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A&E's "Storage Wars" is FAKE!
by Russell Scott - Feb. 12, 2012 |
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Although it may not come as a huge surprise that 'reality' TV is somewhat contrived, Storage Wars has taken it to a new level that places the entire industry in doubt.
Storage Wars is an American reality television series on the A&E Network that premiered in 2010. The show features auctioneers Dan Dotson and Laura Dotson, as well as auction hunters Dave Hester, Darrell Sheets, Barry Weiss, and the team of Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante. When rent is not paid on a storage locker for three months in California, the contents are sold by an auctioneer as a single lot of items. The show follows professional buyers who purchase the contents based only on a five-minute inspection and what they can see only from the door when it is opened. The goal is to turn a profit on the merchandise. Great concept, and the show is entertaining, the only problem being the show is completely fake. And I mean 100% phony...as for Brandi's breasts, the jury's still out on that one. Personally, I suspect they're real and they're spectacular! |
The show was started by Dan Dotson and his wife, Laura. Dan and Laura Dotson appear in every episode as the auctioneer and his wife. Dan has been been playing this role for nearly 40 years and is the owner of American Auctioneers.
Dan Dotson paid Dave Hester, Darrell Sheets, Barry Weiss, Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante $12,000 each for 6 episodes of Storage Wars in 2010. Of course these salaries are about 20X higher now and all the fake money they don't make each episode is peanuts to the real money A&E shells out.
This is where the reality ends and the fantasy begins.
The show is fake. The show is scripted. All the standby's that never seem to win a bid are simply extras placed there for atmosphere.
The lockers are loaded with unique and unusual items that are supplied by the very 'appraisers' that value them..and value them very high! The symbiotic relationship of lies and greed between the appraisers and Dan Dotson is the real genius of the show. The appraisals come from the owners of local specialty shops that get free advertising for their store while producing an inflated evaluation on the salvaged treasures. This gives the local store much needed exposure and Dan Dotson's real-life storage locker business filled with customers.
Dan Dotson is a skilled carny who uses all the crowd psychology tricks to separate his clientele from their hard-earned money and the appraisers are the stooges who shill the legitimacy of A&E's hit show.
So what!?
Dan Dotson paid Dave Hester, Darrell Sheets, Barry Weiss, Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante $12,000 each for 6 episodes of Storage Wars in 2010. Of course these salaries are about 20X higher now and all the fake money they don't make each episode is peanuts to the real money A&E shells out.
This is where the reality ends and the fantasy begins.
The show is fake. The show is scripted. All the standby's that never seem to win a bid are simply extras placed there for atmosphere.
The lockers are loaded with unique and unusual items that are supplied by the very 'appraisers' that value them..and value them very high! The symbiotic relationship of lies and greed between the appraisers and Dan Dotson is the real genius of the show. The appraisals come from the owners of local specialty shops that get free advertising for their store while producing an inflated evaluation on the salvaged treasures. This gives the local store much needed exposure and Dan Dotson's real-life storage locker business filled with customers.
Dan Dotson is a skilled carny who uses all the crowd psychology tricks to separate his clientele from their hard-earned money and the appraisers are the stooges who shill the legitimacy of A&E's hit show.
So what!?
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Well in a time that Barack Obama calls "the worst economy since The Great Depression", snake oil salesmen and purveyors of false hope lurk around every corner. Dan Dotson has increased his personal fortune by manipulating the audience into believing spending your rent money on a storage locker is a wise idea or a sound financial investment. This combined with what must be at least 50 programs that feature the buying and selling of junk/antiques and a culture of bullshit is born. People all over America are losing every dime they have to the false hope this show creates.
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End of story, right? Actually it gets worse; The Blatant breaking of The Sherman Act of 1890 and "bid rigging".
Bid rigging is the result of a conspiracy between two or more participants entered into for the purpose of artificially affecting auction prices. The parties' agreement to the scheme is the necessary keystone to establish a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Here are two important points about bid rigging that are not commonly known. First, a violation of the Sherman Act does not occur when a rigged bid is executed in an auction. The law is broken at the moment the conspiracy was formed by the co-conspirators. The Sherman Act outlaws a conspiracy made "in restraint of trade or commerce." The statute is triggered upon the parties' making an agreement to do what is impermissible, and it does not require execution of the plan.
Second, it is not necessary for the conspiracy to succeed for the Sherman Act to be violated. Again, the violation occurs immediately upon the parties making an agreement that is prohibited by law. If two or more would-be bidders conspire to depress bidding in an auction, they have violated the act even if their plan fails. Likewise, if an auctioneer and a shill, or a seller and an accomplice, conspire to artificially boost prices in an auction, a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act has occurred regardless of whether they gain a higher selling price.
Upon conviction, the statute provides for a "fine not exceeding $100,000,000 if a corporation, or, if any other person, $1,000,000, or by imprisonment not exceeding 10 years.
This show, for dramatic effect, breaks this law several times per episode! Every time Dave talks about running up the bid against Darrell, The Sherman Act of 1890 is broken.
As employee's of A&E, none of the cast are liable, however A&E is guilty of breaking The Sherman Antitrust Act as the corporation that hired and promoted the activity. A&E should be getting a 100 million dollar fine. Wait! It's fake remember, so A&E will never see such a fine, proving this show is nothing more than a "show" and not reality.
~ Russell Scott is the editor of The West Coast Truth & host of The West Coast Truth with Russell Scott
Bid rigging is the result of a conspiracy between two or more participants entered into for the purpose of artificially affecting auction prices. The parties' agreement to the scheme is the necessary keystone to establish a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Here are two important points about bid rigging that are not commonly known. First, a violation of the Sherman Act does not occur when a rigged bid is executed in an auction. The law is broken at the moment the conspiracy was formed by the co-conspirators. The Sherman Act outlaws a conspiracy made "in restraint of trade or commerce." The statute is triggered upon the parties' making an agreement to do what is impermissible, and it does not require execution of the plan.
Second, it is not necessary for the conspiracy to succeed for the Sherman Act to be violated. Again, the violation occurs immediately upon the parties making an agreement that is prohibited by law. If two or more would-be bidders conspire to depress bidding in an auction, they have violated the act even if their plan fails. Likewise, if an auctioneer and a shill, or a seller and an accomplice, conspire to artificially boost prices in an auction, a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act has occurred regardless of whether they gain a higher selling price.
Upon conviction, the statute provides for a "fine not exceeding $100,000,000 if a corporation, or, if any other person, $1,000,000, or by imprisonment not exceeding 10 years.
This show, for dramatic effect, breaks this law several times per episode! Every time Dave talks about running up the bid against Darrell, The Sherman Act of 1890 is broken.
As employee's of A&E, none of the cast are liable, however A&E is guilty of breaking The Sherman Antitrust Act as the corporation that hired and promoted the activity. A&E should be getting a 100 million dollar fine. Wait! It's fake remember, so A&E will never see such a fine, proving this show is nothing more than a "show" and not reality.
~ Russell Scott is the editor of The West Coast Truth & host of The West Coast Truth with Russell Scott
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Storage Wars is FAKE!
Featured Testimony
People, get a grip. Of course the concept is real. Some people make a living buying lockers and selling the contents. No question about it. But the Storage Wars TV show is just that. A TV show. The show depicts what can/might happen at an auction. My retired mom is a resident manager of a storage facility that they filmed at. The crew set-up a day in advance of filming and scoped out the place. They had access to empty lockers for filming. Multiple trucks showed up with "merchandise". A catering company was there along with tents and staging areas.
It was a full blown TV production. On the day of filming, every scene that you see from the first shots of the actors arriving in their vehicles to the conclusions are rehearsed and taped. Extra's were there to act as spectators and bidders. It was done during weekdays. Also, as CA law mandates, any storage locker lien sale has procedures that have to be followed. Once the locker has been delinquent, proper notification has to be sent to the tenant about the pending sale. When all requirements have been met, the manager has to enter the unit and inspect its contents. Any illegal items (drugs, weapons, etc..) have to be removed and reported to the authorities. Also, any motor vehicles, which include boats and jet ski's (actually, anything with a VIN) has to be handled separately and cannot be part of the locker auction.
A winner cannot enter the locker to "check it out" until after all fees have been paid. The TV show is scripted/staged in its entirety. No money changes hands because no real auctions have taken place. No money is made or lost. Yes, some of the actors have their own businesses, but they are paid actors for the show. The "finds" that you see on the show are there for your entertainment. They are usually items of interest or unusual things to keep the viewers watching.
Again, it is a TV show folks! The "experts" that they use are real businesses. The experts and Brandi's hoots are about the only "real" things on this show! LOL
B. Boater ~ Brentwood, California
It was a full blown TV production. On the day of filming, every scene that you see from the first shots of the actors arriving in their vehicles to the conclusions are rehearsed and taped. Extra's were there to act as spectators and bidders. It was done during weekdays. Also, as CA law mandates, any storage locker lien sale has procedures that have to be followed. Once the locker has been delinquent, proper notification has to be sent to the tenant about the pending sale. When all requirements have been met, the manager has to enter the unit and inspect its contents. Any illegal items (drugs, weapons, etc..) have to be removed and reported to the authorities. Also, any motor vehicles, which include boats and jet ski's (actually, anything with a VIN) has to be handled separately and cannot be part of the locker auction.
A winner cannot enter the locker to "check it out" until after all fees have been paid. The TV show is scripted/staged in its entirety. No money changes hands because no real auctions have taken place. No money is made or lost. Yes, some of the actors have their own businesses, but they are paid actors for the show. The "finds" that you see on the show are there for your entertainment. They are usually items of interest or unusual things to keep the viewers watching.
Again, it is a TV show folks! The "experts" that they use are real businesses. The experts and Brandi's hoots are about the only "real" things on this show! LOL
B. Boater ~ Brentwood, California
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