Sean Tanney got picked.

A couple of years ago, the Sanger resident was told by his now ex-wife that he had too much junk and needed to get rid of some of it. The life-long collector realized that the items he had stored in a warehouse were what the hosts of the History Channel series "American Pickers" like to buy.

He contacted the show and in October, pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz showed up to make some deals. The deals Tanney made will be featured in the episode that airs at 9 p.m. Monday on the History Channel.

"The crew got to my house early in the morning and Mike and Frank got there at about 1 (p.m.). They were in my warehouse until almost 9 (p.m.)," Tanney says. "I had sent them 130 pictures of some of the stuff I had and they were interested in that and some other items."

Wolfe and Fritz travel the country going through piles of junk, climbing through buildings packed to the rafters and even making their way through barns and sheds that appear one stiff wind away from destruction just to find hidden gems. Their focus is anything related to cars and motorcycles, but they won't hesitate to pick up anything that reflects American history.

What caught the eye of the pickers when they were in Sanger were some motorcycles and children's rides. Tanney priced everything higher than he expected to get for the items so he had room to negotiate.

You'll have to watch to see whether they were able to come to an agreement.

Reality show stars

The California Department of Education reports the San Joaquin Valley has the highest teen birth rates of any region in the state: 69 of every 1,000 females ages 15-19 have become pregnant.

Tyler Baltierra and Catelynn Lowell, whose story unfolded on the MTV series "Teen Mom," will speak at 7 p.m. March 2 at the Fresno State Satellite Student Union. They were only 16 when Lowell got pregnant.

The couple, who plan to be married in the summer, will discuss how the decision to place their daughter into an adoptive family affected their lives. They have spent the last four years speaking at high schools, colleges and universities about teenage pregnancy and promoting adoption.

General admission tickets for "Adoption: Up Close & Personal with Catelynn & Tyler" are $10; students pay $5. The Infant of Prague Adoption Services will host a VIP event.

For information, call (559) 447-3333.

You can be a star

Two reality music competition programs -- "Quiero Ser Grupero" and "The X Factor" -- are looking for talent for their upcoming seasons.

Producers of the Azteca America program "Quiero Ser Grupero" are seeking Regional Mexican soloists and groups for the show's second season. The winner will take home the grand prize that includes a recording contract with Azteca Music.

The closest audition is March 9 in Los Angeles. If you are interested in more information or trying out for the show, send an email to gciurluini@aztecaamerica.com or call (818) 247-0400, extension 2055. Registration is open now.

Auditions for the third season of the FOX series "The X Factor" start March 6 at the University of Southern California's Galen Center, 3400 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles.

If you decide to go to that tryout, wristbands must be obtained from the venue the day before auditions. If you can't make the drive to Los Angeles, online auditions will continue until 11:59 p.m. June 15 at TheXFactorUSA.com.

The show is looking for solo artists and vocal groups. All of the contestants must be at least 12 years old, legal U.S. citizens or eligible to work in the U.S. and do not currently have a music recording contract.

Tate Stevens won last season's competition and picked up a $5 million recording contract.

Other news

Helping hand: The Winter Pledge Drive is in full swing at KFCF (FM 88.1), Fresno's Pacifica Radio station. That means it's time to renew your pledge to the local radio stations or become a new subscriber. As part of the special programming for the pledge drive, the station will play only music from the Grateful Dead all day Feb. 23.

To make a donation, call (800) 439-5732 or go to http://www.kfcf.org/

Helping hand, part 2: Univision Radio Fresno -- KLLE (FM 107.9), KOND (FM 92.1) and KRDA (FM 107.5) raised $81,220 during its "St. Jude Promesa y Esperanza" radio event Feb. 7-8.

"For more than 50 years, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has been a beacon of hope for thousands of sick children around the world," says Randy Falco, president and CEO of Univision Communications Inc. "For us at Univision we are proud to partner with St. Jude and continue to support their pioneering research and innovative treatments to save the lives of children."