Pawn Stars

Quote: AZDuffman

Does anyone else think the baloon buy by Big Hoss and Chumlee was staged?

Not until you suggested it was!! I'm bettin' you're right. It was a pretty stupid buy that made for some fun TV. Doubtful it "just happened."

Quote: kristim55

Quote: AZDuffman

Does anyone else think the baloon buy by Big Hoss and Chumlee was staged?

Not until you suggested it was!! I'm bettin' you're right. It was a pretty stupid buy that made for some fun TV. Doubtful it "just happened."

Now that you say it I am even more sure. In a busienss like that you don't just draw a check for $38,000 or walk out with 380 $100 bills without the bank or the old man noticing.

Is it my imagination or has product placement begun to rear its ugly head in this show?

Last week Big Hoss and Chumlee were eating lunch and BH "explaining" how an auction works. The set-up shot showed them at Subway and Chumlee said, "Hey, that's my $5 Footlong!"

Sad.

I did notice the latest episode must have been filmed in Dec/Jan as they were all wearing long sleeves and windbreakers.

Quote: kristim55

Does anyone else think the baloon buy by Big Hoss and Chumlee was staged?

I do. I also think the helicopter was staged. However, I still like the show. One of these days I'm going to drop by to check out the store for myself.

They have started showing the show over here now, albeit older episodes. I love the show and the characters, and am probably gonna check out the store when I get to Vegas, maybe even purchase something if I find something that catches my eye.

I love the show, but I think a lot of it is staged.

I've read a bunch of reviews from "regular" pawn shop owners who say they almost never see any big time ticket itmes come in like the ones on the show.... let alone 5 in every episode.

I've gotten the feeling at first that the producers "gave" items to random people to bring into the shop. Obviously not some of the rarer items, but a lot of the smaller ones, especially the ones that end up being deemed fake.

Quote: Wizard

Quote: kristim55

Does anyone else think the baloon buy by Big Hoss and Chumlee was staged?

I do. I also think the helicopter was staged. However, I still like the show. One of these days I'm going to drop by to check out the store for myself.

The store is actually very small (and now that its "famous" its crowded too).


I noticed the Subway thing too. I also remember an episode where they were in the parking lot looking at something and another vehicle's back window had an ad for the balloon they 'bought' a while back....

Still, I enjoy the show for its entertainment value, and the historical aspects of some of the items can be interesting.

I have no doubt that many of the encounters are "set up". It's not quite as bad as the "Cake Boss" show, where in EVERY episode, there is a conflict/strange event and resolution, just like a sit-com. On Pawn Stars, I doubt they give people things to sell back...what I imagine is they go to yard sales, flea markets, etc, and find things that are rare that people are selling and ask them if they'd like to be a part of the show. But as the show is successful, the store breeds its own popularity, and that becomes less necessary (like Antiques Roadshow).

I love that show, but every episode, I have to ask myself why they keep Chumlee (and is that his real name).

I mean, can he REALLY be that stupid?

In one episode, one of the other guys make a deal on a ball and chain. Then he tells Chumlee to put it in the front. Chum picks it up, walks to the front of the store, then places/drops it onto a diplay case, where it smashes thru the glass top.

OK, maybe Chum IS too stupid to have realized that he shouldn't do that. But, whoever it was that told Chum to put it in the front, as well as the camerman, knew exactly what was gonna happen.

There was a 'reaction' saying that the ball & chain now cost an extra $x because of the glass. He 'seemed' pissed. But I gotta think that reacion speech was staged.

Quote: DetroitCobra

I love the show, but I think a lot of it is staged.

I've read a bunch of reviews from "regular" pawn shop owners who say they almost never see any big time ticket itmes come in like the ones on the show.... let alone 5 in every episode.

I've gotten the feeling at first that the producers "gave" items to random people to bring into the shop. Obviously not some of the rarer items, but a lot of the smaller ones, especially the ones that end up being deemed fake.

I read the same comments by real pawn shop owners. They say the shop gets 300 items a day so if even 1% is a weird, big-ticket item you could put a show together based on a week's worth of B-roll.

Also, lets remember this is a shop on Las Vegas Blvd. If anyplace in the USA is a magnet for the unusual, good or bad, that is it.

Still, I like the show a lot. And I think that more people should watch if for nothing else that to hear Rick say, "I'm not a retail buyer--I need to make profit." If more people realized that is why businesses are here the USA would be better off.

I think THC needs to do a commercial having the "American Pickers" guys walk in with something and argue with Rick over the price. Now that would be a good promo.

BTW: Chumlee is not his real name. I think they said it is Aurthur?