Is the show Storage Wars completely real? Or is any of it just for show?

In response to speculation that events in Storage Wars might not be genuine an A&E publicist has said, “There is no staging involved. The items uncovered in the storage units are the actual items featured on the show.” For each 1-hour episode shown on TV, 400 hours of footage is shot beforehand.

A&E also clears up the myth that storage locker purchasing is a get rich scheme by showing how much garbage its teams must sift through to make money. Only 1 out of 10 storage lockers bought has anything of any real value in it. Executive producer Thom Beers has explained why the show avoids the back-story behind each one, “All you see is misery there, and I didn't want to trade on that”.

To date there are 2.16 billion square feet of storage space in the U.S. Storage locker renters generally have two to three months depending upon the state before their items are sold off due to unpaid rent. Less than 1% of units end up this way.