Storage Hunters
| Storage Hunters | |
|---|---|
| Starring |
Sean Kelly Brandon & Lori Bernier The Taylor Brothers Jesse McClure Ron "Papa Bear" Kirkpatrick Tarrell "T-Money" Wright |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 74 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) |
United States (2011-2013) United Kingdom (2014 - present) |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production company(s) | T Group Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel |
TruTV (US) Dave (UK) |
| Original run | June 21, 2011 – Present (UK) |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Storage Hunters is a reality television series featuring a series of storage auctions, created by and starring auctioneer Sean Kelly. It originally ran in the US from 2011 to 2013 on TruTV[1] and has been particularly successful in the UK on the digital channel Dave. A domestic British version, also featuring Kelly, started broadcasting in 2014.
Format
The show was created by and focused on comedian and former second hand retailer Sean Kelly staging a series of storage auctions.[2][3] Kelly had started doing stand-up in 1998 part time, while working at The Reader, progressing to being a warm-up act for Dennis Miller and Bob Saget by 2003. The same year, he started running auctions, initially for charity, before leaving journalism in 2008 to focus on comedy and auctioneering.[4]
For the US series, Kelly interacted with bidders Brandon and Lori Bernier (both Boston-born, based in Los Angeles), the Taylor Brothers, Jesse McClure, Tarrell "T-Money" Wright, Ron "Papa Bear" Kirkpatrick, Kashuna, Wade, FJ, Gary "Goal Machine" Madine, Scott and Chrissy Tassone, the Alvardo Brothers, "Desert Dan," Mone Smith, Will and Nick Eastwood, Soccer Mom and the lock cutters/security guards, Will C. (Season 1), Cameron "Green Mile" Rowe (Season 2-Season 3).[5][6] The series was cancelled on TruTV after Season 3 ended.[7]
In the UK and Ireland the show has been broadcast on the digital channel Dave. In 2014, Dave commissioned a spin-off series called Storage Hunters UK, featuring Kelly reprising his role as auctioneer with British bidders.[8]
Reception
The show has been well received in the UK, with the first episode of the British version being watched by over 1.1 million viewers, beating ratings for several prime time television shows broadcast that week.[9] When Kelly visited the Custom Cupcake Company, Liverpool in November 2014 to promote the UK series, crowds stretched outside the premises and down the street. McClure and T-Money have also capitalised on the show's success in the UK by making promotional appearances.[10]
The Guardian 's Rhik Samadder described Kelly's auctioneering style "like someone’s attached electrodes to a woodpecker".[2] Tom Eames writing in Digital Spy described it as "one of the least authentic and most fake shows you will ever see, and comes under the umbrella of 'trashy reality' programmes that the US are very good at", but adding that "somehow, it is strangely addictive and enjoyable, and has clearly become a big guilty pleasure of many UK viewers."[11]
Kelly has attributed the success of the show to its characters and their lack of social skills, comparing it to "watching a carnival".[2] In an interview for Digital Spy, he speculated that the strong popularity of the show in the UK may mean a revival of the US series.[12]
Participants
Auctioneer
- Sean Kelly (Season 1-Season 3)[2]
Main Buyers
- Brandon and Lori Bernier (Season 1-Season 3)
- Dustin Taylor (Season 1; Season 2: Episodes 8 & 9) & James Taylor (Season 1)/The Taylor Brothers
- Jesse McClure (Season 1-Season 3)
- Papa Bear (Season 1-Season 3)
- T-Money (Season 1-Season 3)
Minor Buyers
- Wade Gallagher (Season 1, mentored by Brandon, Boston based)
- Arty (Season 1, Boston based, Lori's brother, mentored by Brendon and Lori, but won the bid on MIT robots that would be tough to sell.)
- Kashuna Perfected (Season 1)
- FJ (Season 1)
- Victor (Season 1)
- Scott Tassone & Chrissy Tassone (Season 2)
- Desert Dan (Season 2)
- Alvarado Brothers (Season 2)
- Mone Smith (Season 3-Season 3)
The first season premiered Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 10 p.m. on TruTV. The pilot episode, which had been shown on January 18, 2011, was repeated on August 9, 2011, after the first eight episodes of the season had been shown. The British version of the show was first broadcast on Dave on October 28, 2014.[9]
See also
- Auction Hunters, a similar show on Spike TV
- Storage Wars, a similar show on A&E TV
References
- ↑ "Storage Hunters Episode: "Storage Hunters"". Retrieved 31 October 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Samadder, Rhik (February 10, 2015). "Storage Hunters: Sean Kelly has a rumble in our jumble". The Guardian. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- ↑ Kelly, Sean. "The Charity Auctioneer".
- ↑ "Storage Hunters : 8 fun facts about Sean Kelly". MKWeb. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ↑ "Storage Hunters: Cast & Details". Retrieved 31 October 2012.
- ↑ Time Warner Networks, Inc. (2012-09-16). "Storage Hunter: Bios - Think Big (Money)". Time Warning Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
- ↑ Cancelled / Ended TV Shows on TruTV, retrieved 2014-10-27
- ↑ UKTV Group. "Storage Hunters UK". UKTV. Retrieved 2014-10-27.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Storage Hunters UK debuts with a bigger audience than Walking Dead". The Guardian. October 30, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- ↑ Pattinson, Rob (March 7, 2015). "Storage Hunters stars T-Money and The Green Mile to pop into Custom Cupcake Co. on Bold Street this afternoon". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
- ↑ Eames, Tom (22 July 2013). "'Storage Hunters': Dave's addictive showcase of greed". Digital Spy
- ↑ "Storage Hunters star Sean Kelly interview: 'American version may return'". Digital Spy. February 14, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2015.