Main buyers Dave Hester Dave 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, 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.
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. 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.
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 Kenny Crossley (seasons 10–): Having formerly appeared as a recurring guest throughout seasons 2 to 4, Crossley returned in the tenth season to become one of the main buyers. Crossley hails from
New Orleans, Louisiana, where he worked for the Sheriff's Department. Leaving law enforcement behind, Crossley moved out to
Los Angeles, California, where he managed storage facilities. Crossley initially formed an early alliance with Barry Weiss, after helping him to open a jammed locker. The pair became close friends, with Crossley even going on to appear with Weiss in ''Barry'd Treasure
and Storage Wars: Barry Strikes Back''. Outside of storage units, Crossley owns a business making his own
pralines, and owns a clothing line with the tag "Kenny Do It?", many designs of which he is often seen wearing on the show.
Shana Dahan and Edwina Registre Shana Dahan and Edwina Registre, also known as
The Vegas Ladies (seasons 11–12): High school friends Dahan and Registre joined the show in its eleventh season, becoming two of the three new stars appointed by the network. By trade, both Dahan and Registre are insurance brokers; they often attend auctions in their spare time, having developed a love of vintage collectibles at a young age. The pair also run a
YouTube channel called "Thrifters Anonymous", where they document items found in either storage units or thrift stores.
Justin Bryant Justin Bryant, also known as
The Rookie (seasons 11–12): Justin was one of three new stars appointed by the network for season 11. At the age of 22, Bryant is the youngest buyer ever to appear on the show. Bryant was inspired to make a name for himself in the storage business after watching the show and developing a love for buying storage units. Since starting, Bryant has used the profits from the units he has purchased to help buy his mother a new home and also employed his older brother.
Recurring buyers Nabila Haniss Nabila Haniss, (seasons 2—4): Haniss is a lifelong buyer from
Culver City, California, who received attention after purchasing a storage unit that contained items belonging to socialite
Paris Hilton. She has since also obtained a unit belonging to television and social media personality
Tila Tequila. Haniss appeared as a recurring buyer throughout seasons two to four, often going head-to-head with Dave Hester.
Mark Balelo Mark Balelo, also known as
Rico Suave (seasons 2—4): Balelo owned a liquidation, wholesale, and distribution company, and an auction house, and also formerly owned a gaming store called "The Game Exchange" from 2009 to 2012. He was known for bringing large sums of money to auctions, as much as at a time. He earned the nickname "Rico Suave" for his tendency to dress in fancy clothes at storage auctions. Balelo appeared three times during the second season, five times in the third season, and three times in the fourth season, which was filmed shortly before his death by suicide.
Jeff Jarred Jeff Jarred (season 3): Jarred is the owner of the "It's New To You" antique and thrift store, that he runs with his daughter in
Burbank, California. He has often fought with
Dan Dotson, after accusing him of using sneaky tactics at auctions to allow regular bidders to win units. However, he and Dotson decided to make peace in the third season. He appeared six times during the third season.
Herb Brown and Mike Karlinger Herb Brown and Mike Karlinger, also known as
The Tank Top Twins (seasons 3—4): Brown and Karlinger are brothers-in-law, who developed a taste for buying units after attending an auction one day out of boredom. They appeared three times in the third season, in the episodes "Portrait of the Gambler", "Nobody's Vault but Mine" and "Still Nobody's Vault but Mine", and three times in the fourth season, in the episodes "Old Tricks, New Treats", "Orange You Glad Dan Sold It Again?" and "That's My Jerry!". Brown and Karlinger also made an uncredited appearance in the episode "Jurassic Bark" where they pranked Dave Hester and earned the nickname the "
tank top twins".
Mark and Matt Harris Mark Harris and Matt Harris, also known as
The Harris Brothers (seasons 3—4): Mark and Matt are identical twins who first appeared in "May the Vaults Be with You" as an appraiser for Barry Weiss when Weiss found a
Return of the Jedi jacket in a locker. Since then, the Harris brothers have appeared as recurring buyers throughout the third and fourth seasons. They first appeared as buyers in the episode "The Kook, The Chief, His Son, and The Brothers". The self-proclaimed "Kings of Swag", the Harris brothers specialize in Hollywood memorabilia. They have a company called WOW! Creations, which specializes in celebrity gift bags. They appeared five times in the fourth season in the episodes "Oysters on the Half Plate", "The Shrining", "The French Job", "There's No Place Like Homeland", and "Total Wine Domination".
Gunter Nezhoda Gunter Nezhoda (seasons 8—15) is Rene Nezhoda's father who appears alongside Rene in several episodes. Gunter is also of Germanic descent. Like Darrell Sheets' sidekick Chad, Gunter Nezhoda provides the occasional comic relief to Rene but is generally well-meaning as Gunter learns his way through the business. Before his appearance on
Storage Wars, Nezhoda worked as a
Bass player for artists like
Pat Travers,
Leslie West,
Kevin DuBrow,
George Lynch, and
Michael Schenker, as well as a photographer and has worked in several films as an actor. After a six month battle with cancer, Gunter died on March 21, 2023.
Auctioneers Dan Dotson and
Laura Dotson are a husband-and-wife auctioneer team, who run their own business, American Auctioneers, and are the primary auctioneers on the show. A substitute auctioneer has filled in for the Dotsons on two occasions: in the season 5 episode "The Daneurysm" (2014), after Dan suffered an
aneurysm; and in the season 8 episode "Palm Springs Throwdown" (2015), after the Dotsons both got into a physical fight with regular auction buyer Dave Hester. Other auctioneers have also appeared on the show. Earl and Johan Graham are a father-daughter auctioneer team, who appeared in six episodes in season 4, as the network tried to shake up the show by introducing some new cast members. They appeared in the episodes "The Monster Hash", "The Shrining", "Barry's Angels", "That's My Jerry!", "Total Wine Domination" and "Fear and Loathing in Placentia". They did not return for season 5. Emily Wears-Kroul was appointed as a new semi-regular auctioneer from the tenth to twelfth seasons. Wears was only 17 years old when she finished auction school and is one of the youngest auctioneers currently working in the business. Wears runs her own auction business in
Solon, Iowa, with her father, who is a lifelong bid caller. ==Episodes==