# YUUUUUPPPPP, Storage Wars is fake **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803 "2012-12-12T05:46:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/81 "2012-12-14T19:50:54Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I could see somebody having something valuable in their that they haven no idea it is valuable, maybe because it has been in their family for a long time or they just happened to pick it up because it looked cool. I agree that there should only be something pretty valuable in maybe 10% of them. Not the 80% hit rate they get on the show. > > Also, sure we can think about what people should do, but there is no reason to doubt that there is a few who can’t seem to figure it out and manage to get their shit locked up. I mean these storage areas have hundreds, sometimes even thousands of storage lockers and the auctions happen a couple of times a year with just a few lockers. It’s not like its an epidemic. Right, there probably was a lot of lockers they don’t bother to show. For the ones they do, it’s not like they’re showing million-dollar finds every week. Heck, most of the “big money” stuff turned out to be bogus–like Dave’s violin or Mark’s Nintendo system. The rest is usually stuff that really isn’t all that impressive of a profit once you look at the effort involved. I don’t think it necessarily stretches believability that someone dumped a chakra crystals set in their locker, or that a locker that looked like it came from a college student in Southern California had a fancy surfboard. I know when my grandmother died and my grandfather moved out of their house, we stored a bunch of stuff that wouldn’t fit in his new place in my mom’s garage and it took us years before we bothered to get through all of it. And sure enough, we found things like money hidden in weird drawers or behind paintings or whatever. And when my grandfather died, we went through much the same process. One of the things we found there was rather strange–some sort of weapon, we think, triangular blade where the edges aren’t sharp, but the point definitely is, so some sort of odd stabbing weapon in a woven scabbard. If we didn’t have space in the garage, I could see how we might have rented a locker, and if we had hit any sort of financial bump, we might have just let it go–and that might have been worth filming. Now is it possible that some lockers are seeded in some way? Sure, and I bet the temptation would get greater if they are filming a lot of duds, just to reduce costs. But taking Dave’s words at pure face value is saying “Ah ha! I’ve been saying you’ve been lying for years, but now what you’re saying is matching my preconceived opinions, therefore you must be telling the truth now!” ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/82 "2012-12-15T00:20:04Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I could see somebody having something valuable in their that they haven no idea it is valuable, maybe because it has been in their family for a long time or they just happened to pick it up because it looked cool. I agree that there should only be something pretty valuable in maybe 10% of them. Not the 80% hit rate they get on the show. I’m with Stink Fish Pot here. It just so happens that your ONE precious heirlooms (mixed in with your old clothes and crappy furniture) is a precious vase from 18th century China? It wasn’t a knockoff bought in 1987, or even a modest Italian piece that your grandmother bought in 1910. It is 200 years old? And it is the only vase in the locker? Plus, again, even if you are the most desperate crack addict in the world, you know that you have that vase in the locker. Beg, steal, or borrow the hundred bucks to pay your storage bill, get the vase out of the locker, and then let it all go to hell, pocketing the difference to support your crack habit. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/83 "2012-12-16T01:21:27Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > The few antique items that I am an expert on that I saw on the show were appraised reasonably correctly. For example, that recent Brunsviga arithmometer - I collect mechanical calculators, and know exactly what they’re worth. The appraiser gave the price of $300 - it’s a reasonable price, maybe a tiny bit high for the condition issues, but not wildly inaccurate. > > That said, appraisers sometimes are not interested in the stuff (not all appraisers have a resale store), and if they were they certainly are not interested in paying retail. Others though are way off. Darrell especially. In one they found a green Baja Mini-bike that he went on about how cool this was and it was so popular in the '70’s. I bought the exact same thing about 5 years ago at Dick’s sporting goods. Made in China and I think I paid right around $200. Lasted for a few months… got it fixed for about $50… lasted another few months. I’d be happy to give it away to clear out room in my storage barn. According to Darrell… “this will get $300 easy.” It also cracks me up when they find big speakers from the 20+ years ago. “These are by Fisher’s… these are good. Easily $150 each.” I sold those speakers in the '80’s and they were a down sell for someone who couldn’t afford the basic mid quality speakers like Technics… let alone the really good stuff. I think they went for more like $100… 30 years ago, brand new. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/84 "2012-12-16T01:41:44Z")
I can see seeding storage lockers as a cost-effective way to rig the show (I don’t watch it, but just had some thoughts on the matter.) While you could make the show work by filming large numbers of storage locker auctions and reveals, you’re wasting a lot of crew and camera time which has to be paid for. To save on your personnel and equipment rentals, you either only film locker auctions and reveals where you have a seeded item, or you do what someone said the pawnshop show does, and reenact the auction and reveal where you know something will be found, because it was found before it had to be reenacted and the camera crew was called in. All you have to do is make sure: value of seeded items (or even better rental cost of seeded item) \< $ value of saved crew time and equipment time …and you have an economical way of rigging the show. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/85 "2012-12-20T12:52:25Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I don’t watch it regularly anymore, but Hester was always the best part of the show to me. I had very little interest in the items and their worth - it was the chess game of bidding that I found fascinating. Watching Hester bid up the competition time and again, and then pull out in the nick of time, every time, was hilarious. I learned more from watching him than in the whole first year of negotiation training. > > Then young married guy (forget his name) _ **finally** _ caught on, and tried to do it back to him. But he loudly told his wife what he was doing mid-stream. Hester is a lot of things, and I never enjoyed his vindictiveness or malicious intent, but he is not the Maroon on that show. I don’t understand how as professionals they would get caught up in that hoopla. You would think that Hester, Darrell, and even Jared have enough experience now to look at the handful of items in a locker and then from past experience come up with a range of likely values in that locker, mentally calculate what profit margin they need and quickly decide, “Ok, I’ll pay a max of $2k for this locker or else I’m walking.” I can see amateurs getting caught up in price wars, but why the pros? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/86 "2012-12-20T14:49:15Z")
Because money was no longer an issue because: 1. The producers, according to Hester, offered “buyers assistance” to those who couldn’t pay, and 2. All the actors are getting paid per episode. If Hester is going to make $28k per episode, what does he care if a $300 locker goes for $900? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/87 "2012-12-20T14:52:37Z")
_Jared,_ thank you, that’s the kid. It was really pathetic how long it took him. I think he sort of idolized Hester at first, and thought he coudl do well by bidding on what he found to be valuable. Sweet kid, but stupid. I do know that the heat of an auction can be very tempting. Those auctioneers use that constant patter to keep the pace going fast, and it’s easy to forget that they want your money, and will wait while you make a decision. I would imagine that the added fear of being shown up on national television also made them rush ahead the first few times. Hester’s primary competitive advantage is his willngness to go home empty-handed. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/88 "2012-12-20T17:16:56Z")
Well here is the skinny on Darrel’s seemingly unlikely [$300,000](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/19/storage-wars-biggest-payout-ever-video_n_2328407.html) of art. For those of you unfamiliar Darrel bought a locker that turned out to have hundreds of paintings by a well-known Chicano artist, Frank Guttierez. Of course, given the recent claims by Hester, folks weren’t buying it. It turns out the locker was one of hidden from Guttierez by one of his ex’s 11 years ago. At least that’s the story. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/89 "2012-12-20T17:33:06Z")
I figured giving Darrel the $300,000 locker was the producer’s way of giving Hester a spanking for being disruptive. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/90 "2012-12-20T18:49:06Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I don’t watch it regularly anymore, but Hester was always the best part of the show to me. I had very little interest in the items and their worth - it was the chess game of bidding that I found fascinating. Watching Hester bid up the competition time and again, and then pull out in the nick of time, every time, was hilarious. I learned more from watching him than in the whole first year of negotiation training. I have a completely opposite read. His ego is so big and fragile that he is unable to express when he is wrong. When he loses an auction it’s always, “I didn’t want that crap I just wanted to run up the price.” When he wins a bit, it’s, “this is worth way more than I bid, everyone else is stupid.” I don’t believe him for a second. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/91 "2012-12-20T18:59:20Z")
At the end of the first season, the various bidders sat down with the producer at a table in a closed casino in Las Vegas for a friendly chat about their experiences bidding on storage lockers. It was broadcast as a wrap-up special and was very friendly and casual. Except for Dave Hester, who made a point of challenging the others, such as on how much money they had in their wallets, or how much their biggest score was. I can see why he is competitive during the regular shows; they are competing with each other for the most lucrative lockers, and for the end-of-show summary of who made the most money and who lost the most money. But there was no need to be competitive during that special. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/92 "2012-12-21T03:17:38Z")
> [@](#): > > such as a BMW Mini - Interesting because the couple of times I have seen where there was a vehicle in the unit, it was made clear by the auctioneer that the vehicle must be sold separately under California law. If the beautified female is Brandi, I’m not much impressed. Besides, she and Jarrod met while she was working in a strip club he managed (I read somewhere) so there might not have been much room for improvement. Bob ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/93 "2013-08-24T05:58:33Z")
Mr Yuuuuup’s lawsuit was thrown out this spring; he’s on the hook for $122,000 in court costs to A&E, according to the [wiki article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storage_Wars#Lawsuits): > [@](#): > > 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 stated that his claim of wrongful termination was not specific enough.[37] > > In July 2013, Hester’s lawsuit was ruled in favor of A&E and Original Productions. Hester was ordered to pay $122,262 in legal fees.[38] ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803/94 "2013-08-25T04:33:40Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > he’s on the hook for $122,000 in court costs to A&E In other words, a box of paperbacks, a bag of dirty laundry, and a 5" portable black and white TV. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yuuuuuppppp-storage-wars-is-fake/643803.md?page=4)