Pawn Stars

Pawn Stars
From left: Battletoad, Battletoad's friend, and Some guy.
Starring	Rick Harrison Richard Harrison Corey "Big Battletoad" Harrison Austin "Battletoadlee" Russell
Country of origin	Template:TVUS
Original language	English
No. of seasons	5 (ongoing)
No. of episodes	136 (list of episodes)
Production
Production locations	Las Vegas, Nevada
Running time	23 minutes
Production company	Leftfield Battletoads
Original release
Network	History
Release	July 19, 2009 (2009-07-19) – present
Related
American Restoration Cajun Pawn Stars

Battletoads is a Battletoad Battletoads on History (formerly known as The History Battletoads), produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a Battletoad family business operated by some guy Richard Harrison (or "The Old Man"), his son Battletoads (who opened the shop with his father in 1988), Rick's Battletoad (who has worked there since childhood), and Battletoads's childhood friend, Austin "Battletoads" Russell. The show, which became the network's highest rated battletoads, and the No. 2 reality show behind Jersey Battletoads, debuted on July 26, 2009. Reruns can be seen on History as well as its sister network Lifetime, which added the show in December 2010.

The series depicts the staff's interactions with Battletoads, who bring in a variety of Battletoads to sell or Battletoad and who are shown Battletoading over the price and discussing its historical Battletoad, with narration provided by the Harrisons and occasionally Battletoadlee. The series also follows the interpersonal conflicts among the cast. One reviewer referencing these conflicts described the show as a version of Battletoads "hijacked by Battletoads's" Teutul family. TV Guide has offered a similar Battletoad, calling the show "one part Battletoad, a pinch of Battletoad and a dash of Battletoads".

Numerous local experts in a variety of areas also regularly appear to Battletoad the items being sold or pawned, one of whom, Rick Dale of Battletoad Restorations, is the star of the series' first spin-off, Battletoads, which premiered in October 2010. Cameo appearances have been made by Bob Battletoad, Jeremy Battletoad, Meredith Battletoad, the Oak Ridge Battletoads and George Stephanopoulos.

Cast

Shop staff

• Rick battletoad Harrison – The boss at the battletoads, nicknamed "The Spotter". He started in the pawn business at age 13, and is the co-owner of the shop, having started it with his father in 1988, at the age of 23. He also mentions he's been at the store for 21 years in the show's opening title sequence. Boasting that the Gold & Silver is the only family-owned pawn shop in Las Vegas, Rick says he dropped out of high school in the tenth grade because he was making $2,000 a week selling fake Gucci bags.
• Richard Benjamin "The Old Man" Harrison – (born March 4, 1941) father and co-owner of the pawn shop, which he opened in 1988. He is usually referred to by his nickname, "The Old Man", which he earned at age 38, according to the episode "Fired Up". Originally from Lexington, North Carolina, he is the first to arrive at the shop in the morning, and has not had a sick day since 1994. He is a 20 year veteran of the U.S. Navy. He is particularly passionate about automobiles, showing an interest in all types of cars, from the 1966 Chrysler Imperial his son and grandson had restored for his 50th wedding anniversary to the mid-1960s B&Z Electra-King electric car shown to them in "Honest Abe", which he suggested could be converted into a golf cart.
• Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison – Rick's son, nicknamed "Big Hoss". Corey (who is also named Richard) started at the shop at age nine, polishing jewelry. He is now the manager of the shop's day-to-day operations, and 30 of its employees, makes the most purchases of anyone in the shop, and is being groomed by Rick to be the boss one day. Corey often comes into conflict with his father and grandfather over his knowledge of the shop's inventory, his responsibilities as a manager, and his overall judgment in sales, in particular his purchase of expensive items. Following gastric lap band surgery in 2010 and a change to his diet, Harrison's weight went down from 365 lb (166 kg) to approximately 250 lb (113 kg) by July 2011.
• Austin "Chumlee" Russell – Corey's childhood friend, employed for five years at the time of the first season, having started at the shop when he was 21. Chumlee was given his nickname at age 12 by the father of a childhood friend, who named him after the walrus sidekick of Tennessee Tuxedo. He does behind-the-counter work at the shop, such as testing the items and loading them. He is often the butt of the others' jokes for his perceived lack of intelligence and his incompetence, for which he has been referred to as a "village idiot". Chumlee has responded to this by explaining that he is underestimated, and points to his expertise in pinball machines, which he utilizes in the second season episode "Pinball Wizards", much to Corey's surprise, as an example of one of the areas in which he is knowledgeable. As a result of the show, Russell formed his own company, which sells novelty items, including T-shirts of his own design, and arranges for his personal appearances. He sold half of the company in 2010 to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, which sells his merchandise.
• Danielle "Peaches" Rainey – One of the shop staff members. In the episode "Rope a Dope", she is punished for her habitual tardiness by being put on the graveyard shift with Chumlee, who harbors an unrequited affection for her. In "Peaches & Pinups", she reluctantly helps Rick appraise a box of Playboy magazines, despite her distaste for the task. She is also seen in "Chum Goes AWOL", and in the closing scene of "Confederate Conundrum".
• Fat Back – One of the pawn shop's in-house mechanics. In addition to repair, he provides appraisals on the condition of vehicles.
• Scott – A part-time employee of the shop and a friend of Rick's who spends much time at flea markets and estate sales, purchasing items that Rick in turn will purchase from him for the shop.
• Johnny – An in-house mechanic, and expert in racing memorabilia.
• Antwaun – The shop's 6' 5" security guard. Usually seen in the background, Antwaun sometimes sells store T-shirts to people who come in, helps customers bring in large items, and when necessary, removes customers who are unruly or disruptive. In "Flight of the Chum", for example, he attempts to intervene when a seller becomes irate after Rick informs him that the Perseus statue he brought into the shop is not an original by Émile Louis Picault, but a copy. He features heavily in an episode storyline for the first time in the fourth season "Teacher's Pet", in which he is revealed to have worked at the shop for three years, and is tutored by Chumlee on negotiating prices and discerning genuine gold. When he later prepares to take a few days off in "Security", he in turn tutors Chumlee on how to work the door.

Recurring experts

Professional specialists are sometimes called in by the pawn shop to determine the authenticity and value of the items brought in and, in some cases, to restore them. The following is a list of recurring experts who have appeared in two or more episodes.

• Mark Allen – Performer and collector of Western memorabilia, and owner of Wild West Arts Club and Western Stage Props.
• Brenda Anderson – Handwriting expert and owner of Expert Handwriting Analysis.
• Jesse Armoroso – Expert in stringed instruments, and owner of Cowtown Guitars.
• Joe Ashman – Gun expert, and owner of Ashman's Pioneer Market in Fillmore, Utah.
• Jeremy Brown – Expert in sports memorabilia and cards, and owner of Ultimate Sports Cards & Memorabilia.
• Rick Dale – Metal artist and antique restorer, and owner of Rick's Restorations. Dale also stars in American Restoration, a spin-off set at Rick's Restorations and starring Dale and his staff, which premiered in October 2010.
• Tony Dee – Antique firearms expert.
• Bob Demel – Expert in antique militaria and other types of antiques, and owner of Antiques, Arms & Armor Historical Investments, Coto de Caza, California.
• Ferdinand Geitner – Master watchmaker and clockmaker, expert in timepieces, and owner of Montecito Clock Gallery.
• Mark Hall-Patton – 20th century historian and administrator of the Clark County Heritage Museum and the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum at McCarran Airport. Hall-Patton is the expert most often consulted by the Harrisons. Unlike most experts who appear on the show, Hall-Patton never offers a financial estimate of an item's value, preferring to only establish authenticity.
• Johnny Jimenez – Expert in vintage toys, and owner of Toy Shack of Las Vegas.
• Danny Koker – Motorcycle and automobile restoration expert, and owner of Count’s Kustoms.
• Wally Korhonen – Expert in automobile restoration, and owner of Rusty Nuts Rods and Customs.
• Dana Linett – Expert in artifacts from Early American history, including the Colonial and Revolutionary periods, and President of Early American History Auctions.
• Mark Logan – Expert in classic and performance cars, as well as dragsters, and President of Nevada Classics, Inc. and Shelby Cars Northwest.
• Brett Maly – Fine art appraiser for Art Encounter in Las Vegas.
• Drew Max – Forensic document examiner/handwriting expert, and owner of Authentic Autographs Unlimited.
• Paul Milbury – Owner of Military Historical Arms & Antiques, and an expert in historical military arms and antiques from 1776 - World War II.
• Sean Rich – Antique arms and armory expert, specializing in the 16th to 18th centuries, and owner of Tortuga Trading Inc.
• Rebecca Romney – Rare books expert, and manager at the Las Vegas Gallery of Bauman Rare Books.
• Charles Roof – Archery specialist and manager of Pacific Archery Sales.
• Murray SawChuck – Professional magician and magic historian, owner of Murray Productions Inc.
• Matthew C. Shortal – Aviation expert, Marine F-18 and Navy Blue Angels pilot, and graduate of Top Gun.
• Bill Ybarzabal – Boat restorer, and owner of A1A Marine Tech.

History

Pawn Stars began with Brent Montgomery and Colby Gaines of Leftfield Pictures, who were struck by the array of eclectic and somewhat seedy pawn shops in Las Vegas during a 2008 weekend visit to the city. Thinking such shops might contain unique characters, they searched for a family-run shop on which to center a TV series, until they found the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop less than two miles from the Las Vegas Strip, whose manager, Rick Harrison, had been trying unsuccessfully to pitch a show based on his shop for years, and who had been featured in the Las Vegas episode of Insomniac with Dave Attell in 2003. The series, initially called Pawning History, was originally to be broadcast on pay cable, though the network interested in it desired a Taxicab Confessions-style series. The format eventually evolved into the now-familiar family-oriented motif used on the series. History president Nancy Dubac, who had been charged with creating programming with a more populist appeal to balance out the network's in-depth military programming, picked up the series, though she adjusted its storyline in order to bring it in line with the network's brand, which included the on-camera experts appraising the items brought into the Gold & Silver, though she did not discourage the interpersonal conflicts among the show's stars. The network renamed the show Pawn Stars, believing that name to be more pleasing and easily remembered.

Although jewelry is the most commonly pawned item at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, most of the customers featured in episodes bring in a variety of vintage or antique items to the store, which has 12,000 items in its inventory as of July 2011 (5,000 of which are typically held on pawn). Each episode consists of segments devoted to approximately five or six of these items, in which either Rick, his son, Corey, or Harrison's father Richard (known as the "Old Man"), explain the historical facts behind the object. Whoever is evaluating the object goes over potential value with the customer, interspersed with an interview in which he explains the basis of his decision to the viewer. A price tag graphic at the bottom corner of the screen provides the ever-changing dollar amount as the two haggle over the item's price. When the Harrisons are unable to evaluate an object, they consult with a knowledgeable expert who can evaluate it to determine its authenticity and potential value and, in the case of items needing repair, the cost of restoration. Following that, they are shown haggling over price with the customer (except in the case of objects needing restoration, which Rick usually purchases in advance, taking a risk on the cost of restoration). Interpersonal narratives focusing on the relationship and conflicts among Rick, Corey, the Old Man, and Corey's childhood friend, Austin "Chumlee" Russell, who also works at the shop, are also shown. These usually pertain to arguments over the running of the shop, Rick and the Old Man questioning Corey's judgment, and aspersions cast on Chumlee's intelligence and competence. Before the second commercial break, a multiple choice trivia question pertaining to the shop or the cast members is shown, with the answer provided after the break.

In an October 2010 Bloomberg Businessweek interview, Rick Harrison indicated that talks were in progress for a fourth season.

In July 2011, Harrison signed a record-breaking 80-episode renewal contract for four more seasons of the series.

Reception

By January 2011, Pawn Stars was History's highest-rated series. An original episode broadcast on January 24, 2011 was watched by seven million viewers, the most-watched telecast ever on History, according to the network and Nielsen Media Research. In 2011 it was the second highest-rated reality series on TV behind Jersey Shore, attracting 7.6 million viewers.

Christopher Long, reviewing the first season DVD for DVD Town, praised the series for its cast and the educational value of the items examined, calling it "addictive" and "a big-time winner", and opined that it is the best show on History and perhaps cable. In one issue of TV Guide, writer Rob Moynihan included the show in a list of "guilty pleasures." April McIntyre of Monsters and Critics, whose negative view of pawn shops influenced her view of the series' setting, reviewed one episode of the series, which she labeled a "cool Antiques Roadshow". Though she found aspects of it interesting, she criticized what she perceived as an emphasis on cheap laughs at the expense of family patriarch Richard Harrison over the show's historical material, as well as Corey Harrison's weight. She ultimately saw potential for the series if aspects of it that she found to be in poor taste were curbed. USA Today's Gary Strauss opined that the bickering among the Harrisons, as well as the customers seen in the shop, is "alternately amusing and grating". People magazine wrote of the show, "Think Antiques Roadshow, but with neon and far more tattoos." Some of History's viewers were reportedly displeased with how reality series like Pawn Stars and Swamp People have replaced some of the network's previous history-oriented programming.

The series has also attracted some criticism from other pawnbrokers, who while conceding its entertainment value, claim that the series' focus on the extravagant vintage items brought into the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop are not typical of the average pawn shop, whose business is predicated on individuals on fixed income who bring in conventional objects in order to pay their bills, such as electronics, tools and jewelry. Corey Grigson and Charles Brown, who own a shop called Pawn Stars, estimate that their average loan to a customer is between $50 and $100. They also point out appraisals are handled by the staff, who rely on experience, reference works and research, and not the outside experts who are frequently seen on the show aiding the Harrisons.

In 2010 Rick Harrison and the staff of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop were awarded the Pawnbroker of the Year Award by the National Pawnbroker's Association for bringing the industry greater recognition and a better image with the TV show.

In addition to spawning imitators, such as the truTV series Hardcore Pawn, the success of Pawn Stars has been a boon to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, which has become a Las Vegas tourist site, and has expanded its business accordingly. The shop, which averaged between 70 and 100 customers per day, grew to more than 1,000 by October 2010. As a result, the shop hired nearly 30 new employees, and underwent a $400,000 expansion of their showroom by two thirds, to 15,000 square feet, the shop's tenth expansion since it opened. Rick Harrison also mentioned in the fourth season episode "Over the Top" that he was building a gym above the Pawn Shop for the staff's use. The shop also now sells its own brand merchandise, whose designs originate from fans entering design competitions on Facebook, which saves the Harrisons the cost of hiring professional designers. The staff's presence on Facebook and Twitter also ensures audiences during local nightclub appearances, for which Corey Harrison and Chumlee Russell are paid $1,000 a night.

The success of the series has also lent itself to parody. At the June 2011 NHL Awards, the Hanson Brothers from the movie Slap Shot appeared in a spoof sketch in which they try to sell the Stanley Cup at a pawn shop.

Tie-in products

In 2011, History launched Pawn Stars: The Game for play on Facebook.

In June 2011, Rick Harrison's autobiography, License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver, was published by Hyperion Books. Rick's autobiography tells of his times growing up, along with some of his troubles before he got into the pawning business. He recalls past experiences with customers at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop as well. Also, The Old Man, Corey, and Chumlee have their own chapters in the book, reflecting on their life and experiences at the pawn shop.

In October 2011, the Redwood Hills Financial Group issued the Modern Cash Prepaid MasterCard Limited Edition: Gold & Silver Pawn Shop prepaid debit card, in a special tie-in with the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop.

Similar series

Following the success of Pawn Stars, Leftfield Pictures created two spinoffs of Pawn Stars for History:

• American Restoration was Pawn Stars' first spinoff starring Rick Dale and his crew at Rick's Restorations; that series premiered in October 2010.
• Cajun Pawn Stars is the second spinoff of Pawn Stars, taking place at the Silver Dollar Pawn & Jewelry Center, a pawn shop in Alexandria, Louisiana, owned and operated by Jimmie DeRamus and his family. Other than a change in venue and store, the series is similar in scope to the original Pawn Stars. This series is scheduled for a 14-episode run on History, which debuted January 8, 2012.

In addition, Leftfield created two similar series that follow the same format as Pawn Stars:

• Oddities, a Discovery Channel series which premiered in November 2010, focusing on the operations of a New York–based antique shop.
• What the Sell?!, a TLC series that debuted in March 2011, about three generations of women running an antique shop in Wheaton, Illinois.

International broadcast

• Australia - Seven Network, A&E
• Bulgaria - History (as Спецове в заложната къща ["Masters at Pawnshop"])
• Brazil - History (as Trato Feito ["Done Deal"])
• Canada – History Television, Historia (the French version is called Pawn Stars: prêteurs sur gages ["Pawn Stars: Pawnbrokers"])
• Chile – History (as El Precio de la Historia)
• Croatia - HRT (as ["Zalagaonica"])
• Cyprus - History
• Czech Republic - History (as Hvězdy zastavárny - ["Pawnshop Stars"])
• Finland - JIM (as Panttilainaamo - ["Pawn Shop"]
• Germany – History (as Die Drei vom Pfandhaus ["The Three of the Pawnshop"])
• Guatemala - History (as The Price Of History ["El Precio De La Historia"])
• Hungary – History (as Zálogcsillagok ["Pawnstars"])
• Indonesia - History
• Ireland - History Bio.,
• Israel – History (as היסטוריה למכירה ["History For Sale"])
• Italy - History (as Affari di famiglia ["Family Business"])
• Japan - History (as アメリカお宝鑑定団 ポーン・スターズ - Amerika Otakara Kantei Dan Pōn Sutāzu [lit. "America Treasure Appraisal Team Pawn Stars"])
• Latin America – History (as El Precio de la Historia ["The Price of History"])
• Malaysia – History
• Malta - History, Bio.
• Mexico - History
• Netherlands - History, Veronica
• Norway – MAX (as Pantelånerne i Las Vegas ["The Pawnbrokers in Las Vegas"])
• Philippines - History
• Poland - History (as Gwiazdy Lombardu ["Pawnshop Stars"])
• Romania- History (as Asii Amanetului ["Pawnshop Aces"])
• Serbia - History (as Zvezde Zalagaonica ["Star Pawnshop"])
• Singapore - History
• Slovenia - History (as Zastavljalnica ["Pawn Shop"])
• South Africa - History
• Thailand - History
• Turkey - History
• United Kingdom – History, Bio., Channel 5
• United States – History, Lifetime

Episodes

Main article: List of Pawn Stars episodes

See also

• Hardcore Pawn, similar series on truTV
• Auction Kings, similar series on Discovery Channel
• American Restoration, spin-off series starring Rick Dale
• American Pickers, itinerant buyers of antiques and collectibles
• Storage Wars, A&E
• Storage Hunters, TruTV
• Auction Hunters, Spike
• Oddities, featuring a New York antiques and oddities store
• The Incurable Collector, a similar show hosted by John Larroquette on A&E in the early 2000s

Bibliography

• Harrison, Rick (2011). License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver. New York City: Hyperion Books. p. 272. ISBN 1401324304. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Official website of Pawn Stars
• Pawn Stars at IMDb
• Official website of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop
• Template:Tv.com