Storage Wars, season 3 (26 episodes)
release year: 2012
genre: documentary
viewing setting: home streaming 5/14-20/26
synopsis: Various people attend storage unit auctions, bid on them, and then try (or hope) to find good stuff and make money.
impressions: As I've said before, I could never do this for a living - the majority of these people would be better off keeping their money instead of risking it, at least where expensive units are concerned. It's basically gambling, and so it's fun to watch others try their luck. There's always the chance of a quick, big win, but more entertaining are the personalities and interactions of the main bidders. I stand by my previous criticism: these people can't just stand in a unit full of crap and throw out their guesses on what things are worth and claim that their ever-growing dollar figure is actually valid. That's silly.
From now on, I'm just going to note the most interesting (to me) parts of each episode:
episode 1: a box of crystals
episode 2: a rare Star Wars jacket, a forgery of a $175K painting
episode 3: nautical stuff, a bronze status is recovered
episode 4: conflict between elder and younger Sheets
episode 5: $1500 worth of air-conditioning units
episode 6: return of obnoxious bidder Mark, Dave "realigning" his approach, nobody making much profit
episode 7: new bidder Jeff who complains about the auctioneers being unfair, antique desk worth $5000, antique meat slicer worth $6500
episode 8: a big Tiki figure, and old supercharger for a race car
episode 9: some old, rare Converse shoes
episode 10: Dave at another auction, some old stocks that expired but would have been worth millions a century ago, a 4-unit haul including a collection of old Pez dispensers
episode 11: a $1 unit which contains an old mask worth $150, Dave on his own again at a different auction, a skateboard from the 1980s
episode 12: a weird art object worth $3000
episode 13: Dave closed his store, Barry brings fake German buyers, 1950s motorcycle jacket, antique 1930s lamp sells for $1600
episode 14: a hot day leads to an almost-fight, a $5000 side bet on the age of a couch
episode 15: a $15,000 electronics haul, some antique Big Boy figures
episode 16: a breakfast burrito distraction, a map from a really old book
episode 17: Barry tries to kick the bidding habit
episode 18: Jarrod was too stupid to put the contact information on the new truck, a 1970s prepper unit, a 100-year-old Ouija board, a $3500 Chinese earthquake detection device
episode 19: some Magic: The Gathering cards
episode 20: two units filled with good stuff, a beer tap, Barry continues to overspend
episode 21: an attack dog protective suit
episode 22: Dan and Jeff argue, two surprising profits
episode 23: Dave loses a tire on the way in, debut of tank top twins, a bag of martial arts weapons, a dinosaur tooth
episode 24: the return of Nabila, a vest from Planet of the Apes
episode 25: a unit that sells for $5
episode 26: the tank top twins speak, a bunch of Star Wars figures, $300,000 in art!
acting: n/a as these are real people, but the personalities (the cocky veteran, the calm cool old shark, the asshole, the young guy, and new in this season, a big blustery guy who constantly complains about the auctioneer being biased/unfair) feel fairly authentic...and the various levels and types of friction between them are quite entertaining
final word: While not necessarily 100% real, it's sure entertaining.
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