Has Reality TV Gone Too Far? Spike TV’s American Diggers Angers the Archaeological Community

By Ariel Greenberg

Living up to its moniker, Spike TV's new show American Digger has indeed 'spiked' quite the controversy. Set to air in March, the show, which resembles the National Geographic Channel's Diggers, features former pro-wrestler Ric Savage as host and his team digging up "target-rich" historic battlefields and archaeological sites in search of archaeological relics to sell for profit.

The show has caused an outcry from scholars, historians, curators, and archaeologists nation-wide, who have expressed their frustration by circulating a petition called "Looting Our Collective Past." The petition, which has gained 11,000 signatures, articulates the concerns of the archaeological and historical communities: that the show glorifies looting of historical sites and that irreplaceable historical information be lost forever as a result of the show's haphazard excavation tactics.

Many members of the archaeological and historical community have spoken out publicly. Jack Gary, director of Archaeology and Landscapes at Poplar Forest, expressed his concern, pointing out that archaeological recovery of artifacts is "painstaking, careful work." Gary further explains that "a lot of information is lost, not only in the removal of these objects, but also in the techniques used by these groups." For example, the "diggers" use metal detectors to search for buried metal objects, such as bullets, canon balls, buttons, and buckles. This clumsy and destructive practice often produces many holes, disturbing provenance and crucial archaeological data. Further, Iowa's state archaeologist John Doershuk posted to American Cultural Resource Association's listserve, lamenting that "the most damaging thing about this show is that no effort was made to document where anything came from or discussion of associations--each item was handled piece-meal."