Storage Wars: What The Producers Don't Want You To Know

Storage Wars burst onto our screens in 2010 and we’ve loved it ever since! And before the show, none of us had any idea there could be so much drama surrounding a storage unit, but of course, we didn’t understand then how much money there is to be made. Here are all of those storage units that were worth a fortune and weren’t bought, plus all the drama you never knew about.

Hester spoke out against the show

He can easily brush the cast members and fans up the wrong way with his comments and attitude but even if he is the most opinionated member of Storage Wars, Dave Hester is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining. In 2012, he ruffled a few feathers when he claimed that the show was set up, and items were placed in the units by the producers. It sure got people talking, especially because the A&E network didn’t speak out to say the claims weren’t true.

Non-cast members

Even though the show has its own cast members, there are still ‘regular’ people that head out to the auctions to try and make some money – and there are a lot more people out there doing exactly that. In fact, many of these appear on the show (you can spot them in the background). Occasionally, fans can miss out on some good TV when a non-cast member sweeps a money-making unit.

Million dollar unit

There have been loads of amazing storage unit wins that we still haven’t been able to see and some of them have made the buyers, are you ready for it… millionaires! There are times that they make way above a few thousand dollars. In Indio, California, auctioneers Laura and Dan Dotson sold a unit for just $500, and they couldn’t believe when its new owners found a staggering $7.5 million inside!

Did Brandi and Jarrod know?

When Dave Hester came out with his accusations about the show being rigged, during the court case, information also came out that Brandi and Jarrod knew about it all along, and it was something they thought was a good addition to the show. Although the couple has gone on to deny knowing anything about it.

Weird findings

We know there is money to be made on storage units but occasionally, the buyers can purchase a unit that leaves them scratching their heads. One of the most bizarre units ever to be won was one previously owned by a person who found hands fascinating. Yep, you heard us right. The unit was full of artwork and sculptures of hands!

He went for it

We all know Darell is a character and it turns out his happy relationship is down to his confidence and out-there attitude. When driving along the highway one afternoon, he noticed a woman who he found attractive, he followed her a couple of miles until he could pull up next to her. Once he did, he wrote his number down and passed it over to the women. Her name was Kimber Wuerfel and they’ve been together ever since.

Making a difference

We all know and love Brandi but apparently, the producers made a request for her to accentuate her looks. Dave Hester let out some insider information when he spoke out about the producers of the show giving money to Brandi to have plastic surgery to increase ratings. Now that is shocking!

They’re not married

The relationship between Brandi and Jarrod has blossomed over the past 15 years but it was a rocky start for the pair as Jarrod had to get over his demons. Despite the couple having two children together and a lengthy relationship, they are not actually married – but the producers of the show would prefer if they were.

Laura made her move

When it comes to love, we are always told to just go for it and that’s exactly what Laura did when she first laid her eyes on Dan. After seeing him around at a few auctions, she made a b-line for him, and there wasn’t any stopping her. Just a short 4 months after making herself known to Dan, she became pregnant with his child and the pair have been together ever since.

They want her to wear more make-up

We are sure you have noticed, that when reality shows begin, the cast is a lot less glamorous, however, if the show is a success, the stars become celebrities and very often their appearances change. Brandi has made it clear she doesn’t want to change how she looks. As producers have applied pressure for her to appear more glam and wear more make Brandi has refused and jokingly said, “lipstick would look ridiculous on my chicken lips.”

A terrible time

We can see on the show how in love Dan and Laura are, however in 2014, there was a scare behind the scenes for the happy couple. Reality TV can be really stressful once the fame sets in and sadly, Dan suffered a double brain aneurysm. Luckily they caught it just in time and was able to operate.

Darrell’s luck

If the blow of being told his son was no longer allowed on the show wasn’t enough, Darrell Sheets was hit with an even bigger shock – and we’re surprised the producers even dared to mess with him. The A&E network came out and told him, that if he was to continue on the show, they would pay him less money by halving his salary. Obviously, that didn’t go down too well at all!

They got hacked

With their new-found fame, it meant more eyes than ever before were now on the Dotson’s and their successful Storage business. With some wanting what they had, in 2012 they suffered a cyber-attack and had all of their bank details stolen – this caused a lot of unwanted stress on set and made them question their reality.

An awkward situation

As Storage Wars got bigger and fans of the show grew, it didn’t take long before someone tried to earn money from its success. Brandi Passante was accused of being in an 18+ rated movie and began to receive a lot of attention because of her lookalike. She tried to sue the movie makers for $2.5 million but only ended up with $750!

Love at the auction

Two of our favorite Storage Wars cast members, Laura and Dan couldn’t have met any other way. We love them for their straight down the line attitude but also their lovable personalities and it was at one particular auction that the pair met and fell in love. After spending four months flirting up a storm, they eventually got together.

Unwanted lot

When one bidder came along to scoop himself an amazing lot, he got a lot more than he bargained for. After going back and forth with another bidder, he won the unit. When he looked inside, he couldn’t see much other than a meat smoker which he, of course, opened up. When he lifted the lid, he got the shock of his life as there was a human leg inside – gross!

The ladies love him

Storage Wars is one of those shows that attract both sexes and it seems one of the cast members have a huge female fan following. “Who?” we hear you asking, it’s Barry, and they don’t just write letters to him! He seems to attract fans of all ages and regularly women will be waiting on set just so they can say hello to him.

Just a hobby

The cast members are divided between those who go storage hunting to fund their livelihood and then there are others that do it simply for the love of it (because they already have money in the bank). Brandi and Jarrod are those who need to make money and then there’s Barry, who is a millionaire and see it as a hobby.

Is it scripted?

After Hester’s accusations against the show blew up and a lawsuit happened, more details about the show started to unravel. As part of the show, the cast members give individual interviews on screen and even though you might love your favorite character for their one-liners, it is possible that it is completely scripted.

Why did he leave?

As the ratings on Season 10 dropped, it was rumored that A&E needed to do something to claw some money back and therefore kicked a cast member out. Father and son duo, Darrel and Brandon Sheets certainly entertained us and in fact, they found the most expensive item that has ever appeared on the show in one of their units but eventually, A&E kicked Brandon off our screens.

The big bucks

The rest of the cast seemed to be rather shocked when Darrel Sheets outbid his rivals and paid a steep $3,600 for a unit. To the delight of fans, it definitely benefitted him once he was inside and rummaging around. Sheets found some legit artwork by Frank Gutierrez that was valued at a whopping $300,000.

The King is dead

Another big earner was some dated newspapers that were found in one of Hester’s purchased units. The papers reported a significant iconic death in history and were full of details about Elvis Presley and his passing. The papers had been kept in amazing condition and were later sold on for an amazing $90,000.

Getting involved

We all know Laura and Dan are the ones running the show on Storage Wars but they also like to have an occasional bid on something for themselves. At one time, they made a fortune back after paying $1,000 for a unit where they discovered it had around $500,000 worth of coins inside, that dated back to the 16th century.

Odd findings

There always seems to be two cast members that are more unfortunate than the rest and sadly for them, Jarrod and Brandi seem to bid on and win, units that are full of unexpected things. There was one time when they bought a unit that was full of everything ‘My Little Pony’, but with the toys all in the original packaging, the pair managed to make $875 on this lot.

New career

We know Hester can rub everyone up the wrong way and he maintains this ‘hard guy’ image but he actually ended up on Storage Wars through an act of kindness! After being convicted for a DUI, he received a penalty of community service and it was here that he re-thought his business. He had a successful furniture store but after his stint with those less fortunate, he turned his store into a thrift shop and turned to storage hunting.

What a suprise

Barry’s millionaire status may not come from a business you would have thought of. Surprisingly, his success is down to the importation of vegetables, which he then sells on to restaurants and hotels all over the States.

Another lawsuit

Now, this has got to be the most unnecessary lawsuit there has ever been. Hester is famous for his ‘yuuup!’ line and apparently, so is R&B star, Trey Songz. Both men wanted the rights to the word and took it to court. It seems the judge also thought it was odd and ruled out both of their requests.

There’s a fight

Let’s face it, if it’s one thing we love about Storage Wars, it’s the drama. Seeing the cast battle to outbid each other is pure entertainment and in 2015, it went to a whole new level. With the producers pushing for it, after a heated bidding war, Hester and Dan got into a psychical altercation that ended with Laura being pushed to the ground. Not cool!

Jarrod’s time inside

Every time Jarrod appears on our screens with the rest of the Storage Wars cast, it’s evident there is something about him then shows he may not have always been a good guy. Throughout the show, Jarrod’s attitude makes you assume certain things and those assumptions could indeed be right. In 2000, he was sentenced to 16 months in jail for a list of things!

Jarrod turned it around

Although he may have had some issues in the past, it’s evident that Jarrod made a decision to turn his life around and with the help of his aunt and his girlfriend, he did a full 360. With his aunt owning a storage facility, Jarrod would spend time there and learned the game.

An eye for expensive things

The most strategic out of the cast seems to be Barry. It’s often he will bid on a unit based on one or two items that he can see and believes he will make a steal on. It seems he has a lucky streak as it always works out for him, even when it appears not to. After being disappointed about a gold bowl that turned out to be a hat, he ended up making a good profit on an item he was so sure was worth nothing.

The creator

Following Hester’s accusations, the shows creator Thom Beers had something to say on the topic. He admitted during the lawsuit that they were happy to admit that the show “exaggerated the true nature of the storage unit business”.

Miami spin-off

Due to Storage War’s success, they launched several spin-offs with one being in Miami. This particular show’s main star is Kevin Pew and it wasn’t long after he appeared on the show that some intense details came out about his son Hashim. It turns out he is a very bad person.

Acting skills

Always one for riling up his fellow cast members, after sparking a fight with one couple, it seems Hester’s acting skills have also become an annoyance to the rest of the Storage Wars crew. On one occasion, he played down the contents of a unit to everyone only to bid on it himself and make $28,000 on some vending machines he saw hiding away at the back.

Pair of saddles

The show launched into a spin-off show, Storage Wars: Texas with the beloved Mary becoming the fan favorite. During a search of a unit, she spotted some saddles and after winning the lot, she discovered that they were 18th-century vintage camel saddles that she sold on for a generous $1,500 each.

More strange things

Amongst some of the strangest things Jarrod and Brandi have ever found in their units, this is far weirder than any My Little Pony toys. As they looked around their winning unit, they found a box that seemed to be full of voodoo tricks including a chicken skull, human hair, deer skull, and human statues. Now that’s freaky!

No face bills

If you ever happen to find a bundle of faceless dollars, do not walk away from them. We would all so easily assume that without our American presidents on, that the money wouldn’t be worth anything, but you’re wrong. When a cast member found such a lot, when they looked into it more, they were able to sell them for $24,000.

Keep it in the family

It seems the reality tv gene runs in the family as Barry’s godson has appeared on our screens on more than one occasion. The celebrity world also tends to intertwine and his godson, Jesse James, was a motorcycle customizer on Monster Garage and was married to actress, Sandra Bullock.

Causing a rift

Back in 2013, when Hester opened a lawsuit against A&E claiming the production team was planting items in the storage units, it was rumored that things were changed around to make Hester happier but perhaps this is the reason he has been so hard faced in the more recent series’.

Hidden in the back

In Storage Wars’ first-ever series, it didn’t take very long for someone to make some big money. Only into episode four, Barry won a unit for $257 that was full of beauty supplies – he knew he could make some money on them by re-selling them. When clearing out the unit he discovered an amazing grand piano that sold for $12,000.