Is Mike Rowe The New Billy Mays? [VIDEOS]

Until I saw Mike Rowe on a Ford Truck commercial, I had never seen the man.  Until he said his name on a Jeans commercial, I didn't know who he was.  Until I saw him on a paper towel commercial, I wondered why in the world does he endorse EVERYTHING?

I must be one of the few people in the world that has never watched "Dirty Jobs" which was Mike Rowe's true claim to fame.  I have had several of my Facebook friends sing Rowe's praises and verbally belittle me for not knowing his AWESOMENESS.  Well, after some research, maybe, it's his "guy next door" look and delivery that makes him a good pitch man.  It's a far cry from successful "hockers" like the late Billy Mays, but it must be effective for so many products to choose him as their go-to guy.  Don't believe me?  Check these out.   

1. Ford Trucks

These seem to be the commercials that run the most often featuring Rowe, usually "talkin' bout Ford" as he says.

2. Lee Jeans

This ad was the one that made me take notice of this guy.  When he says, "Mike Rowe here," I say "Who?"  But Billy Mays got our attention that way too back in the day with Oxy Clean.

3. Cat Footwear

You may have heard these as radio ads on WKDQ.  Yes, Mike has even taken over radio.  Selling footwear is another good fit for a guy who's on his feet a lot.

4. Viva Paper Towels

This seems to be the latest edition to Rowe repertoire, but it makes the most sense given his "Dirty Jobs" background.

5. Epic Drug Stores

Now here's one you might not have known.  Mike Rowe was in commercials before he became a TV star.  Without his trademark hat, he appears in this older Epic Drug Store ad.  Epic is right!

6. Precious Moments

I had to include this one.  Yes, Mike Rowe was even on QVC selling the angelic figurines for your 2-year-old's dresser.  Listen as he spends nearly 4 minutes trying to come up with more ways to explain this ceramic seesaw...AWESOME!

So, what's next for Mike Rowe?  I say ball caps.  It seems to work for him.