WAS THE NEWSLETTER #121

I’m Paige Wassel. WAS the Newsletter is your weekly dose of design inspiration, where we’re actually not distracted by shiny objects.

ON THE HUNT

This Antiques Roadshow On the Hunt post has been in the works for a year, so I’m psyched to finally let you all in on it!

First, if you’ve somehow missed the premise of Antiques Roadshow proper, it’s basically people bringing in random stuff (when the roadshow crew pops up in their city/town) they’ve inherited for an appraisal. Items that have been floating around the family house for years, although occasionally, it’s something they thrifted. The point is, the piece has either been totally forgotten about, or they recall it because their nana used to use it to prop open a door. They bring that piece, set it on that blue tablecloth, and an expert calmly tells them whether this random thing is just a precious family memory… or priceless.

When they do have something? You get to be a TV star!!! lol

When a fully normal person sits down thinking they’ve got a $200 trinket and leaves finding out it’s worth $20,000, it is FUN. The moment when their brain short-circuits in real time and they get weak in the knees… just funnnnnnnn stuff to watch.

The show is just this very pure, slightly chaotic mix of history and luck. I live for when something from someone’s attic quietly changes their lives, like the guy who brought in the hundred-dollar Navajo Ute blanket that was worth $1.5M. (I’m not sure his dog had slept on it, but I feel like it was implied.) Antiques Roadshow hits you in the feels like the Great British Baking Show, which is why we all love it.

So when they asked me to me on their On the Hunt thrifting spin-off show?

Immediate yes.

Broadcast, Baby

I’ve only ever really seen myself on YouTube, which is a very specific kind of ego experience. I control the edit, the pacing, the lighting, the styling, the narrative, etc. If something’s off, I just… don’t include it. When Antiques Roadshow metaphorically slid into my DMs, it felt like a completely different universe, one where I wasn’t in charge. It was equal parts terrifying and thrilling.

From YouTube to Cable TV

The concept was simple: AR would pair me with one of their actual appraisers (who are low-key celebrities if you’re in this world) and send us out antiquing. The twist? My expert, Katherine van Dell, specializes in jewelry.

I actually do love thrifting jewelry. A lot of my earrings are from Etsy. But I know absolutely nothing about it, and that is evident by the way some of my pieces tarnish or turn my skin purple.

To be fair, they nailed the premise. Even when they pitched it, they were all, “You’ll probably get distracted by home decor,” and I was like, “Correct, that is exactly what’s gonna happen.”

Jewelry Was the Assignment. Furniture Was the Reality.

We filmed in Traverse City, Michigan, last summer. We bounced between a few different vintage stores with a full crew, which already felt surreal. Normally it’s just me and a camera, and maybe a friend who is there with some matcha and moral support.

Listen, I did actually try. Every time I saw jewelry, I’d ask my expert questions. I learned about cameos (those tiny carved faces that are maybbeeeee haunted), costume jewelry, and what’s valuable versus what just looks expensive. I was fascinated in a way I didn’t expect.

And yet… there were tables. And chairs. And lamps.

Suddenly I was fully back in my natural habitat, completely ignoring the assignment.

Did I find jewelry? No. Did I find a table? Obviously.

I feel like you all probably saw that coming. I did pick up a small pair of earrings for my sister, which feels like the bare minimum to justify the premise, but otherwise, I stayed very on-brand.

I really do ❤️ Antiques Roadshow

One of the coolest parts was getting to see how the actual show is filmed because it was filming at the same time as On the Hunt. My dad and I got VIP access (casual), and it’s honestly wild. People line up with their objects, hoping they’ve brought in something valuable. You go through rounds which entail initial checks, then deeper evaluations. If you make it through, the rounds, you end up on camera. I don’t have any actual antiques, meaning something 100+ years, so I brought a ring because they told me to. The appraiser basically laughed and was like, “Um, yeah, this is worth $100.”

Humbling, but on brand.

A Family Affair, Naturally

I don’t know why I didn’t anticipate this turning into a full family situation, but it did. My sister came on as a producer. I asked if she could help shoot behind-the-scenes, and she was in. My parents came up to Traverse City too, and we all hung out, went to dinner, did the whole bonding thing. At one point, they even accidentally wandered into our filming and technically made (non-haunted) cameo appearances that didn’t make the final cut but did make it into my behind the scenes video — coming soon!

The vibe of it all felt collaborative in a way I don’t always get with solo content. It was a smaller team with really thoughtful production and people who genuinely love what they do. My experience could not have been more positive, even if my ring had been worth a cool million. (Well. maybe…)

The Medium Is the Message

Let me be clear—I love YouTube. I’m not leaving YouTube. But there’s something about stepping into a format that’s been around forever, that people trust, that has this built-in history. It hits differently. Where someone sets me up with a good mic and the viewers get actual good audio……………..

This experience made me realize I’d absolutely do more of this. What does that look like? IDK. A series, more collaborations, something that lives outside of just my own channel. Again, not because YouTube isn’t enough, but because it’s interesting to see what happens when I’m not the only one steering the ship.

Also, I got to spend a day antiquing with an expert, learning things I didn’t know, buying a table I definitely didn’t need, and bringing a passel of Wassels along for the ride.

I LOVED IT!!!!!

Thanks again AR and stay tuned for the behind the scenes footage coming out on my channel soon ❤️ 

DO / DON’T by Basma Alromaih

xx,
P