‘Collector’s Call’ Season 5: MeTV’s Popular Series Returns With 26 New Episodes
MeTV‘s original series Collector’s Call is returning for Season 5 beginning Sunday, April 7, 2024.
The new season will feature 26 episodes, including the show’s milestone 100th episode airing in August.
Collector’s Call follows host Lisa Whelchel (The Facts of Life) as she explores the rarely seen private collections of the nation’s biggest collectors of pop culture and nostalgia memorabilia. She also enlists the help of professional appraisers and experts to value what the prized collectibles are worth. These experts then try to tempt the collectors with a trade, offering a coveted item that could be the perfect addition to their collections. The collectors then face an agonizing choice of whether or not to make the trade and part with a beloved item.
Courtesy MeTV
In Season 5, Whelchel hits the road to meet with a new crop of world-class collectors, giving viewers an inside look at astonishing collections that range from from the precious to the priceless, and celebrate people and things like “Weird Al” Yankovic, Star Wars, Pearl Jam, Bozo the Clown, Survivor and more.
“I feel so fortunate to travel across the country and meet collectors with fascinating stories and a true passion for their incredible collections, which often trace back to childhood and a cherished memory,” said Whelchel in a release. “There are many collections still out there to explore, and we are excited to continue the hunt with this brand-new fifth season on MeTV!”
Season 5 of Collector’s Call begins with the following collections featured in the April episodes (all times Eastern):
Sunday, April 7, 2024, at 6:30pm: “Meet Stewart Berkowitz — TV Props/Costumes” (New Jersey)
The season kicks off on April 7 with a tour of Stewart Berkowitz’s incredible TV props and costumes collection, one of the largest of its kind to be in private hands, spanning fabulous screen-used TV costumes, props and vehicles from the ’60’s and ’70s.
There’s Barney Fife’s costume from The Andy Griffith Show, both William Shatner’s Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy’s Spock costumes from Star Trek, Batman hero and villain costumes from the 1960s series, and more.
Joining Lisa and Stewart is expert Marcia Tysseling, who has spent years honing her expertise in the world of memorabilia and will help value Stewart’s amazing museum-like collection. Plus, Marcia brings an item she knows Stewart will lose his mind over — but will her ask hit below the belt?
This episode marks the second time Berkowitz has appeared on Collector’s Call. He told us that he thinks the biggest part of this episode will be an entire onstage set from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, described by MeTV as having been Berkowitz’s “Holy Grail.”
“This was acquired from Johnny Carson himself by another collector who then made it available to me,” Berkowitz explained in a recent interview.
“[For this episode,] we took as much of the set as we could out of our warehouse to set it up for the filming. So we have the desk, the couches, the curtains.”
Courtesy MeTV
Marcia Tysseling, Lisa Whelchel and Stewart Berkowitz on the original set of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, part of Berkowitz’s collection
Sunday, April 14, 2024, at 6:30pm: “Meet Shawn & Gina Sheridan — Horror & Sci-fi Toys” (Los Angeles)
“Monster Party” podcaster Shawn Sheridan is into horror; his wife, Gina, is all about sci-fi. Together they’ve made their pop-culture passion a cornerstone of their marriage, as this episode shows when Lisa joins them in the room where they’ve dedicated to their shared collection of action figures, memorabilia and more.
Shawn and Gina display such treasures as Galaxy Quest glasses made exclusively for the cult TV-show-within-a-movie’s crew; a production-made Jason mask from Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives; and Twiki the robot from TV’s Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (who actually talks — and shares a few choice words).
Lisa brings along toy collector and toy creator Gavin Hignight, who will put a value on Shawn and Gina’s entire collection. But things really get wild when Gavin calls in Collector’s Call all-stars (and Shawn’s co-podcasters) Matt Weinhold and Larry Strothe for the show’s very first double trade scene.
Courtesy MeTV
(L-R): Gavin Hignight, Lisa Whelchel, and Shawn and Gina Sheridan pose with Buck Rogers robot Twiki, part of the Sheridans’ collection
Sunday, April 21, 2024, at 6:30pm: “Meet Kenneth Guinup — ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic” (Seattle)
Kenneth Guinup’s love for “Weird Al” Yankovic goes back to his childhood – when Al’s response to his fan letter helped Kenneth through a difficult time. Now Kenneth isn’t just a lifelong fan — he’s a collector who has assembled a wild and wonderful range of “Weird Al” artifacts, collectibles and one-of-a-kind treasures, including Al’s very first EP, an exclusive jacket given only to the musician’s video team and a screen-used guitar signed by the entire band.
For the episode, Lisa brings along Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, who, in addition to being Al’s drummer, is also the band’s archivist. Jon will place a value on Kenneth’s entire collection, and then try to tempt him into a trade for not one … not two … but several irresistible inside-the-band items.
And, in a special surprise for Kenneth, “Weird Al” himself beams in for a shout-out — and to pass along a very special, very personal gift.
Courtesy MeTV
Sunday, April 28, at 6:30pm: “Meet Telina Cuppari — Pizza” (Kenilworth, New Jersey)
You might be hard-pressed to find anyone who loves pizza more than Telina Cuppari — not necessarily eating it, but collecting pizza-related items. Telina found her passion when she was traveling around the world and noticed how everyone, everywhere, can get behind pizza. In this episode, the Guinness World Record holder shows off for some of her most offbeat (and, some might say, “cheesiest”) pizza items. like her pizza swag chain, a pizza box from a cult classic movie and even a pizza dress that was designed especially for her.
Joining the show in this episode is John Ragusa, who, as a vintage toy collector and owner of the Imperial Castle Toy Shop in New York’s Hudson Valley, is best known for his toy expertise. But he also has an Italian heritage and loves pizza. After evaluating Telina’s collection, John will present her with an incredibly-hard-to-top trade offer.
Courtesy MeTV
Telina Cuppari models her pizza dress amid other things in her collection of pizza-related items
Collector’s Call Season 5 airs on MeTV Sundays at 6:30pm ET beginning April 7, 2024.
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