's Best Friend | Has had sex | Episode 4 |
| Karl Meyer | 21 | The Brokenhearted Kid | His only girlfriend broke up with him and broke his heart | Episode 3 |
| Kevin Feng | 21 | Strike-out King | The only girlfriend he has ever had cheated on him | Episode 2 |
| Alex William Shelley | 22 | Women think he's gay | Virgin, lives with his parents | Episode 1 |
Episode Progress
Reception
The initial viewer ratings were disappointing, debuting with only 673,000 viewers. 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.