Dave Hester Says "Storage Wars" Is Fake - Plans To Sue

Posted December 11,2012
by Charles Myers

You just knew it didn't you? It had to be to good to be true right? Well according to Dave Hester, you were right all along. One of the stars of the show says it's been a fraud since day one. You know Hester well from his famous "Yuuup" when placing his bids. Hester claims in a recent lawsuit that the show has staged the auctions by placing valuable items in the units "before" the doors are opened. Seems all that knowledge he boast about being the best at spotting collectibles  is a load of bullshit.

Dave goes on to say that a female cast member had plastic surgery, paid for by the show, to "enhance" her sex appeal and make her more appealing to viewers. I think we can guess who that may be. In case you didn't notice, Brandi Passante has a new set of hooters. No not the chicken wings, the other kind of hooters. Also, she has the manicured nails and wears high fashion dresses to the auctions now. This is not someone who looks like she is ready to get her hands dirty anymore. Have you ever seen a "real" storage unit? Most of them are filthy. So Hester may be telling the truth on that one.

If you watch the show, you know there have been episodes where Hester is not on it. They tried to bring in Bill Archer, Nabila Haniss, Mark Balelo and Jeff Jarred. They tried to portray them as villains or make you hate them the way people hate on Dave Hester. There is only one "Yuuup"  people wanted to see and that is Hester. Love him or hate him, he brought viewers to the show. So this also gives credence to Hester's claim that they warned him, fired him or whatever but brought him back for ratings.

He also claims the interviews with the cast members are scripted. I have to admit, while I like Barry Weiss and Darrell Sheets, I often wondered if they were this funny... naturally. So again, it makes sense that there are writers providing the material for the interviews.

Probably the most shocking and disappointing accusation is that the units are "salted". Meaning items are planted to make it look as though these units are filled with hidden valuables. The big picture here is that if that is true, the whole cast is aware of it. It equates to fraud through deception. Viewers who thought it was real have gone out in their local neighborhoods hoping to strike it rich. I'm sure there are stories of people losing alot of money based on chasing the dream.

However, that being said, if you educate yourself and realize that it is hard work and a business, you can be successful in storage auctions. That's one of the main issues with shows like Storage Wars. They take a true profession and glamorize it so everyone thinks it is a get rich quick process. Reality shows are for the most part staged and scripted, if they weren't, they would be boring. That is why they call it entertainment.

Dave Hester apparently got tired of misleading the viewers and said enough already. If what he says in his lawsuit is true, it could be a major blow to any of the shows with the same concept. A&E has already created Storage Wars Texas and is set to roll out Storage Wars New York set to premiere January 1st, 2013. The news of this lawsuit could taint these shows and cause major viewer fallout. I guess it remains to be seen if viewers side with the network or with Dave Hester.

One thing is for sure, if Dave wins his lawsuit, you will hear the biggest "Yuuup" known to man.

See a best of Daves Yuuups here:

Red Flags To Look For At An Auction

The storage door rolls open and immediately you know you want this unit. Brand name boxes galore - everything from Sony and Pottery Barn to Ralph Lauren shoe boxes. But take a second look before you assume you just made this months rent.

Given the recent interest in storage auctions, it's no surprise that the frequency of scams has increased. We've already warned you about staged units and pilfered lockers, but you also need to beware of tenant scams. Recall that when a unit sells for more than the amount owed to the storage facility any additional money goes to the tenant. On occasion, a tenant may allow a unit to go delinquent to make a profit.

If the tenant simply abandons the unit to allow it to go to auction, you as a bidder are not in danger. But if someone collected brand name boxes, and deliberately placed them in a unit to generate higher bids, then you'll overpay for a unit full of empty boxes.

We don't mean to suggest that this is the norm, but it does happen. Here's a few tips to help you avoid tenant scams.

#1 Scrutinize every unit. Don't be dazzled by brand name boxes - always consider whether the unit looks natural. Are all the brand names facing you so you can easily read them? Is there anything to indicate the boxes have anything inside of them? Does the unit look too clean to be a genuine storage unit? Too empty to justify the cost of paying monthly rent?

#2 Find out how long the unit has been rented. If the unit was only rented three or four months ago (just long enough for the unit to end up at auction) then bells should go off.

#3 Find out how much delinquent rent is due. If the rent due is $500 but the unit would likely only go for $500 or less, it's not likely a tenant scam because the tenant won't make any money. On the other hand, if the tenant got their first month free or for $1, then their delinquent rent might only be $100 and they could make an easy (albeit unethical) $400.

Barry Weiss Mystery Man?

Barry Weiss of Storage Wars

Barry Weiss of Storage Wars fame has everyone asking "What did you do for a living to become rich?" He has been confused with the movie producer of the same name. People assume since he has this cool demeanor and sense of humor, he must have been a Hollywood producer. Not so. Here is a partial interview with the man himself.

One of the biggest questions fans have about you, Barry, is what you do for a living. The rumor is that you are or were a Hollywood producer ... true?

(Laughing) No, no, I'm not. Actually, I've been an antique collector my entire life, and I was in the produce business for 20‑25 years, and I retired about four years ago. I just was traveling around the world and enjoying life, really. The way this opportunity came along was a close friend of mine, Thom Beers, who is the creator of the show, was over one night. I don't know, we were having a few drinks. He said he was working on something with these storage lockers, and would I like to be a part of it? And basically that's sort of how things unfolded.


So the only "producing" Barry has ever done was in the "produce" business. I bet buying a banana from this guy back in the day was a scream. The jokes he probably came up with are as classic as the man himself.

We still love you Barry, just the way you are.

Barry Needs an Apprentice - Is It You?

Storage Wars New Season

'Storage Wars' Films at Self-Storage Facility in California's Inland Empire

Highland Self Storage in San Bernardino, Calif., became the latest facility to welcome the cast and crew of reality TV show "Storage Wars" (A&E, 10/9 p.m. Central time, Wednesdays).

As the show's film crew was working, neighborhood residents tried to peek in from the facility's perimeter. The San Bernardino facility invited its customers to attend the filming.

Johanna Flores, facility manager, told the source eight units were auctioned Wednesday. "Right now, this is the first (auction) that we've held this year, and we're trying to do one every other month," she told the reporter. "The process takes about 60 days to get an auction together, and from there they make sure all our legal paperwork is up to date," she said. Highland Self Storage works with American Auctioneers.

"Storage Wars" begins its second season in July. Scenes filmed at the San Bernardino site are scheduled to be used during the seventh episode.