Storage Wars

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Very little treasure found in brash auction reality series.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that while the four main subjects in this auction-oriented reality show are verbally abusive, boastful, and interested in only one thing: money. Strong language is fully bleeped out, but kids will still know that cursing is happening at a steady rate. Aside from the colorful characters, the show holds little appeal for kids.

  • Money is priveleged above all else in this show. There is little mention or analysis of why the storage unit owners could not pay for their units. Instead, the show focuses on the competition between the bidders and makes the auctions into a game, when the reality is likely much more sad.
  • The four main characters present themselves as aggressive, foul-mouthed, and money hungry. They are sometimes savvy about antiques and the value of merchandise.
  • There is no physical violence, but the four main characters are verbally aggressive and use language that could provoke violence.
  • Pornography is often found in the storage units, though no explicit images are shown onscreen.
  • Fully bleeped out language includes many instances of "f--k," "a--hole," and "s--t."
  • Some brand names mentioned.
  • Main characters refer to their jobs as "addiction" and refer to "chasing that high."

What's the story?

From the producers of Deadliest Catch, reality show STORAGE WARS explores the world of treasure hunters bidding on repossessed storage units. The show focuses on four buyers who are branded with the following identities: Dave (The Mogul), Barry (The Collector), Darrel (The Gambler),  and Jarrod (The Rookie). These four men travel throughout California assessing the value of storage units and bidding on them, hoping to make a quick profit on other people's repossessed goods.


Is it any good?

 

While the producers of STORAGE WARS try their best to inject excitement in the show through the use of excessive visual and sound effects, there is little real excitement in this series. The buyers refer to bidding on the storage units as “chasing that high” and “my addiction," which makes their actions seem less a career path and more a reason to join a 12-step group.

The four main characters are all men who brag, swear, trash talk, and generally act as if they're thugs who may break into fisticuffs at any moment. Barry, identified as "The Collector," is the most levelheaded of the bunch, yet he too indulges in iffy behavior, including bringing a little person to an auction, who's then given stilts and night vision goggles to use to peer into the storage units. Jarrod’s wife Brandi seems to be the sole voice of reason among these modern-day hunters whose misplaced aggression seems to guarantee poor decision making at every turn. While the idea of storage locker secrets is a compelling one, the focus on unappealing characters instead of mystery, discovery, and background makes this show hollow and empty.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the characters on the show. How much of their behavior seems realistic? Do you think their personalities are exaggerated for television? Why would these people choose to be on a reality show?

  • Talk about the focus of the show. Why do you think the show ignores the reasons the storage units have been repossessed and focuses instead on the competitive bidders? Would some background on the storage unit's owners detracted from the show? Would it add anything?

  • How does this show compare to others on similar subjects? Does it stand out? Why or why not?


This review was written by Elka Karl
Parent of 12 year old
January 19, 2011
 
HORRIBLE FOR KIDS---AND ADULTS
This is show is complete fiction. I have been in the business for over 15 years. You do not want to teach your children to invest their hard earned money into these storage lockers hoping to get rich quick. You do not find the quality or quantity of items this show portrays and will give everyone especially children false hope. If you allow your children to watch this, you might as well teach them how to play the lottery also, they will have a better chance earning money.

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 12 years old
December 23, 2011
 
Ehhhh.........
this show is okay, but I do admit, it isn't the best thing on TV. The characters only care about money and bad mouthing others. One person always wears this inapropriate shirt that shows a shadow of pornography. Another has a tattoo that is innapropriate. In the storage units, people often get hurt by falling objects. it is interesting when antiques are found. Unfortunetly that's not often. Brand names are mentioned.

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Kid, 9 years old
January 22, 2012
 
BAD SHOW!
WORST SHOW EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Teen, 13 years old
December 22, 2011
 
Storage Wars wins the battle
Great show, I don't know why you would be iffy for anyone over 10, the cursing isn't anything worse than what you hear in school and the show is fairly entertaining. It's fun to see what everything is worth and teaches a (small) amount about different items and the values. Dave, Darrell, and Jarrod are all fairly foul mouthed and are more violent, but Barry is more in it for the collectibles and only makes occasional funny (yet sexual innuendo laced) jokes. Best show on A&E, but even that isn't saying a whole lot. Give it a try before you diss it.

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Teen, 14 years old
May 13, 2012
 
BEST SHOW ON TV EVER!
IT ROCKS IT ROCKS!

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Kid, 12 years old
February 18, 2012
 
Though language is used,I think it's fine.

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Kid, 11 years old
January 8, 2012
 
Tahlia

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This review was written by Elka Karl
TV rating:TV-PG
Network:A&E
Cast:Barry Weiss, Dave Hester, Jarrod Schulz
Genre:Reality TV

This review was written by Elka Karl
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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