Storage Wars

For the franchise, see Storage Wars (franchise).
Storage Wars

Title card (seasons 3-present)
Genre Reality
Starring
  • Darrell Sheets
  • Brandon Sheets
  • Jarrod Schulz
  • Brandi Passante
  • Ivy Calvin
  • Rene Nezhoda
  • Casey Lloyd
  • Dan Dotson
  • Laura Dotson
  • Dave Hester
  • Mary Padian
Narrated by Thom Beers
Theme music composer Andy Kubiszewski
Opening theme "Money Owns This Town"
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 8
No. of episodes 184 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Robert Sharenow
  • Elaine Frontain Bryant
  • Thom Beers
  • Philip D. Segal
Producer(s) Dolph Scott
Running time 22 minutes
Production company(s) Original Productions
FremantleMedia
A+E Networks
Release
Original network A&E
Original release December 1, 2010 (2010-12-01) – present
External links
Website

Storage Wars (stylized as STORAGE WAR$) is an American reality television series on the A&E Network that premiered in December 1, 2010.

When rent is not paid on a storage locker for three months in California, the contents can be sold by an auctioneer as a single lot of items in the form of a cash-only auction. The show follows professional buyers who purchase the contents based only on a five-minute inspection of what they can see from the door when it is opened. The goal is to turn a profit on the merchandise.

History

Storage Wars can be seen internationally as well, as AETN International has sold the series to several channels in Singapore, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Germany, Spain, France, Denmark, New Zealand, India and Turkey.[1]

Season one of Storage Wars consisted of 19 episodes, 17 of which were filmed at various self-storage facilities throughout Southern California.[2] The show has enjoyed ratings success, and its second season premiere attracted 5.1 million total viewers, making it the most-watched program in A&E's history to that point.[3]

Storage Wars was recommissioned for another 26-episode season in January 2012,[4] with the season officially premiering on June 5, 2012. Only 20 of the 26 episodes were aired however, with six of the episodes being held back for broadcast during the second half of the show's 3rd season which began airing on December 4, 2012.[5] In March 2013, four early, special season 4[6] episodes aired prior to the official launch of Season 4, which premiered on April 16, 2013.[7] The show is scheduled to begin its sixth season on November 11, 2014.

The title card used from Season 1-Season 2

A spin-off of Storage Wars titled Storage Wars: Texas made its debut on A&E on December 6, 2011; this series features a different auctioneer and group of bidders, and takes place at various self-storage locations in the state of Texas.[8] A second spin-off called Storage Wars: New York premiered January 1, 2013.[9][10][11] As of late 2014, neither spin-off is airing on the network or in production.

Participants

Name Also known as Position Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Dan Dotson/
Laura Dotson		 American Auctioneers Auctioneers Main
Jarrod Schulz/
Brandi Passante		 The Young Guns
spinoff: Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job		 Storage Unit Buyers
Darrell Sheets/
Brandon Sheets		 The Gambler Storage Unit Buyers
Dave Hester The Mogul Storage Unit Buyer Main Main
Ivy Calvin The King Storage Unit Buyer Recurring
Rene Nezhoda/
Casey Lloyd		 The Bargain Hunters Storage Unit Buyers
Mary Padian The Junkster
spinoff: Storage Wars: Texas		 Storage Unit Buyer Recurring Main
Barry Weiss The Collector
spinoffs: Barry'd Treasure, Storage Wars: Barry Strikes Back		 Storage Unit Buyer Main
Mark Balelo Rico Suavé Storage Unit Buyer Recurring
Nabila Haniss Paris Hilton Storage Unit Buyer
Jeff Jarred N/A Storage Unit Buyer Recurring
Herb Brown/
Mike Karlinger		 N/A Storage Unit Buyer Recurring
Mark Harris/
Matt Harris		 The Harris Brothers Storage Unit Buyers
Earl Graham/
Johan Graham		 N/A Auctioneers
Ron Scheenstra N/A Auctioneer Guest

Main buyers

Jarrod Schulz (left) and Brandi Passante (middle) with interviewer

Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante

"The Young Guns" (Season 1-present): Schulz and Passante own and operate the "Now and Then" thrift store in Orange, California.[12] In Season 4, they opened a second location in Long Beach, California, but in the premiere of Season 5, it's revealed that the Long Beach store hadn't made a single profit since opening day, putting them in financial jeopardy. The Long Beach store was shown to have closed as seen during the opening segment of the episode aired on April 8, 2014. On April 24, A&E premiered the special Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job, which focused on the two balancing running their business and raising their two children.[13] The special led to a spin-off series of the same name, premiering on August 12, 2014. Though identified on screen as husband and wife in some episodes, Schulz and Passante have never actually married. Jarrod and Brandi have two kids: Cameron and Payton.

Darrell and Brandon Sheets

"The Gambler" (Season 1-present): A storage auction veteran from San Diego. His catchphrase is "This is the WOW factor!" and he makes the occasional malapropism. He makes his living by selling items from his purchased lockers at his weekly swap meet, and through his online store.[12][14] In an interview, Sheets indicated that some of his biggest finds in lockers included a sizable comic book collection, four drawings by Pablo Picasso, and a letter written by Abraham Lincoln that sold for over US$15,000.[15] In Unlocked: Sell High, Darrell revealed that he once found a plastic-wrapped human corpse in a storage locker. It was determined that the previous owner of the locker had murdered his wife and left her in the unit. In the season 3 finale, Darrell bought a locker for $3,600 (U.S.) which was discovered to have contained many pieces of original artwork by Frank Gutierrez. The artwork wound up being appraised for approximately $300,000 (U.S.), resulting in the biggest profit in the show's history.[16]

Dave Hester

"The Mogul" (Seasons 1-3, Season 5-present): At the start of the series, Hester owned Newport Consignment Gallery in Costa Mesa, California[17] and the Rags to Riches thrift store, but closed them in June 2011. He now operates his own auction house, Dave Hester Auctions. Hester has had confrontations with the other main buyers, especially Darrell and Brandon Sheets, and is known to raise bids whenever somebody wants to buy the unit. Hester's son Dave Jr. occasionally appeared on the show with him. Hester's signature catchword is a loud "YUUUP!" when making a bid. He has this word imprinted on his trucks, T-shirts, and hats. Hester revealed on Anderson Live that his call originated from him being a bid-catcher in auction facilities, helping auctioneers spot bidders in a crowd.[18] In December 2012, Hester was fired from the show, and sued the show's producers for wrongful termination; part of his lawsuit was tossed out in March 2013 (see "Lawsuit" section below).[19] Hester departed the show after Season 3, but returned for Season 5.

Ivy Calvin

"The King" (Recurring Season 4; Main Season 5-present): Calvin joined the show during season three just after Dave Hester's departure, and became one of the main buyers during season five. A former MMA fighter and arena football player, he owns the Grandma's Attic thrift store in Palmdale, California[12][20][21]

Rene Nezhoda and Casey Lloyd

"The Bargain Hunters" (Recurring Season 4; Main Season 5-present): The husband-and-wife team joined the show during season four, and became main buyers in season five. A native of Germany, Rene owns the Bargain Hunters thrift store in Poway, California (near San Diego).[12][22]

Mary Padian

"The Junkster" (Season 5-present): On a 2014 visit to Long Beach, the Storage Wars: Texas cast member appeared in three late season 5 episodes, as a substitute for Dave Hester. Padian became a main cast member in Season 6, 7, and 8 later on rotation with Calvin and Nezhoda and Lloyd.

Past main buyers

Barry Weiss

"The Collector" (Seasons 1-4): Weiss and his brother owned a successful produce company until he retired. Weiss is a lifelong antiques collector, but he had never bought a storage unit until his friend and Storage Wars executive producer and narrator Thom Beers suggested that he join the show.[23] On June 25, 2013, it was reported that Weiss will not return to the show for the fifth season.[24] In February 2014, A&E announced that Weiss would be starring in his own spin-off series, titled Barry'd Treasure.[25]

Promo for Storage Wars

In 2015, Weiss starred in a new spinoff, titled Storage Wars: Barry Strikes Back, where he reviews and adds new commentary for past episodes of the series.

Recurring featured buyers

Nabila Haniss

(Seasons 2-4): Haniss received attention for purchasing a storage unit that contained items belonging to socialite Paris Hilton.[26]

Mark Balelo

(Seasons 2-4): Balelo owned a liquidation, wholesale and distribution company, and an auction house, and also used to own a gaming store called "The Game Exchange" from 2009-2012. He was known for bringing large sums of money to auctions, as much as US$50,000 at a time. He also earned the name "Rico Suave" for his tendency to dress in fancy clothes at storage auctions. He appeared three times during the second season, five times in the third season and three times in the fourth season, filmed shortly before his death by suicide.[27]

Jeff Jarred

(Season 3): Jarred is the owner of the "It's New To You" antique and thrift store, that he runs with his daughter in Burbank, California. In the past, he has often fought with Dan Dotson, after accusing him of using sneaky tactics at auctions in order to allow regular bidders to win units. However, he and Dotson decided to make peace in the third season. He appeared six times during the third season.[28]

Herb Brown and Mike Karlinger

(Seasons 3-4): They have appeared three times in the third season, in the episodes "Portrait of the Gambler", "Nobody's Vault but Mine" and "Still Nobody's Vault but Mine", and three times in season four, in the episodes "Old Tricks, New Treats", "Orange You Glad Dan Sold It Again?" and "That's My Jerry!". Brown and Karlinger first pranked Dave Hester as the tank top twins in the episode "Jurassic Bark", their first appearance on the show.

Mark and Matt Harris

(Seasons 3-4): The Harris Brothers, who are identical twins, first appeared in "May the Vaults be with You" as an appraiser for Barry when he found a Revenge of the Jedi (sic) jacket in a locker. Since then, they have bid with the rest of the cast. The Harris Brothers first bid with the rest of the cast in the episode "The Kook, The Chief, His Son, and The Brothers". The self-proclaimed "Kings of Swag", the Harris brothers specialize in Hollywood memorabilia. They have a company called WOW! Creations, which specializes in celebrity gift bags.[29] They have appeared one episode in season three, "The Kook, The Chief, His Son, and The Brothers", and five times in season four in the episodes "Oysters on the Half Plate", "The Shrining", "The French Job", "There's No Place Like Homeland", and "Total Wine Domination".

Other cast members

Dan and Laura Dotson

(Season 1-present): The husband and wife auctioneer team run American Auctioneers, and administer the storage auctions.[30] Dan has been a professional auctioneer since 1974. He is the primary auctioneer, occasionally giving the reins to Laura, and she ends the auctions by reminding the winning bidders, "Don't forget to pay the lady!" Dan's grandfather was apprenticed as an auctioneer by Detmen Mitchell in 1945.[31]

Earl and Johan Graham

(Season 4): A father-daughter auctioneer team, they appeared in six episodes in season four as fill-in auctioneers: "The Monster Hash", "The Shrining", "Barry's Angels", "That's My Jerry!", "Total Wine Domination" and "Fear and Loathing in Placentia".

Ron Scheenstra

(Season 5) he appeared in one episode in season five as fill-in auctioneer: "The Daneurysm".

Thom Beers

Thom Beers is the executive producer and narrator of the show. He provides a quick explanation of the show's premise at the beginning, and does a recap of the featured buyers' profits or losses at the end of each episode. He has stated that the series avoids delving into behind-the-scenes stories of the lockers' original owners because "all you see is misery there, and I didn't want to trade on that".[30]

Critical reception

Critical response was mixed, with Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times calling Storage Wars "a strangely uplifting show — hope being one of the many things one can apparently find in an abandoned storage unit,"[32] and Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called the series "an especially entertaining addition to the genre."[33] Brian Lowry of Variety said that "'Wars' should have been left in storage, indefinitely."[34] Writing for Slate, Troy Patterson gave a mixed review, referring to the series as "trash TV" as well as "trivial and magnetic."[35] Ellen Gray of the Philadelphia Daily News suggested "if there's an acquisitive bone in your body, you should probably steer clear".[36]

Ratings

The show has received 6.6/10 ratings on IMDb. It has received 7.9/10 rating on TV.com. The first season premiere episode drew 2.1 million viewers[37] and the show was A&E's top-rated non-fiction show for 2010, with an average of 2.4 million viewers.[30] The season two premiere consisted of back-to-back new episodes of the show; the second show drew 5.1 million total viewers and was the highest rating for an episode of a series in A&E history.[3] The combined season premiere outperformed competing original episodes of NBC Love in the Wild and ABC's Primetime Nightline.[38]

Concerns about authenticity

Some critics have speculated that some of the units have been stocked by producers,[30] but an A&E publicist said: "There is no staging involved. The items uncovered in the storage units are the actual items featured on the show".[39] Executive producer Thom Beers has stated that the vast majority of the storage lockers investigated during production contain nothing of interest and therefore do not appear in the final show.[9]

Lawsuits

In December 2012, Dave Hester filed a lawsuit against A&E and Original Productions, claiming that the producers staged entire units, planted items in lockers after having them appraised weeks in advance, and funneled cash to weaker teams to buy lockers that they could not have otherwise afforded. The suit claims that Hester and other cast members met with network officials to express concerns that those actions were in violation of federal law[40] intended to prevent viewers from being deceived when watching a show involving intellectual skills.[41][42][43]

In January 2013, rather than deny the accusations, A&E responded by stating that its composition of the show is covered by the First Amendment, and that Hester's claims do not apply; the network also said that the Communications Act of 1934 is inapplicable to cable television, which did not exist in 1934, and that the format of Storage Wars involves no "chance", "intellectual knowledge", or "intellectual skill" and so is not a game show. A&E also stated that there are "notable inconsistencies in [Hester's] exaggerated self-portrait", referring to his claims of value on the items that he finds in lockers.[44]

In March 2013, A&E won a partial victory in the suit when a federal judge tossed out Hester's claim of unfair business practices, calling the show "expressive free speech", and stating that his claim of wrongful termination was not specific enough. Hester was ordered to pay the legal fees for A&E.[45]

On September 3, 2013, Hester had one of his claims approved by Los Angeles Superior Court judge Michael Johnson. The court ruled that Hester "can move forward with the wrongful termination portion of his wide-ranging lawsuit against A&E and the producers of Storage Wars."[46]

On July 15, 2014, it was announced that Hester and A&E came to a settlement,[47] setting the stage for his return to the show on August 12, 2014.[48]

Episodes

See also

References

  1. ↑ Adam Benzine (October 3, 2011). "A+E inks int’l deals for "Pawn Stars," "Storage Wars"". Realscreen. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Facilities". A&E. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  3. 1 2 Sellers, John (July 21, 2011). "'Storage Wars' most popular series in A&E history". Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles: Tribune Co). ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  4. ↑ Lesley Goldberg (April 12, 2012). "A&E Renews 'Storage Wars,' 'Storage Wars: Texas,' 'Shipping Wars'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Storage Wars - Episode Guide - Season 3". aetv.com. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  6. ↑ "iTunes Season 4". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  7. ↑ "A&E’s Storage Wars & American Hoggers Schedule April Returns". Boomtron.com. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  8. ↑ "A&E's 'Storage Wars' Returns with New Episodes on a New Night Beginning Tuesday, November 15 - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Harrison, Stacey. "Producer Thom Beers talks 'Storage Wars: Texas'". channelguidemag.com. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  10. ↑ "A&E to Open "Storage Wars: NY" on Tuesday, December 11". Thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  11. ↑ "A&E Bumps "Storage Wars: New York" to January 1, "Be the Boss" to Late-Night". Thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  12. 1 2 3 4 ""Storage Wars" cast businesses". Online Storage Auctions. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  13. ↑ "Brandi and Jarrod's bio". A&E. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  14. ↑ "Darrell Sheets' online store". Darrell Sheets. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  15. ↑ Hudak, Joseph (October 22, 2010). "Storage Wars' Greatest Finds". tvguide.com. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  16. ↑ "'Storage Wars': Darrell Sheets Gets Biggest Payout In Show's History". huffingtonpost.com. December 19, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  17. ↑ Venezia, Barbara (February 4, 2011). "Venezia: Dave Hester of 'Storage Wars' has O.C. connection". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Dave Hester Reveals How His 'Yup' Started". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
  19. ↑ Gary Levin (December 11, 2012). "'Storage Wars' star says A&E series is faked". USA Today.
  20. ↑ "Ivy's bio". A&E. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  21. ↑ "Grandma's Attic". A&E. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  22. ↑ "Rene and Casey's bio". A&E. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  23. ↑ "'Storage Wars' Star Barry Weiss Talks About Being a 'Produce' Man & His Female Fans". Aoltv.com. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Barry Weiss Leaving ‘Storage Wars,’ Star Films Secret Farewell Episode Following Dave Hester Lawsuit [REPORT]". Ibtimes.com. 2013-06-25. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
  25. ↑ "Barry's new show". The Wrap. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  26. ↑ "Hilton vs. Persa". citmedialaw.org. 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Mark Balelo found dead". Foxnews.com. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
  28. ↑ "Auctioning for Dummies - Storage Wars Episode Guide - Season 4". AETV.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
  29. ↑ "The New Players Pictures - Storage Wars". AETV.com. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
  30. 1 2 3 4 della Cava, Marco R. (January 27, 2011). "'Storage Wars' strikes it rich". USA Today (McLean, VA: Gannett). ISSN 0734-7456. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Dan and Laura's bio". American Auctioneers. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  32. ↑ Mcnamara, Mary (February 27, 2011). "Television review: 'Storage Wars' on A&E". articles.latimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  33. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (December 9, 2010). "The Gold Mines Behind Padlocks". nytimes.com. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  34. ↑ Lowry, Brian (December 1, 2010). "Variety Reviews – Storage Wars". variety.com. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  35. ↑ Patterson, Troy (December 15, 2010). "Let Me Touch Your Junk". Slate.com. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  36. ↑ Ellen, Gray. "Critic Reviews for Storage Wars: Season 1". Metacritic.com. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  37. ↑ "Hasselhoff show axed after 2 episodes". cbc.ca. December 11, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  38. ↑ Collins, Scott (July 23, 2011). "Quick Takes: A&E scores with 'Storage Wars' - Los Angeles Times". articles.latimes.com. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
  39. ↑ Owen, Rob (July 8, 2011). "TV Q&A: 'Storage Wars' + DirecTV + E! in HD". communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  40. ↑ Per the 1960 amendments to the Communications act passed following the quiz show scandals. See 47 U.S.C. §509 and associated legislative history.
  41. ↑ Perel, David (December 11, 2012). "Storage Wars Sued By Its Star; Show Is Faked And Execs Were Confronted By Cast, Court Papers Charge". radaronline.com. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
  42. ↑ "A&E's 'Storage Wars' reality series is rigged, fired cast member claims in lawsuit". winnipegfreepress.com. December 11, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
  43. ↑ "Lawsuit claims A&E's 'Storage Wars' show is rigged". Associated Press. December 11, 2012.
  44. ↑ Eakin, Marah (January 29, 2013). "A&E responds (sort of) to claims that Storage Wars is fake". Retrieved February 2013.
  45. ↑ Hayner, Chris (March 13, 2013). "'Storage Wars' lawsuit: A&E's partial victory against Dave Hester". Zap2It. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  46. ↑ "Fired ‘Storage Wars’ Star Scores A Win Over A&E In Lawsuit". http://tv.yahoo.com/. 2013-09-03. Retrieved 2013-09-07. External link in |publisher= (help)
  47. ↑ "Dave Hester Storage Wars War: Peace In Our Time". http://www.nationalenquirer.com. 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-07-17. External link in |publisher= (help)
  48. ↑ "A&E's Storage Wars Returns with New Episodes On August 12". http://www.broadwayworld.com. 2014-07-16. Retrieved 2014-07-17. External link in |publisher= (help)

External links

Official website

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