Storage Wars took the reality TV scene by storm, in 2010, quickly becoming the network's
biggest non-fiction show. Characters like Darrell "The Gambler" Sheets and Dave "The
Mogul" Hester became household names. So what were they like before they got famous making
money off of other people's junk? We've got your winning bid on the cast of Storage Wars.
As fans of the show well know, things can sometimes get heated when the Storage Wars
bidders start battling over a locker. And that's when Dan and Laura Dotson have to crack
the whip. It was the husband-and-wife auctioneer team that first captured the attention of
the critics, praised for their professionalism and winning personalities. USA Today reported,
"The attention [that] the Dotsons command is impressive; tattooed toughs are hushed
by Dan's barrel-chested patter and Laura's impossibly sunny demeanor."
Dan and Laura's love story began — where else — at an auction. Dan told Storage Auctions,
"I met [Laura] first in 1993. She would come and buy restaurant equipment because she […] owned
a couple of restaurants. By the third or fourth time I met her, I realized I needed to ask
her out and hoped my timing was right, and by the second date, she never left."
Laura took over for Dan at an auction when he fell ill one day, and the rest is history.
"She's stealin' my thunder!" "I was just helping you find the bids."
Jarrod Schulz began dabbling in storage auctions with former partner Brandi Passante when his
previous career was cut short. He explained to IOL,
"I was in the mortgage and real estate industry for, like, nine years. Unfortunately, some
time ago, the mortgage industry in California fell apart. I was still working for a mortgage
company when I bought my first storage unit and it was kind of just because I had nothing
to do all day."
"Use your head."
"We'll see."
Schulz and Passante turned a profit and caught the auction bug. Before long, they had amassed
so much stuff that their own storage units were at capacity. The couple then opened the
Now and Then Second-Hand Store in Orange County together. A second location in Long Beach
soon followed. Schulz recalled,
"We were already out there running a business and buying storage units when we were approached
by the executive producer [of Storage Wars] at an auction. We were asked if we could speak
for a few minutes on camera, and I guess we said the right thing!"
Brandi Passante had been separated from the father of her two kids, Jarrod Schulz, for
over two years when she appeared on Spirit Talk, in 2021. She happily dished about her
love life, and she gave viewers a rare glimpse into her past, too. The reality star revealed
that she had a tough childhood in Texas, where she often felt like an outsider, even at home.
She shared,
"I was constantly questioning if I was adopted or something, because I just felt like I never
belonged in that situation. Some people just kind of, I guess, accept their lot in life,
and I just never could."
"I'm going all in on this one."
"I need a straight-jacket and a muzzle."
She previously told MyLifetime.com that she was a shy kid, which will likely come as a
surprise to fans of Storage Wars and its short-lived spin-off series, Brandi & Jarrod: Married
to the Job. Passante has always held her own among the hustle and bustle of the boys, but
it appears she's more reserved in public. She revealed that her Storage Wars fame has
been both good and bad, telling The Orange County Register,
"Sometimes you just want to go to the grocery store- and pick up some milk."
Mary Padian joined Storage Wars: Texas in 2011 and switched over to the main series
upon the spin-off's cancellation in 2014. Nicknamed "The Junker" by A&E, the Dallas
native graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in journalism and then moved
to New York, where she landed a job as Assistant Editor at Architectural Digest. Five years
later, she returned to Dallas and opened up a store called Mary's Finds.
As her website bio notes, Padian sold vintage as well as upcycled furniture, which caught
the eye of a Storage Wars producer who happened to be passing by one day. Padian told D Magazine,
"She came in and said, 'Do you fix all this stuff up yourself?' I was like, 'Yeah.' She
didn't tell me who she was or anything. The next day, she came in with someone else. They
were just going to do, like, a how-to on their website. And then the rest is history."
"You mess with the bull, you get the horns." "I am the bull. Outta my way, rodeo clown."
She's best-known for her appearances on the main show nowadays, but Padian is still super
close with the people she worked with on Storage Wars: Texas. She said,
"All the film guys are like my brothers now."
Known as "The Bargain Hunters," husband-and-wife team Rene and Casey Nezhoda joined Storage
Wars for Season 4 and quickly became fan favorites. Rene, who was born in Germany, discussed how
he achieved the American dream via storage auctions, telling TV Shows Ace,
"You get out of it what you put into it, and America provides you with the opportunity
to work hard and then be successful. This business, really, anybody can do it."
"We're trying to have positive energy here, ok?"
"Sorry."
When it comes to the Nezhodas, business is booming. According to the duo, that's because
they have always been the, quote, "real deal." They told the outlet,
"Other people got in the business after 2008 because they needed a job, but didn't really
know what they were doing. We have been doing this our whole lives and Rene has been buying
and selling since [he was] 11 years old. Plus, you can't get involved in that 'I am famous'
attitude."
Darrell "The Gambler" Sheets has more than lived up to his moniker, creating some of
the show's most memorable moments by taking chances on units. They don't always work out,
but one such gamble paid off big time during Season 3. Sheets shelled out $3,600 for a
locker that turned out to be chock full of artwork by Mexican painter Frank Gutierrez.
As History noted,
"The drawings, paintings, and decorated objects were estimated by an expert as having a total
value of somewhere near three hundred thousand dollars, making Darrell's the most successful
buy on the show to date."
"Hold on just a minute. Three hundred thousand dollars? … Bam!"
The fine art find marked a high point in a career that began when Sheets was told that
he would never cut it in landscaping. After his boss fired him and redirected him toward
bidding, he recalled to River Scene magazine,
"From the very first locker I ever bought, I tripled my money. And I was like, 'Whoa,
I'm onto something.'"
"Larry Bird basketball, baby!"
As Sheetz shared with fans, he suffered two mini heart attacks and underwent heart surgery
in 2019, so fans were thrilled to see him appear in the cast for Season 13.
Once best-known as "The Sidebet" on Storage Wars, Darrell's son Brandon Sheets simply
accompanied his dad to auctions during the early seasons of the show. But as time went
on he began to stake his claim, even bidding against the man who taught him everything
he knows. But Brandon actually struggled to be taken seriously before finding reality
TV fame. He told History,
"It's a tough game to get into, more senior guys will try to run you out of the business
if they don't like you. They'll trick you into spending all your money on things that
just won't sell."
"Being a gambler isn't just about winning."
"It isn't?"
"Have you not been listening to anything I say?"
Brandon claimed that he would never leave the game, but these days he's working a far
more regular job. As he confirmed in an Instagram post, he's now a driver for UPS. He said,
"I love what I do, from customer interactions to making sure people are getting their products
[and] merchandise. [...] This is what makes me happy."
By Season 11, Storage Wars was ready for some young blood, and that's what led producers
to longtime friends Edwina and Shana. They joined the show in 2017 after their YouTube
channel Thrifters Anonymous caught the eye of network brass. The duo — who are both
insurance brokers by trade — quickly won over fans with an unbeatable chemistry that
goes all the way back to high school. Their show bio reads:
"Shana was the new kid in the high school orchestra who found herself a seat on the
bus next to Edwina, another viola player. The two hit it off instantly and have been
nearly inseparable ever since."
"I can't believe nobody wanted this s---."
"Well, I can kinda believe it."
Shana went on to study at UNLV and later earned a Master's degree in business administration
from the University of Phoenix, where her bestie also studied. Edwina completed her
Bachelor's degree in criminal justice and corrections there, later joining the U.S.
Army as a combat medic.
If you assumed that Dave "The Mogul" Hester was pretty much the same guy before Storage
Wars made him and his catchphrase famous, you'd be correct. According to The Orange
County Register, the reality star first hit the swap meet scene with his dad in 1969.
Hester had been in the auction business for decades when A&E approached him, and, like
his fellow bidders on the show, he remembers the first time fondly, telling Online Storage
Auctions,
"I made good money and I was hooked."
"YUUUP!"
He went on to get involved in the other side of the industry, landing a job as an auction
house bid catcher. He told the outlet,
"I used the YUUUP! yell so the auctioneer would know I had a bidder."
Hester's "YUUUP!" quickly became synonymous with the show, and he happily fell into the
role of resident villain.
Ivy Calvin began appearing at auctions during Season 3. A regular by Season 5, the series
was a good fit for Calvin, who was once a promising football player. He signed with
the San Jose SabreCats of the Arena Football League after a successful stint as a linebacker
at Cal State Northridge. After becoming a SabreCat in 1995, the team went on to win
the American Conference West Division that year, but indoor football wasn't Calvin's
calling. Neither was Mixed Martial Arts, though he decided to give that a go, too.
"I'm the black Hercules. That's what I do. M-O-N-E-Y."
He left sports behind and set his sights on the world of auctions, selling the stuff he
managed to snag for a profit. In 2009, he stopped delaying the inevitable and opened
up his very own thrift store, Grandma's Attic, in Palmdale. It was the success of his shop
that put him on A&E's radar, and he remains one of the show's biggest stars to this day.
"Ivy is clearly a player. But hey. I like to play too."
They call him "The Collector" on the series, and that's because Barry Weiss was rich long
before the premise of the show had even been dreamed up. Unlike the other bidders, who
are all hoping to come across something of value they can sell for a profit, Weiss wanted
to find treasure worth keeping, hence his nickname. He's been able to amass quite the
collection over the years, and he has fruit and vegetables to thank for it all. He told
AOL,
"I owned a produce company, and we exported and imported, my brother and myself. I was
in the produce business for 20, 25 years."
With the money rolling in, Weiss was jet-setting around the globe when Storage Wars producers
discovered him. He ended up featuring in four seasons of the show before getting his own
spin-off that saw him scoot around the country looking for unique collectables. Unfortunately
for fans of Weiss, Barry'd Treasure ended after a short eight-episode run. Next came
Storage Wars: Barry Strikes Back, which lasted a little longer at ten episodes but was equally
forgettable. Weiss was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in 2019 but it didn't
stop him from making a shocking return for Season 13 in 2021.
It was a chance encounter with Barry Weiss that led Louisiana native Kenny Crossley to
a life as a Storage Wars bidder. He used to work for the New Orleans Sheriff's Department
according to his A&E bio, but he apparently fell out of love with the job. Looking for
a fresh start, he relocated to Los Angeles and got himself a gig managing storage facilities
— which is where Weiss enters the picture. The pair struck up a friendship, and when
Weiss once needed someone to help him open a jammed locker, Crossley was on hand.
It was during this episode that one of Crossley's catchphrases was born. Aware that Weiss was
swearing a lot in front of the cameras, Crossley said, quote, "Watch your profamity!" He now
sells the T-shirt version of the phrase, or, like Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson,
you can grab yourself a "Kenny do it" tee instead.
"After doing the numbers, that's a ninety percent chance I won't regret buying this."
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