Storage Wars Texas Cast & Crew

On this page, you will find entertaining facts and opinions about the new version of the hit reality show Storage Wars Texas. We even have behind the scenes photos of the cast and crew of Storage Wars Texas while it was being taped. We hope you enjoy yourself and we would like to invite you to leave a comment and let us know what you think about the show and the cast.

Meet the cast:

Jenny Grumbles, a Dallas artist and business owner, is one of the new bidders on season 2 of Storage Wars Texas. She has degree in studio art and journalism from Southern Methodist University and she now attends storage auctions looking for objects to turn into treasure for her art studio/home furnishing store – Uptown Country Home.

Here is what A&E says about Jenny:

The blonde, bubbly, type-A store owner of Uptown Country Home, Jenny Grumbles, is not one to mess around. She became interested in storage auctions when her friend Adam sold her a unit of broken furniture. Jenny bought the mess for $1,000 and sold 20 pieces of revived contents for nearly $5,000.

Jenny has been trying to devise a cost effective mechanism for buying units ever since. Although Jenny has never attended an auction, she believes she could take units that typical buyers don’t want and “upcycle” the materials into profitable merchandise. Jenny has been a Dallas store owner for six years and considers herself a handy-woman, designer, and business strategist.

Mary Padian, is Moe’s friend that was seen on season one of Storage Wars Texas. She finds old stuff and turns it into amazing, one-of-a-kind furnishings and decorations. Mary is a former assistant editor of Architectural Digest and is now the owner of Mary’s finds, a Dallas based store filled with unusual pieces of furniture, decorations and vintage clothing.

Here is what A&E says about Mary:

Mary Padian, the eccentric, free-spirited storeowner of Mary’s Finds, may surprise you. What she lacks in business savvy, she makes up for in vision and creativity. To say that Mary’s process is chaotic is an understatement; whether diving in dumpsters or digging through storage units, Mary has an eye for potential.

Mary has been a store owner for two years. She began her business venture with the mission of turning everyday trash into beautiful furnishings to sell to local interior designers. Originally with the help of her father, Mary has turned a propensity for picking through garbage into a fully realized business.

Mary began attending storage auctions at the invitation of Dr. Moe. Realizing a new source of raw materials, Mary continued the effort on her own time. Now this flighty fighter sits at a precipice overlooking a new business strategy that could bring her store to the next level.

Colonel Walt Cade is the auctioneer for Storage Wars Texas. I have met Walt and he is really down to earth. He is a star in one of the most popular shows on television and he hasn’t let his new found fame change him.

A&E says the following about Walt: With a dominating presence fueled by knowledge and passion, Walt Cade performs hundreds of auctions a year. He has built a following of loyal buyers while traveling all over the state of Texas.

Although to some, Walt runs his mouth faster than he runs up bids; he does whatever it takes to move the units. He has attracted nearly 300 people per auction at any given time and sold up to 30 units in one day. As Walt himself would say, he brings the large crowds, the high bidders, and the big money.

My opinion: This description sounds like a lot of hype made up by a publicist. As far as him attracting 300 people per auction at any given time, that’s just a load of crap. In my entire career in the storage auction business, I have never seen any storage auctioneer who could routinely produce over 100 people at a storage auction on a consistent basis. Walt is no exception.

As far as him selling up to 30 storage units in a day, that is really nothing to brag about. In major cities across the country, some storage auctioneers sell over 100 storage units in a single day. The most storage units I have personally seen sold in a single Day was 137. One auctioneer sold them all at multiple U-Haul Storage locations throughout Houston, Texas.

Update 07/17/12 – Lesa Lewis will not be on the second season of Storage Wars Texas. Update 03/19/13 – Lesa Lewis will be returning to Storage Wars: Texas as a regular cast member.

I had a chance to meet Lesa Lewis at a filming of Storage Wars Texas. Although she was vague about the show, (The cast and crew were contractually obligated to be until recently) she had a great sense of humor and bubbly in your face personality.

Here is what A&E says about Lesa: Lesa Lewis is a tough as nails business owner who isn’t afraid to stand up to men twice her size. She started buying storage units in 2006. Being self-employed gives Lesa the freedom to spend time with her husband, Doug, when he is home.

The other man in Lesa’s life is her employee and friend, Jerry. They have been working since 2008, attending storage auctions and selling the items online and at her “Again and Again Resale” thrift store.   Read more about Lesa & Jerry.

She makes her presence known at a storage auction with her smoky cackle and bawdy personality. Lesa’s strategy is simple yet important, she takes her time when sizing up a unit. Her pockets may not be deep, but her store is brand new with plenty of shelves to fill. Lesa is the boss-lady, no questions.

Update 07/17/12 – Jerry Simpson & Lesa Lewis will not be on the second season of Storage Wars Texas.

Update 03/19/13 – Jerry Simpson will be returning to Storage Wars: Texas as a regular cast member.

When I was at the taping of Storage Wars Texas, I did see Jerry Simpson, but I didn’t get a chance to speak with him.

A&E wrote the following about Jerry: Jerry wears a smile from ear to ear despite the exhausting workload his boss Lesa, dishes out on a daily basis. He is her right hand man, and no job is too big for him.

Jerry is originally from Fort Worth, Texas and has been employed by Lesa since 2008. He has a checkered history, and Lesa has provided him the opportunity to turn his life around. Together, they treat storage auctions like a playground and have a great time laughing and joking in-between units.

Lesa often looks to Jerry to give an accurate price to the items she has already priced, and to keep her grounded. Once the auction is over, Jerry loads the truck, hauls it home and begins processing. At the store, he sets items, hangs pictures, moves furniture. Jerry is the consummate worker, and aims to someday be a salesman at Lesa’s store.

My first opinion of Victor Rjesnjansky was that he was going to be the new Dave Hester like antagonist on the show. The more I watch of the show, the more I realize he is nothing like Dave Hester. Although I’m not a huge Dave Hester fan, at least Dave has his act together. How Vic has made a dollar in the storage auction business baffles me. So far, all I have seen him do is make some really bad purchases and make a total fool of himself. A great example of this is the photo on the left. I’m surprised that he isn’t wearing his Superman t-shirt.

Here is what A&E says about Victor: Victor is a fast-talking, suave and charismatic out-of-towner who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Five years ago, Victor and his partner Joann moved to escape a high cost of living of New York only to experience the culture shock of Texas. This Long Island native has a need for speed, but finds himself wading in a pool of slowpokes. Victor owns two stores – one consignment clothing store, and a revolving estate sale. He goes to storage auctions to buy for his stores and support his leisurely lifestyle. His garage is full of old motorcycles, boats, tractors, golf carts which he has purchased at various auctions.

My opinion: Victor’s garage probably is full motorcycles, boats, tractors & golf carts. My guess is that he paid so much for them that he decided to keep them rather than taking a loss.

I actually ran into Bubba Smith at a auction in Killeen, TX on 09/21/11 and there were only a handful of people there. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Killeen, it is a medium sized city located next to Fort Hood, about 250 miles southwest of Dallas. Right before the auction, I was in the managers office when I overheard someone claiming they were going to be on Storage Wars: Texas. Even though he was wearing sunglasses and a ball cap, I realized that it was Bubba, one of the guys on Storage Wars unlocked. I started talking with him and he is a pretty nice guy. He was very humble and down to earth. I sort of got the feeling that he was worried that others felt that he was selling out. He kept saying “If you can’t beat them, you might as well join them” as if he was trying to justify his participation in the show.  I’m sure he has received some criticism from the regulars in the Dallas area. Bubba, if you’re reading this, nobody blames you for what happened to the storage auction business, the damage was done way before you came along.

Here is what A&E says about Bubba: Bubba is Ricky’s nephew who, after a brief stint working in cubicles, decided to follow in his uncle’s footsteps. Since around 1991, Ricky has been teaching Bubba the tricks of the trade.

Together, they run a successful warehouse, distributing and selling the goods they win at storage auctions. He knows electronics/computers and is able to help Ricky when it comes to newer technologies.

Bubba is extremely claustrophobic, and staying in small storage units can sometimes be difficult for him. He also enjoys fine arts from all eras, and frequents museums and galleries in hopes of amassing a collection of his own one day.

I saw Ricky Smith at the taping but I didn’t get a chance to speak with him. From what I understand, he actually runs a fairly successful auction house in Lampasas, TX. I was in Lampasas recently and from what I heard from the locals, Ricky builds up his inventory and then has a giant auction at the end of the month.

Here is what A&E says about Ricky:

Born and raised in Lampasas, Texas, Ricky is a good ol’ country boy who can out-fire any gunslinger at an auction. Ricky’s love of the game and knack for buying and selling treasures was discovered in his parents’ auction house when he was just 12 years old. He has been bidding on items since the age of 14, and now thrives specifically on storage auctions.

With his savvy and experience of nearly 40 years, Ricky has built a loyal following of customers from consignment store owners, to auction houses to high-class private buyers.

Ricky and his nephew Bubba have recently discovered a surge of new buyers at the storage auctions. This causes frustration and poses a threat to some degree on Ricky and Bubba’s business/livelihood. These rookie wannabe buyers don’t know what they are doing, according to Ricky, and he feels that “it’s only a matter of time before those tourists have wasted their money and moved on.”

This is what Ricky and Bubba do – they have been doing it for a long time, and they plan on doing it for even longer. Ricky has been the local Fire Chief at the volunteer Fire Department for 10 years and is extremely active within his community. Ricky is an expert at antique glass. He holds a sale only once a month with his nephew. It pays the bills and allows Ricky to give back to the community. Even though Ricky dislikes tourists at auctions, he exhibits Texas hospitality at all times. Ricky loves hunting, fishing, ranching, farming, and animals.

Although I didn’t see Moe Prigoff at the taping, from what I can tell, he’s quite the eccentric. I believe that the producers cast Moe to play a role like Barry, on the original Storage Wars. Moe is definitely as entertaining, quirky and uniquely dressed as Barry was.

Here is what A&E says about Moe: Moe’s life and taste is defined by one word: “fabulous.”

Morris “Moe” Prigoff is a quick-witted, dapper gentleman who has been a collector of contemporary furniture and antiques for over thirty years. After 10 years of selling his classic pieces all over Dallas, Moe has established an exclusive antique store called “River Regency Modern” full of classic furniture designs and fashionable art.

With his easy smile this high-energy old man holds his own against the thrift store owners and cut throat bidders at storage auctions. He makes his presence known through his stylish clothes, extremely loud footwear and experienced eye.

When he is not at auctions, one can find Moe performing podiatric surgery at his local practice. With the help of his young manager Robert, Moe runs two successful businesses.

Facts about the show:

The first season of “Storage Wars,” averaged 2.8 million viewers per episode and grew weekly, finally peaking at 3.8 million viewers. In addition to the previously announced 20 episode second season pick up, A&E has ordered eight episodes of “Storage Wars: Texas”, which has an entirely new cast. The network is hoping to benefit from viewers’ fascination with repossessed storage units with this spinoff series.

Watching this show is like watching the lottery. People are seeing treasures discovered in almost every episode and they want to get a piece of the action. Due to these amazing finds, new buyers are appearing at storage auctions in record numbers across America. In the new episodes, the producers say that the show will depict the storage auction business in it’s true light. They claim to go out of their way to show that you have to go through an awful lot of garbage to find a unit with treasure.

Another factor that is contributing to the popularity of storage auctions is the economy. People are moving, downsizing or divorcing, and the rest of us are looking for a bargain. Shopping this way is a lot cheaper than buying retail; however, it doesn’t come without a cost. One has to consider that the storage units being sold belong to someone who could be losing everything they own. The reasons why people lose their storage units are too numerous to list; however, the main causes are a job loss, a drug addiction, an illness, death or the tenant going to jail. “Storage Wars” intentionally shies away from the stories behind each abandoned storage locker. Instead, they choose to focus on the positive aspects of the storage auction business.

I found the following press release from A& E quite entertaining.

“A&E’s top-rated nonfiction franchise is heading to Dallas, Texas where the units, bankrolls, and buyers are bigger.”

Okay, where do I begin with the satire? First of all, the sizes of storage units can vary from storage facility to storage facility, but the claim that storage units are larger in Texas than in other states is preposterous. The storage facilities however, may actually be larger in area, due to Texas having an over abundant supply of inexpensive land, but unit sizes remain consistent across the country.

The bankrolls are definitely not bigger in Texas. The original episodes of Storage Wars were filmed around Orange County California where the medium family home is valued at $650,000. The medium family home in Dallas is around $150,000. The medium family income in Orange County is $61,899 while the Dallas area came in at around $39,829. Obviously, the cost of living in these areas has to be taken into consideration, but to say that the bankrolls are larger in Dallas is an over exaggeration.

The last part, claiming that the buyers are bigger in Dallas, is hilarious. However, there is some truth to this statement. Dallas, TX. is actually ranked as the fourth fattest city in America, where Los Angeles came in at 46^th out of 100 cities surveyed.

Here is the second part of the release: “Following four Dallas storage unit hunters, this series has all the intrigue of the original “Storage Wars” in a landscape chock-full of cowboys and oil tycoons.”

Let me start out by asking, who the hell uses the word chock-full? I’m from Texas and I don’t yell YEEHAW, I don’t have a big belt buckle nor do I use longhorns as the hood ornament on a convertible Cadillac. Western wear? Yeah right, maybe at the rodeo. The narrow minded individual that wrote this statement obviously needs to travel more. Less than 5% of people in Texas actually wear western clothing on a regular basis and a much smaller percentage own an oil business. It looks like someone has been watching too many reruns of Dallas.

We recently got a first hand look at the cast and crew of Storage Wars Texas. Our exclusive behind the scene photos were the first photos of the new cast to hit the internet. The producers of Storage Wars Texas asked us to take them down until the show premiered, but, we couldn’t  resist.

Note to readers: This section of the article is older and was published before A&E publicly announced who the new cast members of Storage Wars Texas were. These were the first pictures of the new cast to hit the internet.

On 7/27/2011, I was in South Dallas at a packed Public Storage auction and I decided to get off the beaten path and try to find another auction to attend. There was another auction scheduled, but it was in North Dallas and they only advertised two units. I was going to call the facility to find out if the auction was still going on as planned, but of coarse, my phone’s battery was dead and I didn’t have my car charger. I knew it was a gamble driving 30 miles out of my way, but I decided to go anyway. When I arrived at the Watson & Taylor Self Storage on LBJ Freeway, I stumbled upon the cast & crew of Storage Wars Texas. The auction had been canceled but they were still filming some interviews and scenes of the cast leaving in their vehicles. It was pretty cool seeing how the show is taped. There were several camera men and a few producers, a director, some caterers and some extras standing around. It was really casual and everyone looked like they were having a good time.

Left: Camera crew filming the cast leaving in their vehicles & some extras hanging out watching the action. Right: The crew was everywhere and and they were getting shots from all angles. I believe that the guy on the right side is the director, but he might be producer. I’m not really sure what he is doing with his fingers; perhaps he is throwing up a gang sign or channeling his energy. 

 

 

Colonel Walt Cade – The auctioneer on Storage Wars Texas. Looking as sharp as ever in his western wear.

 

 

 

 

I believe that these two guys are cast members but I didn’t have a chance to speak with them. There was another guy in a cowboy that I was unable to get a photo of.

 

 

 

I believe that this is another member of the cast. He was being filmed. I couldn’t get a good photo of his face but he’s a pretty tall guy and he looks Italian or Greek. He is also the owner of the the BMW 745I seen in the photo. I have a feeling this guy is going to be the new Dave Hester like antagonist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Director or producer, cameraman and cast member.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colonel Walt Cade and another possible female cast member.

 

 

 

 

 

Producers having a conversation. It’s too easy to spot a Californian trying dress up like a Texan.

 

 

 

 

Cast members, auctioneer & cameraman.

 

When the vehicles were leaving, I did notice a sign on one of the cast members vehicles. The sign said Again and Again Resale which is owned by Lesa Lewis.

Well, I hope this satisfies the curiosity factor about the show. I know that A&E has been pretty secretive about the cast member’s identity; however, I don’t know how they could expect to film in a major metropolitan area in a day and age where everyone has a camera on their phone and expect for the cast member’s identities to remain secret. I’m just glad that I stumbled upon it first. The funny thing is, had my cell phone been working properly, I would have never even went to this auction. Luckily, I had my digital camera with me.

“Storage Wars: Texas” is produced by Original Productions, a Fremantle Media Company for A&E Network. Executive producers are Thom Beers and Philip D. Segal. Jeff Conroy is co-executive producer. A&E executive producers are David McKillop and Elaine Frontain Bryant.

Click the following link to read about Storage Wars New York.