LOS ANGELES: The popular TV show “Storage Wars” — in which treasure hunters bid to buy unseen items in abandoned units — is rigged, with producers sometimes planting valuable items among the junk, a former contestant said in a lawsuit yesterday.
David Hester, one of the reality TV show’s longest-serving cast members, said producers buried a BMW Mini under trash in one unit featured in the A&E cable series, and a pile of newspapers announcing the death of Elvis Presley in another.
“A&E regularly plants valuable items or memorabilia,” Hester charged in his lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday against the cable channel and the show’s producers.
When he complained, Hester was fired from the show. He is claiming fraud, wrongful dismissal, breach of contract and unfair business practices, and asking for at least $750,000 in damages.
A&E declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying it did not comment on pending litigation.
“Storage Wars,” which made its debut in 2010, is the highest-rated non-fiction programme on US cable television, and draws about 5 million viewers per episode. It is also broadcast in Canada, Australia, Britain and other countries.
Reuters
