About 500 episodes in, Pawn Stars still attracts a dedicated audience of history buffs and
hagglers.
While the show presents itself like a documentary series about a genuine high-end pawn shop,
there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes that the cameras just ignore.
So, what's the truth about what really happens at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop?
Bad for business
When the crew shoots an episode of Pawn Stars, parts of the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn
Shop temporarily close to the public, which can sometimes mean a real interruption of
business.
According to shop manager Travis Benton, sales to real customers suffer because of the show,
since filming takes place every weekday, two to five times per day.
Benton also estimated that "one out of a hundred" people who pass through the shop are actually
there to do business.
The rest are just there as fans of the show.
Rick Harrison backed that up big time in an interview with Las Vegas Now, claiming his
shop
"...competes with the 'Welcome to Las Vegas' sign for the number one non-gaming tourist
attraction in Las Vegas."
And it seems to be true.
Lines routinely extend down the sidewalk, and sources report that they can sometimes
take up to three hours to get through.
But visitors should should also be aware that if they're waiting hours to catch a glimpse
of their favorite Pawn Star, their chances aren't great.
Traveller reports,
"Occasionally one of the superstars will come out from the back (where they produce the
show every working day) and sign autographs for about an hour."
But before you start thinking that the shop is in danger of going out of business because
most of their customers are just there to gawk, keep in mind that the store draws 4,000
to 5,000 visitors a day.
Not to mention Harrison told Las Vegas Now,
"I'm at a point in my life where, if I don't like it, I don't have to do it."
And Pawn Stars isn't super famous in just America, either.
An international hit
Having now been translated into 38 languages, and aired in 150 countries, Pawn Stars is
a bonafide international hit.
In fact, Harrison claims he's currently suffering the pains of super-stardom.
"[I've] been mobbed by people in Buenos Aires, the Philippines, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi.
Everywhere in the world, people know the show."
The guys even did an Asian tour in 2013, during which Las Vegas Now said they were, quote,
"greeted as if they were the reunited Beatles."
And according to OKJ Discoveries, fans lined up for hours at various meet-and-greet events
attended by Harrison and his son, Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison, all just for the chance to
lay eyes upon the reality stars.
It's pretty remarkable to think that a TV show about old junk could turn a couple of
guys from a pawn shop into megastars on par with rock and roll legends.
The Pawn Stars pitch
Rick Harrison says he always knew TV exposure was good for business.
That's why he starred in a 2001 PBS documentary and agreed to be on Comedy Central's Insomniac
in 2003 before coming up with the idea to pitch an entire show based on the daily goings-on
of his shop.
The original concept for Pawn Stars started on HBO, but after a disastrous pilot and the
expiration of his contract, Harrison turned to Leftfield Productions, the company that
still produces the show today.
Harrison told The Star-Telegram,
"I figured that a show would mean free publicity and free publicity would mean more business.
But everyone told me that no one wants to watch a show about four fat guys in a pawnshop."
Millions of dollars in profits later, whoever turned Harrison down couldn't have been more
wrong.
A wild Chumlee appears
Despite his legal troubles, Chumlee is far and away the fan favorite of Pawn Stars.
Even Harrison knows this, as he once told The Star-Telegram that tourists often opt
for the Chumlee merchandise.
"I put my pants on two legs at a time."
But Chumlee wasn't always part of the plan.
He told Las Vegas Now that the show was originally just a family gig until they started looking
for a fourth cast member, saying,
"...they were looking for a fourth person to put in the show, and I thought to myself,
well, I've known these guys my whole life.
We have good camaraderie, and I'm going to be funny and joke with them like we would
normally do, and not get nervous in front of the cameras, and it kind of worked out."
And by "kind of worked out" he means he became a multi-millionaire.
"See ya later dork."
Sued by their agents
The pawn business is a dirty game, but the entertainment industry is worse, especially
in the cutthroat world of celebrity representation.
In 2012, all three Harrisons as well as Chumlee were sued by their ex-manager Wayne Jefferies,
who claimed that the Pawn Stars crew dropped him after a dust-up concerning his handling
of their response to A&E's spinoff show, Cajun Pawn Stars.
History Channel was also sued by a talent agency called Venture IAB, whose lawsuit alleged
that network execs worked with another agent to lure the guys away from them.
Jefferies sought "unspecified damages," but Venture IAB sued for "for more than $5 million."
Harrison didn't seem to be fazed by either lawsuit, telling Fox News,
"The more money you make, the more times people sue you.
People are always going to…eventually go to sue you for something."
And when it comes to defending himself in court, we're sure he's got a guy for that.
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