I watched a rerun of History's (cable's newest reality television network) Pawn Stars the other night. (Season 2; Episode 5). In this episode a man named Rod brought in — what he "believed" to be — his 1960 Les Paul Custom guitar. Rod claimed to have gotten the guitar during the 1980s while touring with bands Toto and Triumph.
I got curious as to just who he was in relation to those two bands, so I hit the internet to investigate. What I found was not exactly a surprise, even if it was a disappointment.
The segment was completely staged. The guitar used in the show belonged to local Las Vegas vintage guitar store, Cowtown Guitars. The "customer" was played by an employee of that same store. And the "expert" brought in to appraise it was yet another Cowtown Guitar employee/manager. (Exposé credit goes to the guitarphiles in the Les Paul Forums.)
The customer named Rod in the Pawn Stars episode is actually Rod Miller of Cowtown Guitars in Las Vegas, where he is employed at as a luthier. How long he has worked there, I do not know. But I found evidence of his employment there fourteen months before the first episode of Pawn Stars ever aired. (See Exhibit A below.)
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Jesse, the guitar expert in the episode that identified the guitar as being from 1972, can be found on Cowtown Guitar's website as one of the store's principal contacts.
With respect to the guitar, as of March 2011, it was still listed (as sold) on Cowtown Guitar's website. Note the same identical buckle rash in the website photo as in the episode clip below. (See Exhibit B above.)
But it does not end there. I found another episode that used more Cowtown inventory to stage a segment. In season 2, episode 14, a "customer" trades a 18th century French double-barreled shotgun for a 1978 Gibson Les Paul. Although Rick's expert appraises the shotgun for $10,000, the owner settles for "$4,000 worth of guitar." The customer had previously stated he was looking for a high end guitar — and it just so happened Rick had one in the back, which he admitted to never putting on display.
Meanwhile, over at Cowtown Guitars, there was a 1979 Gibson Les Paul for sale, identical in every way except for the year. (Click here to view Exhibit C.) Coincidence? Eh, probably not.
So, if the guitar was a setup, that means the transaction was a setup. And by way of the transitive property, it means the gun and customer must also be setups. In other words, the entire segment was duplicitous and a complete fabrication. (My guess is that the gun was brought in by the gun expert, himself.)
Still do not believe the show is completely fake? If the misrepresentations of these two segments involving three mundane pieces were not enough to cast aspersions over the entire series for you, you are in luck; because there is more.
There is proof of fraud as early as season one, episode eight, entitled Time Machines.
Rick Harrison buys a 1950s Coca-Cola machine to refurbish. Rick Dale of Rick's Restorations is enlisted to restore the machine. (You might also know Rick Dale from History's American Restoration.) The finished result is beautiful, indeed. However, there is one small problem. It is not the same machine.
In fact, it is not even the same model. The machine on the left is identified as a Vendo 39. But the restored machine on the right is a Cavalier 79. The dimensions of the two machines are not even the same.
This was noticed by a Gulf Oil memorabilia collector who also claimed to recognize another piece on the show. Rick's Big Bet (Season 1; Episode 10) had a Wayne gas pump that, again, was taken to Rick's Restorations after purchase from the "customer."
From a letter written to Rick Dale of Rick's Restorations:
One more thing – that gas pump you restored for the Pawn Stars…funny, the man that sold that pump to you years ago is a friend of mine! (Small world, right?) Anyway, he was watching the show with his wife, and – in his words – he almost fell out of his chair when he saw that pump. His wife actually recognized it! I mean, what are the odds that a pump you bought got sold unrestored to someone, who just happened to bring it into that Pawn Shop – only for them to buy it and return it to you for restoration? They'd have to be astronomical!
[Updated Aug. 15, 2011]
I received an email a while back, which brought my attention to another likely fabricated segment: The 18th-Century flintlock from (again) the first season's Time Machines episode (S01:E08). The customer–named simply Jim–is actually Jim Waters, a local Las Vegas comedian and actor, and "one of the founders of a Las Vegas Group called Film and Television artists of Las Vegas." I was told Jim was hired for the scene, and that the acting agency he is with often receives submissions for actors to work on the show.
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Here is the clip from the show. How is his acting?
[Updated Aug. 17, 2011]
In the episode entitled Aw Shucks! (S03:E05), a customer brings in a Native American flax bow to pawn. (Watch the clip.) During the pawn and appraisal, the flax bow has a blue beaded string with orange and pinks balls. However, when the customer comes back to pick up the flax bow, it has a red beaded string with yellow, white, purple, and orange balls.
Why they could not be consistent in the use of flax bows for the segment, I have no idea. Whatever the case, the flax bow is recognizably a prop and not part of a real transaction with an actual customer.
I also found reports that the autographed Lou Gehrig jersey from episode Flight of the Chum (Season 2; Episode 25) was actually owned by Xtreme Collectibles of Las Vegas. Previously, the jersey was listed on their website for $7,999; however, at the time this was written, the website was no longer there. (There are several internet archives of the jersey's sale page (04/2008 – 02/2009). But unfortunately, due to some weird Yahoo image storage, the actual picture of the jersey was not archived as well.)
And it does not stop there. My perusing turned up at least circumstantial evidence of staged, scripted, and misrepresented segments involving the goods below:
- 1965 Shelby Cobra bodyframe (Season 2; episode 2)
- Hot air balloon (Season 2; episode 5)
- AYT XP 2200 speedboat (Season 2; episode 13)
- Collection of 1960s Pez dispensers (Season 2; episode 15)
- Schweizer 300 helicopter (Season 2; episode 19)
- 1930s Coca-Cola salesman cooler (Season 2; episode 26)
- Miami Heat 2006 NBA Championship ring (Season 2; episode 27)
Now many will defend the scripting and staging of reality shows, arguing that their principal purpose is to provide entertainment to an audience. And only a naive individual, who is familiar with the evolution of reality of television, would be shocked or vexed to learn that elements of a show are not real. It is all buyer beware. And while I agree with the generality of that notion, one must also consider a show's topic and source.
This show airs on History — a channel that used to be known for high calibre documentaries. It had earned a veritable ethos over the years, and I had come to expect a certain level of integrity from the network. If the network wishes to air a show about a pawn shop in Las Vegas that spends most of its time buying sensational items that have little or nothing to do with real history, I would at least expect it to display a moderate amount of authenticity. Instead, we are presented with conspicuous deception under the pretense of fidelity.
Shame on you A&E. A disclaimer needs to be put at the beginning of these shows similar to Operation Repo's since the level of "reality" is the same.
No related posts.
Tags: Fake, History Channel, Pawn Stars, Scripted, Staged
i knew this was staged from the moment it started, usually guitar players now alot about the guitar they play. im sure much of the show is staged.
Excellent investigative work . I'm a fan of the show but recently had been having doubts about its legitimacy . It was clear that many of the segments dealing with interactions between the main characters were staged ; I was hoping though that the core material was genuine . Sadly that doesn't seem to be the case. It's great that you've down the research and shared the results . Certainly much appreciated .
I was in the Pawn Shop last week. On Thursday afternoon. None of the 4 cast members were anywhere near there. You notice on the bumper shots, the people browsing? Packed in there? Thats what it was like when I was there. There was a rope line outside. Now on the show, when they are having their banter or dealing with customers, there's almost no one in the store. There were a bunch of people working there but none recognizable from the show.
I must say this though, I did see a lot of stuff purchased on the show in the store. A slot machine, the mortar, the Ohio state football pin, some of the guns, a spotters scope, the little motorcycle restored by Rick Dale, etc. in general, the quality of the merchandise I saw looked pretty good. A lot of high end Rolex and Omega watches too. They did have a wide collection of antique stuff. I actually expected to see old toasters, CB radios and boom boxes, but in general it wasn't too bad.
The shop floor is tiny and a large segment is dedicated to selling Pawn Star souvenirs. I assume they clear all that out prior to shooting along with the people.
also in Time Machines guy who sells Coke Machine is Ron "Dale" brother of Rick Dale who restores the machine…
nice investigative work on the show, I basically reached the same conclusion after watching 3-4 episodes.
Obviously almost all the interactions are 100% scripted, especially whenever Chumlee is involved.
Another thing that gives it away is the interview with cast members, when Chumlee was asked how things had changed since he became a "star" he said: "well sometimes there are hundreds of fans chanting my name outside the store", so obviously the shop is probably swarmed with fans all the time.
Not a single time have I seen anyone comment "Oh you are the pawnstars" or "am I on TV?". Let's keep it real, if you walk into a shop and see camera men, microphone guy, light guy, you would not walk casually over there with your stuff, you would assume they were busy, but no the person always walks right over like the camera isn't there.
Not even a single comment like "Am I on TV?" or anything, this just doesn't happen in the real world.
My last and perhaps strongest argument is that the experts can always come down on such a short notice, let's think about this, one of the guys runs a museum and he has time to stop by this stop everytime. I seriously doubt these people would have time to come down all the time if they weren't notified beforehand, sometimes he brings in 2 different experts at different times, there is no way a customer would wait around for hours for both to have time to come down and check it out for 5minutes.
Also notice that the autograph expert doesn't even bring any source material to compare autographs to, which is very odd. Today any expert would bring a laptop and bring up pictures to compare it to, there is just no way a person can keep thousands of signatures in their head, knowing every detail like he does. No way. Ever…
It's good for entertainment value, but it's obvious that it's all staged.
However, I'm a little shocked that you managed to understand that this was staged when you thought History channel was a reputable channel.
HISTORY is perhaps the worst channel for authenticity there is, perhaps even worse than the reality shows on MTV.
HISTORY has "documentaries" on aliens, conspiracy theories, religious bullshit etc. so you shouldn't really expect anything else…
Very good points,the show is entertainment based loosely on a reality.All these shows look real until you start looking at them closely and you see how little sense they make.I always suspected the show is fake because nobody in there right mind would go to a pawn shop with valuable ,one of a kind items, to be laugh at by rick or sneared at by the old man and on top of that get paid only a fraction of what the items is worth.in reality people would go to an auction house like christies or sotherby's with valuable items.The producers arent going to confess to anything, this show is making so much money they'd be stupid to say anything to derail this gravy train.
Whether the transactions are real or completely staged, it's clear that everything is worked out and the deals are made in advance of the shooting. You don't just walk in to the pawn shop and run into the TV crew. That should be obvious to everyone. The show is held together by the history behind the items brought in. They have to tell a story. Rick is knowledgeable, but the item's background and historical value is all researched well in advance. He and the producers have done a lot of homework about the item. Same with the negotiations. I would bet that the negotiating all took place in advance and they just reenact a simpler version of the process when the cameras are rolling. When the "experts" come in, they do their inspections in advance. There is no way authenications take place on the spot for every item like that. Remember, this is a 30-minute program. Time is limited in front of the cameras. It's heavily edited and largely staged and reenacted to tell a story. That doesn't mean all transactions and items, sellers etc are entirely fake. They could all be real, but the real process was done before the cameras were rolling. That doesn't really bother me. The show does a good job presenting stories in a summed up, easy to watch format so I enjoy watching it. I take it for what it is.
And about the original post at the top. It's great that you did some research and pointed out some inconsistencies, but I could draw the same conclusions without putting so much effort to "prove" the show is fake. Take the show for what it is, entertainment. The production company brings a lot of resources to the table. They have the power to find and invite items which they think will make for a good segment. Rick and his "expert" friends…they all get something out of working with the show. They get their name out there and a lot of good advertising for their own companies. So yeah, they are all working and bringing their resources together, getting the opporunity to stage a showcase of some of their items.
Bottom line is, the show is staged for the cameras. Some parts are real or inspired by real people, items and transactions and I'm sure many parts are "faked" entirely for show.
Yeah, I was a fan of the show. But I started to realize all the interesting stuff they get is really fishy. I noticed the Coca-cola machine wasn't the same model. In the age of Ebay pawn shops are in decline, and the stuff they get is unbelievable. I mean people are trying to sell 20,000 dollars items at a pawn shop for 12,000? doesn't make a ton of sense.
I agree, it doesn't look good. I never thought about Pawn Stars being faked… until now. The problem is "Rod", the guy who brings in the 1972 Les Paul, never identifies himself as "Rod Miller." He never gives his last name. You would have to walk in and actually see "Rod" working at CowTown Guitars. The guitar is definitely the same one you have depicted here. About the white 1979(8) Les Paul, it does look the same too.
It's come to the point, you can't believe in anything. Over the last 20 years, every single American institution has failed us. It doesn’t matter if it’s mass media (News Corp and others spying on citizens), baseball (steroid use), big business (Enron), stock brokers (Merrill Lynch recommending Enron), the SEC (Madoff), the FBI (9/2001), Congress (lobbyists), or even The Presidency (Bush-Iraq)… The list goes on and on. Is there any American institution you can believe in anymore?
You are correct. However, his name really is Rod Miller. He plays in a Las Vegas classic rock band named Phoenix. His bio on the band's website describes him “as one of the finest guitar builders and technicians in the country.” Additionally, a member of the Les Paul forums, which I linked to as my source, said that he had a guitar repaired by “Rod” (from the show) at Cowtown Guitars.
And no, I do not believe there ever has or ever will be any institution created or run by man that one can afford to put blind faith into. Just like Newton's law of universal gravitation, man's systemic lack of morality is another universal constant.
For anyone who wants to know, here is the direct URL to Rod Miller's BIO. There actually could be an explanation for this. If you recall, while in the Pawn Shop, Rod Miller was offered a low figure because it was only a 1972 Les Paul Custom guitar. He refused the offer. He may have sold the guitar to CowTown Guitars for a higher figure. CowTown Guitars in turn may have sold the guitar retail.
No, not really. I think it is probably more likely Elvis’ death was faked so he could continue to work as an undercover DEA agent.
Ignoring the obvious for the moment: 1) That Rod would have already known the guitar was not a 1960 Les Paul. 2) He would not be referring to Jesse as "they" since he worked with him. 3) He would already know a guitar store (that he worked at), specializing in vintage guitars, could and would give a better price, due to a more certain and profitable vintage guitar inventory turnover, than a tiny pawn shop a few streets away. And 4) ignoring the fact that Rod actually worked there more than a year before Pawn Stars debuted, and would probably be able to sell the guitar himself through some sort of employee consignment deal—much the same as I did when I worked a specialty retail job many years ago.
With all of that suspended for the time being, there is still the issue that this guitar was for sell on Cowtown Guitar’s website a year before the episode aired (in the second season), and seven months before the first episode of the first season ever aired. And while it is conceivable that this segment was filmed seven months prior to the first episode, but not used until the second season, I think it is worth noting that the guitar disappeared from the website in March and April, 2009, and reappeared as sold some time later. Although this is nothing more than educated speculation, that is likely around the time they were filming and/or securing props for the second season, as there is only a two month broadcast delay between season one and two.
And if all of that is not enough to assuage far beyond a reasonable doubt as to the deceitfulness of the segment, lest us not forget that this is not the only instance of staged fakery on the show.
"And no, I do not believe there ever has or ever will be any institution created or run by man that one can afford to put blind faith into. Just like Newton's law of universal gravitation, man's systemic lack of morality is another universal constant."
- centraltendencies
I agree with your sentiment, but you probably should have picked a better simile. Newton was superseded by Einstein's theory of general relativity in 1916, and is not considered a law. It is an approximation that is asymptotic with general relativity when the gravitational potential and relative velocities of the objects in question approach 0. In other words, it's close enough with things smaller than planets and significantly slower than light, so long as uber precision is not needed.
So, just to reiterate, I'd say the the unreliability of man (and therefore any institution thereof) is even MORE of a constant than Newtonian gravitation lol.
Been there recently: the antique or valuable items are really few, the store is 3 times littler than seen on TV, and most of it is filled merchandise crap. The employers seem always bored, and whatever you bring to them, they don't even look at it and shoo you away as if you're just a poor little man.
In my life, one of the worst pawn shops I've ever seen.
Most pawn shops don't have much selection. On the show, I counted only a few acoustic guitars. Don't expect much merchandise. If you have a lot of time and don't mind traveling around to different shops, you might find a particular model you like, but I doubt it. With pawn shops, you can't be choosey or picky. With pawn shops, what you're looking for is a generic used item at a very low price. In addition, when you travel around to different shops, be prepared to endure rude and/or pushy owners and/or salespeople. It comes with the territory.
Pawn shops have been replaced by eBay and other sites such as Amazon's third party Marketplace Center. These sites have essentially cut out the middleman and allow sellers to deal directly with the public, making eBay and Amazon rich in the process. These 2 sites alone offer virtually anything you wish to buy at a low price and with insurance. You don't have to waste a lot of time and gas driving around either. Even pawn shops themselves use eBay and Amazon.
I don't visit pawn shops to get a specific item, for that purpose, I agree, internet is an obvious choice. What I look for are old, or just unusual objects to pique my curiosity, wondering what their story could be or to whom they belonged to. Pawn Stars is, mostly, filled with t-shirts, mugs and overpriced stuff with the owners' faces on it, and I don't really care about that. The impression I had, that shop is all about appearances, and generally, not what you'd expect after all they brag about on the TV show, and after your accurate article, I'm starting to think even that (their show) is not worth.
That's (obviously) just my opinion, though.
I just saw your Jim Waters post. Now that I've seen it in this new light, I must say it does look fake. I guess, if I ever see "Pawn Stars" again, I'll always be suspicious.
This is just an observation. On one of the Pawn Stars episodes, Rick states he won't buy Nazi artifacts. I believe he said they were "too creepy." On this YouTube video "Pawn Stars circa 2003", at 2:08, Rick is showing off "a bunch of Nazi stuff." They are Nazi daggers.
Again, I'm just reporting this.
For anyone still defendding that the show is not scripted, watch the ending of the episode titled "Pirate's Booty" that first aired 9/12/11. During a conversation between Rick and the Old Man, Rick is seen mouthing the Old Man's lines as the Old Man is saying them (ala Will Smith during the first few seasons of the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air).
Here is a video from a guy that was on the show, has clips and talks about it.
Pawn-stars-real-or-fake? Video
I used to have my VCR set on automatic record. I used to see Pawn Stars every week. But after viewing this page, I deleted the programming. Every time I do see Pawn Stars now, I always wonder if the transaction is fake or real. I rarely ever see Pawn Stars now. I just don't like being conned.
There is no pawnshop in this country that operates like the one depicted on television. In a real pawn shop people who need money bring in their watches, jewelry, or other personal items to get a loan. No one brings in antiques, baseball cards, or any other collectible. If you have such an item and want an appraisal or want to sell it you take it to an expert, sell it on EBay, or an auction house.
In addition no pawn shop has a list of "experts" who are on call and come in to give appraisals.
Pawn Stars may not be 100% factual but please, PLEASE do not ever compare it to that POS disgusting tripe that is Operation Repo. Just the sight of that sickening freak Jabba the Hut sister has me throwing up in my mouth and running to the toilet. Not to mention the idiot bug eyed bastard that's far too stupid to ever hold a job outside of a prison. That show is just one fine example of what's wrong with America today.
Which one is the "idiot bug eyed bastard that's far too stupid to ever hold a job outside of a prison"?
Saw this video on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUfa-dx-fmo I BET that guy in an Actor
Regarding the Coke machine switcharoo, the original machine turns up in a second season episode. In episode 4, "A Shot and a Shave", Pawn-Rick takes a barber chair to Resto-Rick. Right as Pawn-Rick says "I'll be honest…" (ironic, no?) the Vendo 39 can be seen in the background against the wall with some other machines. This comes just after Resto-Rick tells him about needing a headrest for the barber chair.
Duh the show is staged! What do you expect when you watch a spin off of reality TV? It's still a functional pawn shop, but they aren't going to get enough interesting customers to provide a full season- that would take forever. They shoot 3 times per day, 5 days per week. That being said, there are still plenty of items in the shop that have been aired on the show.
Stop caring so much about how real each transaction is and pay attention what you can learn from the show. It's on the history channel for a reason. Regardless of how real the episodes are, it's still a good show.
So I stumbled across the show Auctioneer$ on Planet Green. I noticed someone making a purchase on an item that I recalled him selling on Pawn Stars. The show listed his name as Tony Zanlungo so I googled him. The actor (well aspiring) has his own website with clips of him on both shows.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6e5YKcYus0&feature=player_embedded
Looks like the same one he later sold on the show Pawn Stars which he misrepresents as an 1860s blaster vs the 1880s blaster he won at auction.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tony+zanlungo&view=detail&mid=614A6B989CFF2F0341BF614A6B989CFF2F0341BF&first=0&FORM=LKVR5
The show I believe is fully scripted, especially the pathetic storylines around the show, this kinda baffles me. I doubt that item went anywhere else but the owners house but I could be wrong. If I am not wrong this actually gives the show some credibility.
You should consider investigating WHY the History Channel stopped running such powerful and important history programs like they use to. I have written them and Direct TV a number of times complaining about this reality crap and the lack of history. I have asked them to return to history. At one time they ran the history of every holiday about a month before the holiday. It was a wonderful and enriching experience, which I reminded the history Channel and Direct TV of. I believe they are washing away history as a way of wiping it out. In a way this is what the Egyptians did thousands of years ago when the chipped away any name of anyone that was a subversive so to speak.
this is just like the pbs antique road show. the dealers started to have freinds bring in valuble stuff to create intrest. it also gave the experts extra camera time. lets face it…its just like any of the reality shows… the producers are going to do what ever it takes to make it interesting. its still an entertaining show just leave it at that.
it isnt just pawn stars
http://collectibles.about.com/od/valuableresources/a/antiqroadfake2.htm
I'm a big fan of American Pickers and somewhat a fan of PS. I found it easy right up front to realize all these shows must have some staging regardless as far as the initial start of a transaction. That's understandable. What makes me mad is when they incorporate both these shows along with American Restoration to make what seemed to be an exciting combination. I'm talking about the 1957 Chevy for the Old Man's Birthday episodes. This whole arrangement makes Rick Harrison who in general is supposed to be so smart look extremely stupid as far as the value of the car. They end up with over $70,000 in a car that was supposed to be so hard to find. When I started watching the beginning of all this I done an internet search and quickly found cars ready to go as nice as the one they did for half that price. Man o Man this left Rick looking so stupid and the whole thing so FAKE!
I think Pawn Stars has jumped the shark. On the Nov 28, 2011 episode, a guy tried to sell a Russian fighter plane to the shop. What pawn shop deals in aircraft? I knew right away Rick would never buy such a thing. Of course, they went through negotiations and shot video of the plane being flown. That demonstration must have cost the owner at least several hundred dollars. The show got some good video out of it, then Rick got scared of the hangar costs and offered less than half of what the plane's owner wanted. I've been wondering if owners get compensated for having their item on the show. Did the plane owner, the dragster owner, the flame-shooting robot owner, and pirate boat float owner really get nothing for all their trouble and the use of their property on the show? I'd be pretty upset if I went to the trouble of demonstrating an expensive item to the pawn guys, only to get a low-ball offer.
I'm thinking they get something and like last nights jet episode I'm doubting the owner went to them but rather someone connected to the show came up with that idea and it was all organized. If nothing else these people get international recognition from the top rated show on one of the most popular cable networks. Fifteen minutes of fame guaranteed! I'm from North Carolina and last year Antiques Roadshow came to Raleigh. The show admitted that this city visit was their biggest ever as far as requests for tickets way surpassing any old records. That lead to a one hour episode showing the behind the scenes of the show including looking for people at the event with the better stories behind their item and how they told their story as well as preparing them with make up and explaining very well how their appraisal would be done.
I also just saw the show that did the Coke machine switch – I don't mind some sort of staging but when I saw both PS and AR do this stupid switch – it really hurts both thier reputation – esp AR – as if they really give a shit. Still, Like taking a Camero in to be restored and coming to pick up a Corvette – come on….
What really is getting on my nerves, isn't the fact that this garbage is all staged, there is no such thing as a "reality show" they are ALL faked, if you actually think any of its real your a moron!
What agrivates me is that this crap dominates the channel now! I have gone exactly 1 week and EVERY time I turn on the history channel its either Pawnstars, pickers or the newest piece of garbage, big shrimpin ( don't even get me started in this piece of shit, its like a retarded version of the crab show on discovery ) I'm not kidding 1 complete week and I have seen nothing worth watching on that channel, I used to watch it all the time! How is any of this history related??
One omre thing, how much civil war memorabilia is in Las Vegas? The few episodes I have been forced to watch have all had something to do with the civil war …Oh yea thats right I forgot about the battle of vegas The north lost a lot of men in that one!
Now that you have figured that out it's time to switch over to the " Santa Claus " concept. I saw more then one show that featured talking animals, etc. MAYBE staged by the same people as Pawn Stars! Hey Grow up!
Shouldn't most of the transactions be reenactments of true stories?? There's no possible way to keep a camera crew in there 24/7 365 to catch every possible person that walks in there.
When they reenact something they get friends and local actors, props, etc to tell the story…
Maybe I'm wrong here?
Really? There’s something on TV that’s not %100 real. Next your going to tell me that 90210 was scripted.
I worked for Rick for a few months, helping him with the new expansion he was doing. I asked him a few times and he told me the show was not 100% real and most of the stuff was made up for "good tv". The thing that really blew my mind though was how Chum and Corry were completely different IRL, they aren't the dopes they pretend to be on TV. I would have to say pretty much the only thing that is real on that show is Rick's laugh. Other than that, it's entertaining and you learn a little bit about old stuff. But don't think for a second that guy who took $100 for his $10,000 guitar really did that.
It's still real to me!!
This doesn’t surprise me and it really doesn’t bother me. The fact is, they have to fill a certain number of 1/2 hour episodes for each season, and they simply don’t have control over the number of interesting items that will show up over the time they have to film.
Second, as for History Channel’s integrity, we’re talking about a network that has for at least a decade dedicated time to programming about UFOs, aliens and conspiracy theories. In my book, that doesn’t give them a reputation as a 100% factual source of information.
What gets me is the hypocrisy. They pretend it's real and it's not. They make statements claiming they have a set of values and they don't. That's what gets me. Why don't they just put a disclaimer at the beginning, the way "Operation Repo" does, declaring there are reenactments and some transactions aren't real? As for the whole alien thing, perhaps we aren't alone. You never know. It's Chariots of the Gods man, Chariots of the Gods.
The Thing (1982) (you have to rent the movie to understand)
This is Rick on Dave Atell's Insomniac circa 2003. I don't see the Old Man, and the shop and Rick certainly look different.
http://youtu.be/Gvu6APT3JLY
Of course it is not 100 percent real, just like most of the other shows of its kind. I did crack up when Ron Dale sold Rick the Coke machine. then goes out to Ron's Dad to get it restored. LOL! talk about a hog swendle if it was unknown. Yeah it was scripted. lol As it has to be. I have done video on some interesting events. and they are boring, yet could be really cool if you had it scripted. It is the devil in the details on these type of shows. They have to script, to make them interesting. or no one would watch them.
I just saw the episode. LOL! you really have to start watching the episode. Rick said he had to redo the whole machine, to except other bottles
A new face outer look. if you saw the episode. They showed Rick has a lot of older machines. which might have been the replacement parts.
I still agree, the show is scripted, and its is still funny that Rick son, sold him the machine and took it back to Rick for the restoration.
the think we are all stupid. yet at the time, American Restoration was not a series yet.
well what do you expect? it's entertainment industry! they are ONLY there to entertain you. the "history" channel is getting like Fox news – it's NOT what is claims to be.and it's NOT honest. additionally, my dad told me years ago that if money is involved people WILL find a way to cheat.
I agree it is staged and I dont mind. What I mind is that they didnt set up the show's premise as such. Why didnt they just set it up like a game and see if the viewers could point out mistakes or guess which transactions were true or not? They dont even have to bother confessing what's real, like the old Ripley's Believe It Or Not. I loved trying to guess which of those stories were factual, and that is how I watch this show. I just wish they could have been upfront about possibly wanting us to watch it this way instead of trying to dupe viewers. It could still be good tv if we are all on the same page.
I live in Las Vegas and have used the pawn shop before they became stars
this show is a total sham rick and the boys are ruthless i needed money bad
then and being naive they reamed me ten years latter i go in i had some Great WW 1 and2 stuff i didn't want to be on the tv show and rick's always raving about war stuff well they wouldn't even let me in the front door olny gold silver diamonds just like ten years earlier its total bullshit they are not in the front anymore there in the back counting there money
I am willing to accept that some thing remain "behind the scenes," but to actually set up a complete lie is ridiculous. I would like to think that the point of the show is to not only educate you on the "historical" value, but to also allow the average American to learn the value of what they have.
I don't understand the concern here. Obviously every time a person is filmed bringing in an item it is a set up. Did we all not understand that from the beginning? They just decided to set up a camera and happened to catch these awesome rare finds? I don't think so. Obviously you are going to have predetermined transactions. The point of the show is not how real the person is, it is how real the item is. The fact remains, all of these items that they are supposedly "buying and selling" are still real objects from history, no matter who they really belong to. I love the show, and probably always will. It is a fun show with a ton of fun and interesting things. I could care less if the customers are actors.
Dude you have way to much time on your hands. Everything you hear and see on TV and Radio is planned out. Its called theater of the mind. All any producer cares about is putting out a product that is entertaining to people, which personally I feel they have. People don't watch the show to hear their stupid skits at the end. Nor do they watch the show to watch authentic pawn store operations. The knowledge on cool pieces of history should be the reason to watch the show, and all of that is usually real.
I agree with James. To create a whole page over this makes you a loser. And to do that much research makes it ever weirder. It's a fun show to watch and obviously fake. Who cares? So is every movie. You don't see people making pages on the internet saying "blah blah blah Harry Potter is fake!! AHHH!!"
[...] least, there are some earth-shattering accusations going around the web that the hit reality show Pawn Stars is actually fake. You mean some parts of a reality show might actually be scripted and pre-arranged? Stop the [...]
I live in Las Vegas and the show is staged. The problem I have with everybody now is that they admitted on the show that they go out and find these "rare" items to showcase them for the show and yet everybody still watches. They say it's more about giving a history lesson then actually about pawning items. Now the crap with Rick Dale and the different coke machine….that was set up by the producers on what they wanted to do. I've been friends with Rick for over 20 years and I can tell you for a fact that what they do on his show is real. The producers go and find the stuff to restore but the actual restoration is really done by Rick and his crew so the talent of those guys really exist unlike the bogus BS of Pawn Stars. I really don't get how those guys are stars…my dog is smarter then Chumlee. The only one on that show that had real brains was the old man. He is the one smart enough to start a pawn shop after he got out of the military. The rest just got to follow along.
Just watched an episode where a man btought in a guitar owned by his aunt, Les Paul's wife. He also had a stack of documents linking it to Paul. He was asking 250K for it. Wha? Totooed guy from cowtown cane in and spooged all over it. Rick offered guy 75K for it and settled for 90K Guitar dude said it would bring at least 150K at auction. As with a lot of this stuff, why do these people take half when they can get a lot more in a normal enviroment. I'm sure it's fake so why don't they just admit it – like Hardcore Pawn does. I lived in LV for 15 years and went in that place before they were famous. I found them hard to deal with and overpriced. Really doesn't interest me at all. Chumlee dumb? don't know but I saw where he bought a car for 200K. He must be doing okay.
I will certianly NEVER watch this program again.
[...] about most of 'em, because I avoid TV usually, but here's a pretty rough piece about Pawn Stars. History Channel’s Pawn Stars is Fake | centraltendencies.com __________________ Illegitimi non [...]
What tipped me off was on American Pickers. And also Storage wars, there is always ONE good find in that show. Those storage units are either: A) Staged and filled with ridiculous props, or B) They spend days and days going through those units and edit out all the crap.
And they always whine about only have *$2,000* to spend. Jeez guys come on, its not money from your pocket. Obviously the network is funding all of these 'Legitmate' purchases.
But, thats T.V. these days. And we are all entertained.
It's TV.Nothing on TV is real,especially REALITY TV!Get over it.The show has entertainment value and makes money for the network no doubt.When it stops doing that,it will be gone.It makes people laugh.That's worth a million bucks!
Wow, what an **incredibly** insightful ramble you've cobbled together. Deep insight too- something on television might not be exactly as it seems. Amazing!! And certainly no one with a functioning cerebellum ever thought the same thing. Will your next topic be on how the peanut isn't actually a pea, or how the french fries sold in McDonald's don't actually come from France?
Hey Chris, I don't know that French fries don't come from France, I'm all banged up bout that, also have no clue what a cerrabelly thingy is either. Don't even tell me there's no Easter bunny! (heck Chris PROBLY thinks Santas fake …sssshhhhh don't say notin Santa won't bring him a CLUE!).
This is an awesome bit of detective work! Thanks for posting this page, it was pretty interesting. Don't worry about dumb comments like the one like the one above, if they weren't interested they wouldn't have read the page.
Hello, I thought some BS was going on. In an early "Pawn Stars" a guy brought in a old "coke machine" (sound familier) the guy that brought in the Coke machine said the Coke machine had been in the family for years and he just wanted to make a few bucks on it and get rid of it, and I knew I had seen him somewhere, just couldn't place him….yet! So kept watching the show (I'm intrigued by some historical items brought back to all there glory) so, I'll give this a shot. I kept watching and guess what? Rick from Silver n Gold Pawn, takes the said Coke machine to Ricks Restoration for restoring it to its former glory. Rick of coarse said he would restore the coke box for Rick (Pawn Stars) at a HUGE SUM OF MONEY! And then it hit me…. The guy that sold the Coke machine to The Pawn Shop was guess who… I did the research, RICKS BROTHER Ron! What are the chances that Ron would sell a coke machine to Rick, then Rick would take it to Ricks restoration to have it restored! Holy cow that's coinsodence isn't it? Man that ticked me off to find out that I was being dupt! What an idiot I is be..lol.. Mjc…
Funny, but NO ONE ever PAWNS anything on this show. That seems rather strange itself doesn’t it?
As with Pawn Stars authenticity, just take a look at AX MEN or GOLD RUSH…..hahahaha as such down on their luck guys from Oregon, they all sure do drive nice late model trucks, towing nice late model travel
trailers…then buy $100K worth of heavy equipment during off-season.
I was also thinking , why do these guys (5)only want to find 100oz of gold ? My thought is they said they needed a 100 oz gold dust pull to BREAK EVEN…, if they need 100 to break even they will lose THIER butts! Even if was ALL profit, think bout it, that's not a ton per man, roughly $165,000 dollars, split 5 ways. $33 g each. Not a GOLD RUSH by any means!
That's all well and good….until you contrast it against the fact that this Is the HISTORY CHANNEL…why we have historical FACTS, not historical FANTASY. What is really disturbing is a quick perusal of the programming lineup on the History website shows an alarming trend towards more of these sorts of scripted and staged shows
The above was in response to a post by Ryan dated Feb 6 2012 in
about the middle of this thread.
[...] the cameras. Like when Chumlee dreamed he was on MILLIONAIRE. I mean, how scripted can you get? Here is a good article on Pawn Stars. I think "staged" is a better word to use rather than [...]
[...] [...]
History channel…
No more great documentaries…just fat white trash guys sniggling giant catfish or some other non-history related garbage.
Can somebody explain to me wtf "Pawn Stars" is doing on the History channel?
These nauseating obese creatures that make money off of losers who need money for gambling or whatever demons they are servicing…it's really depressing.
nauseating, obese, bottom-feeding, low-life creatures….turned into modern role models for other bottom-feeders who dream of being a fat, tattooed ignoramus with bling.
the epitome of our new American culture…
yuck!