Credit: @enjoypuntapoker on Instagram
When it comes to reality TV, everyone wants the unpredictable. That’s probably why Storage Wars is so popular. In combining abandoned storage units with the potential of making major financial gains, it’s basically the treasure hunt of TV shows, and it’s no surprise that it’s spawned over 15 seasons in a 13-year run.
The latest season, which cast members revealed was in the works just two months after Season 14 hit the small screen, aired in 2023. Though there’s currently no news about a new season coming out in 2025, it isn’t entirely out of the cards—after all, the show did take a break between 2019 and 2021.
Storage Wars’ cast isn’t one to rest on its laurels, either. From “The Mogul” Dave Hester—famous for the “YUUUP!” catchphrase he uses when confirming a bid—running his own auctioneering and consultancy business to Brandon “The Sidebet” sheets creating web series like MTV Cribs parody #AverageMiddleClass, everyone’s got something going on, and it’s interesting to see where their journey on the show has taken them. That’s especially true for Rene Nezhoda, who, along with his wife Casey, makes up “The Bargain Hunters” team on the show.
Though he only started gracing Storage Wars on Season 4, he quickly became a fan favorite, elevating him and Casey from recurring to main cast members over the show’s extensive run. In particular, his down-to-earth personality, distinct accent, and extensive thrifting knowledge made his finds among the most unexpected yet rewarding. Here’s more on how Nezhoda became everyone’s favorite reality TV bargain hunter:
Who is Rene Nezhoda?
Credit: @rbargainhunters on Instagram
Rene Nezhoda is an Austrian-born TV personality. Though he grew up in Frankfurt, his family eventually moved to California in the ‘90s. Nezhoda is an entrepreneur at heart, starting his professional career by launching his own media business. However, he didn’t find much enjoyment in it. What he did like to do, though, was collect and sell casino chips. Then, he discovered eBay.
Nezhoda used the eCommerce marketplace to become a full-time reseller during the early days of the Internet. From listing his casino chips, he expanded to other collectibles like Beanie Babies and Pez dispensers—buying them for cheap, selling them at a profit, and shocking bank tellers when cashing in all the checks sent in by eBay. He eventually started thrifting in person at swap meets, yard sales, and more.
Now boasting over 30 years of experience in secondhand sales, Nezhoda runs his own thrift store and is considered one of the biggest bidders at events like the National Sports Collectors Convention—and, of course, TV shows like Storage Wars.
Being on Storage Wars
When asked about his late entry into the series, Nezhoda admits he wishes he’d joined the cast as soon as the show began in 2010. “The Storage Wars producers tried to recruit Casey and me for season one. At the time I was one of the top three bidders at storage auctions in Southern California. We had just opened up a 7,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar store and hired a bunch of employees to list our stuff on eBay. Plus, we thought no one would watch the show,” he told eBay last year. “Obviously we were wrong.”
Storage Wars turned out to be a hit, and the Nezhodas started to make up for lost time in Season 4. Collider now lists their finds as being among the five biggest in Storage Wars history. That includes an unassuming storage unit that ended up containing $50,000 worth of antiques—and another $50,000 in vintage video games unearthed from a locker full of cardboard boxes and plastic tubs. Other notable finds include Kobe Bryant and Griffith Joyner memorabilia, both of which he returned to their respective partners, as well as a few storage units which—in a surprising turn of events—the Nezhodas learned used to be owned by Charlie’s Angels star Farrah Fawcett.
To date, Nezhoda has appeared in over 300 Storage Wars episodes—whether it was on his own, with his wife Casey, or his late father Gunter—and his continuing popularity can easily be attributed to his keen eye, relatable personality, and strategic bidding skills. “[W]hat I did was be the guy with the money and make the others try to outbid me,” he explained during his live appearance at the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention. “In the scheme of life, I represent the ‘every man’ and it’s all kind of weird.”
Pursuing his passion
Credit: @acr_poker on Instagram
Now that Storage Wars is taking a breather, what is Nezhoda doing now? As evidenced by his early casino chip hobby and penchant for bargaining on storage units he can’t step foot in, he returned to his love for poker. Nezhoda was actually a full-time poker player at the Horseshoe in Las Vegas during the early 2000s. Once he started juggling the game with his personal life, he heeded the advice of older poker pros and began establishing a steady stream of income—in his case, through thrifting.
As he got busier, he made time for poker by playing online at Americas Cardroom. Given the website’s 20-year history as part of the Winning Poker Network, one of the oldest poker networks on the internet, Rene noted that its games and promotions offered quicker and more exciting poker action, helping him “take a break from the daily grind.” During Storage Wars’ post-2019 hiatus, a friend reached out and offered to connect him to the site—and he didn’t think twice. “I told him, ‘Oh, yeah, I really play on ACR’… I really like the action on there,” he detailed in a Poker.org interview. “Then, when they had the opportunity to get me on the team, they signed me right away.”
Once Storage Wars started taking more breaks between seasons, Nezhoda took advantage of his role as brand ambassador by participating in more high-profile poker tournaments. In 2022, he traveled to South America—and won the Enjoy Poker Tour in Uruguay, taking home a career high of $70,455. More recently, he returned to the Horseshoe for the 2024 World Series of Poker. He made it to Day 6 of the main event, finishing at a respectable 123rd place after losing a “bizarre” three-way hand against Gary Dishongh and Arthur Morris.
Growing his business
Of course, Nezhoda also makes the time to nurture his passion for thrifting. The Nezhodas’ Bargain Hunters Thrift Store is alive and kicking, bolstered by the couple’s launch of a YouTube channel, @Bargainhuntersthrift, during the pandemic. The channel has grown from 74,000 subscribers and 300 videos to nearly 200,000 subscribers and more than a thousand videos between 2020 and 2025.
Nezhoda offers plenty of content for those who appreciate his craft—including unboxing videos of his latest bargains, auctions of high-profile and vintage items, and tours through flea markets. Of course, the channel also provides a quick look into the Nezhodas’ private life, ranging from family vacation vlogs to poker game streams.
Currently, Nezhoda is dedicated to finding celebrity storage units and discovering worthy follow-ups to the memorabilia he’s snagged on Storage Wars. He’s also focusing on hunting vintage items from before the 1960s. With more than three warehouses to his name, Nezhoda is working through his store and on eBay to clear out his inventory, with some items being more than a century old.
Conclusion
Whether he’s on the felt or looking for his next big find, Rene Nezhoda puts 100% into everything he does. Storage Wars fans can easily look to the journey of reality TV’s favorite bargain hunter for more exciting developments as they wait in anticipation of Season 16.
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