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Former Cast Member’s Lawsuit Claims A&E’s ‘Storage Wars’ Show Is Rigged

Dec. 11, 2012 5:16pm Jason Howerton

David Hesters Lawsuit Claims A&Es Storage Wars Show Is Rigged

Dave Hester of Storage Wars (Credit: Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES (TheBlaze/AP) — Some of the valuables found hidden in abandoned lockers on A&E’s “Storage Wars” have been added by producers to deceive viewers, a former cast member of the show claims in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

David Hester’s suit claims producers have added a BMW Mini and newspapers chronicling Elvis Presley’s death to lockers in order to build drama for the show and that his complaints about the practices led to his firing.

Hester is seeking more than $750,000 in his wrongful termination, breach of contract and unfair business practices lawsuit. A&E Television Network declined comment, citing the pending lawsuit.

“Storage Wars” follows buyers who bid for abandoned storage lockers hoping to find valuables tucked inside.

“A&E regularly plants valuable items or memorabilia,” the lawsuit states. Hester’s suit claims he was fired from participating in the series’ fourth season after expressing concerns that manipulating the storage lockers for the sake of the show was illegal.

He claims that producers stopped adding items to his units after his initial complaints but continued the practice for other series participants. The lawsuit alleges entire units have been staged and the practice may violate a federal law intended to prevent viewers from being deceived when watching a show involving intellectual skills.

“Storage Wars” depicts buyers having only a few moments to look into an abandoned unit before deciding on whether to bid on it at auction. The lawsuit claims some of the auction footage on the show is staged.

The clip below will give you an idea what “Storage Wars” is all about:

Nielsen Co. has ranked “Storage Wars” among cable television’s top-ranked shows several times since its 2010 debut.

Hester, known as “The Mogul” on the show, has been buying abandoned storage units and re-selling their contents for 26 years, according to the suit. His trademark “yuuup!” made him one of the most recognizable figures on the show.

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Comments (111)

Eric_The_Red_State
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:30pm
Dammit – and after all that time holding up Brandi Passante’s picture with one hand — it’s not REAL??

I
Am
Crushed

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- The-Monk
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:55pm
  Let me be the first to say it…..
  
  Mr Yuuuuuuuuuuup got duuuuuuuuuuumped. : )
  
  Report this comment
- ron2win
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 7:29pm
  I don’t care ,Brandi is still hot as far as I am concerned .The auctioneers woman is also hot .Noticed she is leaving her two top buttons undone now. The effect is eye riveting QQ
  
  Report this comment
- oldguy49
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 10:14pm
  tell me it ain’t so……..does this mean that jersey shore bridezilla and sweet boo boo are also rigged…………………….if you watch this crap you deserve to be decieved
  
  Report this comment
- amtsoundsmith
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:55pm
  BENZY_BENZ- No one cares about your roommates stupid half sister. Shove your ad up your @ss.
  
  Report this comment
- BlessedONE333
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 4:37am
  Matthew 5:28
  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
  
  Report this comment
- Gorp
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 5:55am
  NOOO! They wouldn’t rig a show just for ratings would they? NOOO! Now I’m crushed.
  
  Report this comment
- Ballot_Box_Revolution
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 8:14am
  Who cares?!?! I assumed that for a while…..What i can say is it is one of very few shows that I can watch and not feel like I am being indoctrinated while watching.
  
  That being said i wish they wouldn’t plant stuff…
  
  Report this comment
- naughtycal
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 8:50am
  blessed,
  Let me say unto you it doesn’t matter where thou get thine appetite as long as thou eateth at home…cal: 4:11
  
  Report this comment
- naughtycal
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 8:53am
  I told my girl they get focus groups together to create these artifical reality shows. She didn’t believe me I guess we see that I hit that nail square on the head.
  
  Report this comment
- mikem1969
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:15am
  It is a freaking reality show, yes some of it is rigged. Anyone with a brain would know that.
  
  Report this comment
- TAXEVERYONE
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:36am
  Is there really a Federal law that protects viewers from being deceived when their intellectual skills are involved?
  If so, then maybe it might apply to the last election!
  
  Report this comment
- Go Glenn
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:44am
  Well anyone with any sense would know that the show is rigged.
  
  I used to watch it too but it became obvious that some of the stuff was planted.
  
  Why would anyone leave expensive items in a locker, abandoned, instead of just removing them before the deadline? Sure if the item is huge they may not have another place to store it but small things like jewelry would be easily moved to an apartment.
  
  The lockers may have even been “stuffed” by the storage facility. This would drive up insterest and enthusiasm in their auctions.
  
  Lots of people stood to gain….producers, auctioneers, locker owners, etc
  
  Report this comment
- Chunkyrhyno
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:49pm
  He has to sue,,,,,,,,the man is broke! he pretends to have the most money but he’s drowning in debt, that is why he downgraded. He barely was able to pay for all the “yuuup” merchandise he thought people would buy,,,,,,,,,,,why would you wear anything with “yuuuuup” on it? He’s own family cant even stand his attitude. I hope he win some money so he can pay for his truck note,,,if not, ill be knocking on your door Dave. I know you remember me when I took your ride…….see ya soon Dave
  
  Report this comment
PhilipJames
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:28pm
He is a jerk, was always a jerk on the show, he must be hard up for money because he almost went out of business during last season and had to close his store. Money grubber.

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- just my opinion maybe not yours
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 7:27pm
  He sold his store!
  
  Report this comment
- ron2win
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 7:37pm
  I read on celebrity net worth yup was worth five mill ,barry twelve mill, j& b two hundred fiftythou and darrel a mill and a half .I think barry should have his own show ,doing almost anything.He has lived a very interesting life and knows a slew of celbs for what ever reason .He is a very interesting person with a lot of quirks .
  
  Report this comment
- francisco
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 10:57pm
  Hester is a mogul my eye, he’s just an a@#. Barry has also got some of the best cars I have seen in awhile.
  
  Report this comment
- drs1969
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:31pm
  No doubt Barry’s the richest of all. He always bids too much.
  
  Report this comment
Whiteeagle
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:18pm
I kept thinking … it’s time for some of these guys that have no money & bad luck, to find something big ……… Noowww I understand !! … lol !!!

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- AnOregonian
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 7:31pm
  It’s the WOW factor baby!!!
  
  Report this comment
Liberalismsamentaldisorder
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:15pm
Wait just a GD minute here!
Are you all saying what I see on TV isn’t real?
I just can’t believe that.

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- jens63
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:31pm
  Exactly, the show might be pretty boring otherwise. I look at it to learn about antique collectibles and even contemporary things of value. I expect them to plant those things to give the show interest.
  
  Report this comment
- topperj
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 8:42pm
  If it’s a “reality” show, you can be sure it’s fake. House Hunters, Pawn Stars, etc. They’re all fake.
  
  Report this comment
- Rikkif
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 9:36am
  but but it’s reality tv!
  
  Report this comment
Mommaofmany
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:15pm
One of my friends was contacted to do an appraisal of an item that Barry found. He gave his honest assessment and Barry got mad, because the item was worthless. He cussed at my friend and they retook the scene several times until he gave them an “appraisal” that satisfied Barry. My friend didn’t want to lie, so he prefaced it with “”to the right buyer at just the right time, [this item] might bring in X amount of dollars”. It’s all staged, from start to finish. That can’t actually surprise anyone, though.

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- drs1969
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:34pm
  Barry has the Anti-Midas Touch. He pays too much for almost every locker. If I were that dumb, I’d be mad too.
  
  Report this comment
freepr008
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:11pm
” The lawsuit alleges entire units have been staged and the practice may violate a federal law intended to prevent viewers from being deceived when watching a show involving intellectual skills.”

Intellectual skills? From the cast or the viewers?

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- Max jones
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 8:44pm
  maybe the producers?
  
  Report this comment
Saving_the_Republic.com
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:08pm
Dave Hester is a certified jerk. There are tons of complaints about him and his business on the net. I wouldnt take his word with a grain of sand in the Sahara.

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- Pokerjoe
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:25pm
  He just wants a big payday
  
  Report this comment
- drs1969
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:36pm
  He may be jerk, but he’s smarter than most.
  
  Report this comment
TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:05pm
I watch the show; from the beginnng, it has obviously been rigged. I don’t care, Barry is a crack-up and the Sheets family is as well. The auctioneers can be funny at times too.

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- The-Monk
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:18pm
  Hi TRONINTHEMORNING,
  
  Did trollmonger ever call your radio show?
  
  Report this comment
teawithjill
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:02pm
Glad Dave is gone, he ruined the show for me I stopped watching, maybe I’ll try again. Barry was my fav.

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TheEDGE
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:56pm
Reality TV makes the WWE look like some real high brow entertainment. At least wrasslin’ would give ya a wink ;)

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- sexyvixen21
  Posted on December 12, 2012 at 2:23pm
  I always thought the WWE was real….until about 2 years ago, when I had front row seats. :(
  
  Report this comment
ronbo51
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:50pm
Brandi’s kinda hot though

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Baddoggy
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:48pm
Many years ago I bought storage lockers. I made money sometime. The best was 3 lockers I bought for 5.00 each that had boxes of rocks in them. I sold them on Ebay for years and made about 25,000.00. Many of the sealed boxes were polished rocks and minera;s….Took me forever to sell all of them but I made a tom of monsy…And so did the IRS…Nowadays there are too many people at the auctions and people have wised up and dont leave anything but crap in the lockers. You can buy a lot of junk for bi\g bucks now…You cannot make money unless you are damn lucky. The show is total BS

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- Max jones
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 9:07pm
  I used to buy at an electronics surplus in Dallas. Bought a pallet of boxes marked ‘LTV’. They built military aircraft. In the boxes I found several hundred 40 strand wiring harnesses, Both ends, of each strand, were tipped with 12k gold multi pin contact plugs. Ended up with a 20 oz ingot. That was 20 yrs ago. So it wasn’t worth all that much. But that still is my best score.
  
  Report this comment
- drs1969
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:40pm
  I went to a few before this show ever came out and the bids were ridiculous then. This show is just like the house flipping ones. It tells you the market peak has already been reached.
  
  Report this comment
bikerr
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:42pm
I’ve bought two storage units 1 for 10.00 $–sold about 750.00 and still selling.
Another for 60.00 and still selling stuff after 600.00$. It can be done just buy wisely.

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- drs1969
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:46pm
  Maybe bad weather or lucky timing helps. Several years ago, I was driving by a facility on Easter Sunday and saw an Amana Refrigerator w/ a FREE sign on it. Fan motor needed oil and it worked like new. Put it in a rental house. It was worth about $150. All it cost me was a few drops of oil!
  Any other day and it would have been gone before I passed by.
  
  Report this comment
right-wing-waco
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:35pm
Duh, everything in Hollywood and on TV is “staged”.

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seek.the.truth
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:34pm
Already had it figured out Hester. Also already knew that you were a big whiny baby. I only watch the show to see Barry and he never makes any money — the funniest part of the show.

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acdcguy
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:34pm
Wow I’m shocked!!!!!! Watched it once and that was enough,,,,,

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txannie
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:34pm
He may have been one of the best recognized because of his mouth, but he was NOT the most liked. Not that any of them are, but he’s exceptionally abrasive on the show. Him and “the gambler”. Yuk.

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dont-care-anymore
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:32pm
storage …gold rush ..jersey shore.. pawn show and tow trucks ….. shows just all hype and BS
i have bought lockers and rarely fine enough goods stuff to have a low class yard sale. watching people mine is boring as heck unless you have a fetish for yellow painted equipment

pfft kill your TV

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Bonnieblue2A
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:32pm
If you’re not bright enough to know that there is no reality in “reality TV” then you might be on a government subsidy or an Obama voter; but I repeat myself.

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- BHOHG2G
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:56pm
  Please don’t tell me Honey Boo Boo is fake! Lol.
  
  Report this comment
The-Monk
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:32pm
If any one was going to squeal about the show being rigged…..

I knew it would be Hester the Yupp man. LOL

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- gyro
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:46pm
  yuuuuuuuuup
  
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- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:54pm
  I remember one episode in the second season, there was a near empty locker “The Gambler” bid on, and when he started going through it, this blue cooler magically appeared that contained a very valuable antique. But when they showed everyone bidding on the locker, and when it was opened, no blue cooler. At that moment, you could tell it was rigged. Plus it was very funny to see them go through box after box with junk, broken crap, and particle board furniture, only to find this one very valuable, rare item. Amazing junk person would leave that, along with grannies nasty undies and cousin lesters velvet Elvis painting.
  
  Report this comment
- drs1969
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:50pm
  They bait you ahead of the commercials to get you to watch thru, but I almost always flip and forget to go back to see what was so great.
  
  Report this comment
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:31pm
Reality is, life isn’t fair, there are dishonest people, and if you don’t play along, they get rid of you. Yuuup, reality TV.

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RadicalsForLiberty
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:28pm
Uhh just by watching it one can tell that the show is heavily scripted. All reality tv is scripted. And you’ve got to be brain dead in order to view it. Duck Dynasty, Storage Wars, Op Repo, etc.. It’s television for saps and degenerates. When it’s on I can feel my IQ drop 40 points.

It’s time people begin to learn history and economics and quit watching this garbage.

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- DougHuffman
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:41pm
  “It’s time people begin to learn history and economics and quit watching this garbage.”
  
  On TV? Not possible. Attend to Hillsdale.edu College’s Constitution and History courses, on-line and free, for adults.
  
  Good people ought to be armed as they will, with wits and Guns and the Truth. God Bless Bitter Clingers, damn progressives. The anathema of progressivism is at the core of many of the lectures.
  
  Report this comment
- Baddoggy
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:42pm
  Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppp!!!!
  
  Report this comment
- BHOHG2G
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:01pm
  This is the low IQ fare that keeps the people dumb, stupid and too hypnotized to care or learn about what’s really important. JMHO.
  
  Report this comment
- RadicalsForLiberty
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 6:08pm
  ” On TV? Not possible. Attend to Hillsdale.edu College’s Constitution and History courses, on-line and free, for adults.”
  
  You’re right, I should have clarified.
  
  The public needs to turn off the TV and pick up any book written by Murray Rothbard, Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, or Thomas Woods.
  
  Report this comment
- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 7:05pm
  Actually, even being scripted, I enjoy this show, mainly because I do learn about historical items and a little trivia. That is what I find most interesting. I always enjoy learning about something new and about antiques. But then again, I do love a good serial, like Lost.
  
  Report this comment
- circleDwagons
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 7:07pm
  Duck dynasty rules!,,,,
  
  Report this comment
- hazchic
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 8:46pm
  I don’t care how fake Duck Dynasty is, it is friggin hilarious!
  
  Report this comment
- Max jones
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 8:51pm
  DOUGHUFFMAN…….I don’t care what they say about you……You’re OK!
  
  Report this comment
Tri-ox
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:27pm
Oh, no way – a TV competition / pseudo-reality show “rigged”? Gee – that sure is hard to believe.

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OldSurfRat
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:27pm
No $hit??

Tell us something we didnt know. All of these so called reality shows are rigged (ALL).

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UNALIEN
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:25pm
YUUUUUP, even reality TV is rigged

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- Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:30pm
  This is my shocked face.
  
  :-0
  
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- OldSurfRat
  Posted on December 11, 2012 at 5:49pm
  LOL Roth
  
  I love that commercial.
  I have even use it o my kids when they do somethng stupid and then cant figure out why it did not work.
  
  Report this comment

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