Storage Wars (stylized as STORAGE WAR$) is an American reality television competition series that airs on the A&E network. It premiered on December 1, 2010. The 17th season premiered February 28, 2026.
If rent is not paid on a storage locker for 36 days in California, the contents can be sold by an auctioneer as a single lot of items in the form of an auction. The show follows professional buyers who visit storage facilities throughout the state and bid on these lockers. Before each locker is auctioned, the buyers are given five minutes to inspect the contents from the doorway, but may not enter the locker or touch any of the items.
After the day's auctions are completed, the winning bidders sort through the lockers, estimating the prices they will set on the contents and/or consulting with experts for an appraisal of unusual items. Running totals on-screen display the cost versus the estimated total value, and a final tally at the end of the episode summarizes the buyers' net profit or loss.
History
Thom Beers is the executive producer and narrator of the show. He provides a quick explanation of the show's premise at the beginning and does a recap of the featured buyers' profits or losses at the end of each episode. He has stated that the series avoids delving into behind-the-scenes stories of the lockers' original owners because "all you see is misery there, and I didn't want to trade on that". In the United States, Storage Wars premiered on A&E on December 1, 2010.
Season one of Storage Wars consisted of 19 episodes, 17 of which were filmed at various self-storage facilities throughout Southern California. The show enjoyed ratings success, and its second-season premiere attracted 5.1million total viewers, making it the most-watched program in A&E's history to that point.
Storage Wars was recommissioned for another 26-episode season, which premiered on June 5, 2012. Only 20 of the 26 episodes were aired however, with six of the episodes being held back for broadcast during the second half of the show's season which began airing on December 4, 2012.
Storage Wars concluded its season on January 30, 2019, and there initially was no news regarding a season renewal. A season was eventually announced in March 2021 and premiered on April 20. Season 14 premiered on November 2, 2021, with Barry Weiss returning as a buyer, after departing the series in 2013 during season 4.
Season 15 aired 24 episodes and concluded on August 15, 2023. A 16th season premiered on June 7, 2025, with the series transitioning to an hour-long format. The season includes the return of buyer Dave Hester, absent since the conclusion of season 12.
Spin-offs
Several spin-off series were also produced, most of them airing on A&E: Storage Wars: Texas (2011–14) Storage Wars: New York (2013) Storage Wars: Canada (originally aired on OLN from 2013 to 2015; re-runs aired as Storage Wars: Northern Treasures on A&E) Barry'd Treasure (2014) Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job (2014) Storage Wars: Miami (2015) Storage Wars France: Enchères surprises (aired on 6ter)
Participants
Name Known As Spinoff Occupation Seasons 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Dave Hester The Mogul Buyer colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="8" colspan="3" colspan="2" Darrell Sheets The Gambler Buyer colspan="15" colspan="2" Brandon Sheets The Sidebet Buyer colspan="9" colspan="8" Jarrod Schulz The Young Guns Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job Buyers colspan="13" colspan="4" Brandi Passante colspan="17" Barry Weiss The Collector Barry'd Treasure Buyer colspan="4" colspan="9" colspan="2" colspan="2" Dan and Laura Dotson American Auctioneers Auctioneers colspan="17" Ivy Calvin The King Buyer colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="13" Rene and Casey Nezhoda The Bargain Hunters Buyers colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="12" colspan="1" Mary Padian The Junkster Storage Wars: Texas Buyer colspan="4" colspan="9" colspan="3" colspan="1" Kenny Crossley Buyer colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="5" colspan="8" Emily Wears Auctioneer colspan="9" colspan="3" colspan="5" Shana Dahan and Edwina Registre The Vegas Ladies Buyers colspan="10" colspan="2" colspan="5" Justin Bryant The Rookie Buyer colspan="10" colspan="2" colspan="5" Lisa Delarios Buyer colspan="12" colspan="3" colspan="2" Dusty Riach Buyer colspan="13" colspan="2" colspan="2" Lupe Riach Buyer colspan="14" colspan="1" colspan="2" Emily Pokoj Buyer colspan="16" colspan="17" Mark Balelo Rico Suavé Buyer colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="13" Nabila Haniss Paris Hilton Buyer colspan="1" colspan="3" colspan="13" Jeff Jarred Buyer colspan="2" colspan="1" colspan="14" Herb Brown and Mike Karlinger The Tank Top Twins Buyer colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="13" Mark and Matt Harris The Harris Brothers Buyers colspan="2" colspan="2" colspan="13" Earl and Johan Graham Auctioneers colspan="3" colspan="1" colspan="13" Mavrick Harvey Buyer colspan="6" colspan="2" colspan="9"
Main buyers
Dave Hester
David Hester, also known as The Mogul (seasons 1–3; seasons 5–12; season 16–): At the start of the series, Hester owned Newport Consignment Gallery in Costa Mesa, California and the Rags to Riches thrift store, but closed them in June 2011. He now operates his own auction house, Dave Hester Auctions. Hester has had confrontations with the other main buyers, especially Darrell and Brandon Sheets, and is known to frequently raise bids when somebody else wants to buy a storage unit. Hester's son Dave Jr. occasionally appeared on the show with him. Dave Hester's signature catchword is a loud "YUUUP!" when making a bid. He has this word imprinted on his trucks, T-shirts, and hats. Hester's call originated from him being a bid-catcher in auction facilities, helping auctioneers spot bidders in a crowd. In December 2012, Hester was fired from the show, and sued the show's producers for wrongful termination; part of his lawsuit was tossed out in March 2013. Hester did not appear in season 4 but returned for season 5.
Darrell Sheets
Darrell Sheets (May 13, 1958 – April 22, 2026), also known as The Gambler (seasons 1–15): A storage auction veteran from San Diego. His catchphrase was "This is the WOW factor!" and he made the occasional malapropism. He made his living by selling items from his purchased lockers at his weekly swap meet, and through his online store. In an interview, Sheets indicated that some of his biggest finds in lockers included a sizable comic book collection, four drawings by Pablo Picasso, and a letter written by Abraham Lincoln that sold for over . Darrell was often accompanied by his son Brandon, also known as The Sidebet. In later seasons, Brandon attended auctions on his own and also bid against his father for the same units.
In the season-two special "Unlocked: Sell High", Darrell revealed that he once found a plastic-wrapped human corpse in a storage locker. It was determined that the previous owner of the locker had murdered his wife and left her in the unit. In the season three finale, Darrell bought a locker for , which was discovered to have contained many pieces of original artwork by Frank Gutierrez. The artwork wound up being appraised for approximately , resulting in the .
After dealing with congestive heart failure, Sheets suffered a mild heart attack in 2019, he retired from the show and moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona to operate the antique shop Havasu Show Me Your Junk. However, he made guest appearances up until season 15 in 2023. Sheets was found dead on April 22, 2026, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at his home in Lake Havasu. There were no drugs found in his system when he died as the toxicology report came back as negative. Prior to his death, Sheets left a suicide note alleging that he was being cyberbullied.
Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante
Jarrod Schulz (seasons 1—13) and Brandi Passante (seasons 1—), also known as The Young Guns: At the start of the series, Schulz and Passante owned and operated the Now and Then thrift store in Orange, California. In the fourth season, they opened a second location in Long Beach, California, but in the premiere of season 5, it was revealed that the Long Beach store had not made a profit since opening day, putting the pair in financial jeopardy. The Long Beach store is shown to have closed during the opening segment of the episode aired on April 8, 2014. Their Orange store also permanently closed in early 2016. On April 24, 2014, A&E premiered the special Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job, which focuses on the two balancing running their business and raising their two children. The special led to a spin-off series of the same name, premiering on August 12, 2014. Though identified on-screen as husband and wife in some episodes, Schulz and Passante never actually married. They have two children, Cameron and Payton. In the season 13 premiere, it is revealed that Jarrod and Brandi had broken up, but they continued to bid separately.
Barry Weiss
Barry Weiss, also known as The Collector (seasons 1–4; season 14–15): Weiss and his brother owned a successful produce company until he retired. Weiss is a lifelong antiques collector, but he had never bought a storage unit until his friend and Storage Wars executive producer and narrator Thom Beers suggested that he join the show. On June 25, 2013, it was reported that Weiss would not return to the show for season 5 and that he was leaving the series. In February 2014, A&E announced that Weiss would be starring in his own spin-off series, titled Barry'd Treasure. Weiss is godfather to Jesse James, the customizer and firearms manufacturer.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: He is also the "official spokesperson" and "brand ambassador" for Sherwood Valley Casino in Willits, California. He returned in season 14 as a regular on the first episode.
Ivy Calvin
Ivy Calvin, also known as The King (seasons 3–): Calvin joined the show during season 3 just after Dave Hester's departure, and became one of the main buyers during season 5. A former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and arena football player, he owns the Grandma's Attic thrift store in Palmdale, California. Calvin's son, Ivy Jr., often joins him on the show. Calvin also often teams up with Mary Padian, whom he refers to as his "BFF".
Rene Nezhoda and Casey Nezhoda
Rene Nezhoda’ and Casey Nezhoda, also known as The Bargain Hunters (seasons 4-16): The husband-and-wife team joined the show during season 4, and became main buyers in season 5. A native of Germany, Rene owned the Bargain Hunters thrift store in Poway, California, near San Diego until its closing in 2021. As of the eleventh season, Casey only appears as a semi-regular cast member, with Rene often attending the auctions by himself. They have one child, Tatiana, who has accompanied both parents on several episodes between her teenage and college age years.
Mary Padian
Mary Padian, also known as The Junkster (seasons 5–13, 17-present): A former regular of the spin-off series Storage Wars: Texas, Padian joined the cast in season 5, appearing in three episodes while on a visit to Long Beach in January 2014. In the sixth season, Padian became a main buyer. Mary Padian is the proprietor of Mary's Finds, an antique and furniture restoration business. Several episodes have shown Padian restoring items taken from the units she has purchased, through to the sale to the intended buyer. Padian is close friends with Ivy Calvin, who she often calls "BFF". In season 12, she teams up with Jenny Grumbles, a former Storage Wars: Texas buyer, to purchase a unit. In season 13, Padian was a guest on the first episode.
Kenny Crossley