Storage Hunters

Last updated

Storage Hunters
Starring
  • Sean Kelly
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasonsUS Series
3
UK Series
5 (Regular)
1 (Celebrity) [1]
No. of episodesUS Series
73
UK Series
50 (Regular)
6 (Celebrity)
Production
Production locationsUnited States (2011–2013)
United Kingdom (2014–2016)
Running time21 minutes
Production companyT Group Productions & Hard Boiled Entertainment
Original release
Network TruTV
ReleaseJune 21, 2011 (2011-06-21) 
December 17, 2013 (2013-12-17)
Network Dave
ReleaseOctober 28, 2014 (2014-10-28) 
November 15, 2016 (2016-11-15)

Storage Hunters is a reality television series presented by Sean Kelly (as the auctioneer). It originally ran in the United States from 2011 to 2013 on TruTV [2] and has been shown in the UK on the digital channel Dave. A domestic UK version, also featuring Kelly, ran from 2014 to 2016.

Contents

The series has also been shown on New Zealand's TV3.

Background

Sean Kelly grew up in Germany. After leaving school, he worked as a store detective before joining the Army, becoming a German interpreter, and then being stationed in Iraq. He then worked as an auctioneer, and compering comedy clubs at night. After a fight broke out at an auction, he came up with the idea for the show, describing it as "Antiques Roadshow meets WWF!" [3]

The show was originally developed by S. Tobin Kirk, Kevin Lewis, Timothy Brown, and Juan Granja under their banner Hard Boiled Entertainment, which they founded while working together at a design and motion graphics company called Famer Brown in Venice, California. After shaping the concept and attending several storage auctions for research, Tobin connected with Sean Kelly, and together they entered into a production deal with The T-Group, who subsequently sold the series to TruTV.

Format

For the US series, bidders Brandon and Lori Bernier. It continued with the Taylor Brothers, Jesse McClure, Tarrell "T-Money" Wright, Ron "Papa Bear" Kirkpatrick, Kashuna, Wade, FJ, Gary "Goal Machine" Madine, Scott and Chrissy Tassone, the Alvardo Brothers, "Desert Dan," Mone Smith, Will and Nick Eastwood, Soccer Mom and the lock cutters/security guards, Will C. (Season 1), Cameron "Green Mile" Rowe (Season 2-Season 3). [4] [5] The series was cancelled on TruTV after Season 3 ended. [6]

In the UK and Ireland the show has been broadcast and repeated on the digital channel Dave. In 2014, Dave commissioned a spin-off series called Storage Hunters UK, featuring Kelly reprising his role as auctioneer with a series of UK bidders hunting for valuables across the UK. [7] Dave renewed the UK version for two more series in 2015, [8] with the second series beginning on 2 June and featuring US regulars Jesse and T-Money. [9] Series 3 of the show premiered on 15 September 2015. [10]

A fifth series was commissioned to air from April 2016, with Kelly returning alongside regular bidders from series 4.

A one-off UK celebrity special aired at Christmas 2015, with any money made being donated to the celebrity individual charities. This was followed by a series of 5 more celebrity episodes that aired at the end of 2016. [11]

Series overview

SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
US Series
Season 12321 June 2011September 2011
Season 224June 2012September 2012
Season 324June 201317 December 2013
UK Series
Series 11020142014
Series 21020142014
Series 31020142014
Series 41020152015
Series 510April 20162016
UK Celebrity Series
Christmas Special120 December 2015
Series 1518 October 201615 November 2016

Reception

The show has been well received in Britain, with the first episode of Storage Hunters UK being watched by over 1.1 million viewers, beating ratings for several prime time television shows broadcast that week. [12]

The Guardian 's Rhik Samadder described Kelly's auctioneering style "like someone has attached electrodes to a woodpecker". [13] Tom Eames writing in Digital Spy described it as "one of the least authentic and most fake shows you will ever see, and comes under the umbrella of 'trashy reality' programmes that the US are very good at", but adding that "somehow, it is strangely addictive and enjoyable, and has clearly become a big guilty pleasure of many UK viewers." [14]

Presenter Sean Kelly has attributed the success of the show to the participants' lack of social skills and compared it to "watching a carnival". [13] In an interview for Digital Spy he speculated that the strong popularity of the show in the UK may lead to a revival of the US series. [15]

Buyers

Main Buyers US

NameNicknameSeason
123
Brandon Bernier and Lori BernierTeam BrandoriYes
Jesse McClureJesseYes
Tarrell WrightT-MoneyYes
Ronald KirkpatrickPapa BearYes
James and Dustin TaylorThe Taylor BrothersYesYes (Dustin only)No
Scott and Chrissy TassoneScott and ChrissyNoYesNo
Mone SmithFauxHawkNoYes

Main Buyers UK

NameNicknameSeason
12345
John and Natalie MaddoxJohn and NatalieYes
Colin Newell Heavy D aka The BoominatorYes
Linda LambertLindaYes
Daniel HillDapper DanYes
Barry and Darren ElfordBarry and DarrenYes
George JohnsonGeorgeYes

Main Celebrity Buyers UK

NameSeason
1
Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer Yes
Charlotte Crosby and Holly Hagan Yes
Theo Paphitis Yes
Tim Vine Yes
Nancy Dell'Olio Yes
Bez & Shaun Ryder Yes
Jenny Eclair and Lizzie Roper Yes
Johnny Vegas Yes
Katherine Ryan Yes
Chris Kamara Yes
Ainsley Harriott Yes
Phil Tufnell Yes
Janet Street-Porter Yes
Ulrika Jonsson Yes
Christopher Biggins Yes

Minor Buyers US

NameSeason
123
Desert DanYesNo
Wade GallagherYesNo
FJYesNo
Kashuna PerfectedYesNo
The Alvarado BrothersNoYesNo
DanarchyNoNoYes

Minor Buyers UK

NameSeason
12345
Jesse McClureNoYesNo
Tarrell WrightNoYesNo
Samantha BartlettNoYes
Boudicca ScherazadeNoYes
RupertYesNo
ScottyNoYes

See also

References

  1. "Storage Hunters UK - Dave Channel".
  2. "Storage Hunters Episode: "Storage Hunters"" . Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  3. Shaw, Alan (August 5, 2017). "Storage Hunters star Sean Kelly on bringing his show to the Edinburgh Fringe and his crazy early years". Scottish Sunday Post. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  4. "Storage Hunters: Cast & Details" . Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  5. "Storage Hunter: Bios – Think Big (Money)". TruTV. September 16, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  6. Cancelled / Ended TV Shows on TruTV , retrieved October 27, 2014
  7. "Storage Hunters UK". UKTV. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  8. "Storage Hunters UK gets two more series". Digital Spy . January 21, 2015.
  9. Metro (June 2, 2015). "Storage Hunters UK Second Series". Metro. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  10. UKTV. "Storage Hunters UK Third Series". UKTV. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  11. "Full line up announced for Celebrity Storage Hunters - News - UKTV Corporate Site".
  12. "Storage Hunters UK debuts with a bigger audience than Walking Dead". The Guardian . October 30, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Samadder, Rhik (February 10, 2015). "Storage Hunters: Sean Kelly has a rumble in our jumble". The Guardian . Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  14. Eames, Tom (22 July 2013). "'Storage Hunters': Dave's addictive showcase of greed". Digital Spy
  15. "Storage Hunters star Sean Kelly interview: 'American version may return'". Digital Spy. February 14, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2015.

The Daily Mirror Brandon Bernier tells all "I was never happy in this chaotic relationship, I was miserable"[ full citation needed ]