Barry Weiss Quits "Storage Wars"

Charli

Charli

cool little "title"
I can't believe the fan favorite of the show is leaving: http://auctionstx.com/barry-weiss-quits-storage-wars/

This comes on the heels of three other cast members who may get canned. Today I have to write an article how A&E may implode on lawsuits looming - the entire cast may unite and sue A&E.

Geez, it's like the rise and fall of Rome. You have this one show that basically put A&E on the cable ratings map and now it's falling apart because A&E spread itself too thin in expansion, so much so that they have to cut out major player's contracts to afford spin-offs.

Hard to believe at one time A&E was worthy of Emmy's. Now it's reality crap. Barry leaving has got to hurt, like big time!
 
When i grow up i want to be Barry Weiss.

And yes, it's all fake, it's all rigged, is there anyone who doesn't know this?

If you want to see a masterwork in fake reality programming, try "Urban Tarzan." it is so outrageous it is actually funny. The episode with a rogue monkey drugged up on cough syrup and wielding a gun, is an instant classic.
 
Have you guys worked much in reality television? I've edited reality television for the past 9 years, and I can tell you that from the EP's to the story producers down to us, we are just as passionate about telling good stories and entertaining people as anyone in the scripted world. I've also produced two features and directed one, and can tell you unequivocally, that working in reality television has made me a much better scripted editor and director. It's just storytelling like anything else, only we write the script after the show is shot;).
 
I use to do storage's before the show and I didn't make nearly as much as they do but i'm also in a small city:(
 
ATrain - Storage Wars would have you "believe" that all the unique finds in the storage units are real, when it appears (through lawsuits, documents, checks, invoices) that those items were "planted" by producers or by the cast then reimbursed for rentals or purchase of those items.

That's why this type of reality "hurts" the general public in the deception. Currently A&E is jumping through all sort of legal loopholes as to not come out and admit salting the units. Once they do admit, they may lose their audience.

There's reality fun and quality - Top Chef - and then there's "fake" reality. Storage Wars has to be watched with the thought they really didn't find that one unique item. Problem is, many people have quit their jobs thinking they can make a living off of buying storage units. It's not that simple. So the deception of the show, and other shows like it, do the general public a disservice.
 
It's all for entertainment purposes. Think about how many jobs these shows provide to our industry. I am surprised so many of you are against them so much. It is like anything.. If you don't like it don't watch it. What is the difference between scripted shows and "reality" shows? Actors vs non actors? People are getting paid to be in front of the camera regardless. Think about how many scripted shows come out and fail. It is not easy to come up with a successful show that lasts. TV channels are just giving the consumer more of what they watch. You can't blame them for that.
Anyone who quit there job to be like barry weiss does not make good decisions and no one should be accountable for their actions except themselves. Let's please turn away from the its everyone else fault mindset. The name of the channel is A&E. Guess what E stands for.. Entertainment.
Some reality shows are fun to watch a few episodes and than move on. Just to get a gist of what it is like in certain professions. But by no means do I make final conclusions based on these shows. It would seem silly to put big warnings at the start of the show claiming the whole thing is fake and staged. It's just understood now. Just like they don't put warnings in front of sitcoms saying they are fake and you shouldn't behave like these people.
 
Hector - The problem with A&E is that they "claim" Storage Wars is real and not staged. I wrote an article how they are about to implode:

http://auctionstx.com/storage-wars-implodes-ae-with-lawsuits-and-rumors/

Here's the thing, an insider stated that Barry's units were planted with items to create drama. THAT'S what I have a problem with, not that they salt units, but that A&E denies they do. Right now they are jumping legal loopholes to not be forced to actually "admit" they salt units.

That is deception to say, "Hey, all of this is real" when it's not. Many people now attend storage auctions who didn't before because they think they will find that one cool item, that one treasure that will make them rich. That "deception" has affected people's perception about what is real and what isn't real.

I don't care if a show is fake. What I do care is when a show is fake and they deny it until the day comes that lawsuits force them to tell the truth.

Auction Hunters is completely fake reality. Haff and Ton were never partners. The whole show is fake, but I know that going in and they don't really "try" to convince us otherwise. We know its fake so we can be "entertained."

A&E however says they are "real" and there's the rub.
 
Hectorxd said:
...What is the difference between scripted shows and "reality" shows?
Click to expand...
No writers, lower wages for longer hours with smaller crews, lower production value, and the rest is more subjective like complaints about lowering the bar for entertainment and crowding out scripted shows.
 
Hectorxd, well put sir. It is entertainment pure and simple. You could argue that "Friends" was deceptive because the chances of a 20-something chef and waitress roommate being able to afford an apartment the size of the one they had on the show is ludicrous. What if someone from the midwest moved to New York to live out their "Friends" fantasy only to find out that a broom closet in Manhattan goes for $3700 a month. Would NBC be responsible for that person moving to New York under false pretenses? At some point everyone has to have accountability and do their own research. I have watched "Storage Wars" many a time, and have never heard them state that all of the items in the lockers were true finds by all of the cast members. I go in knowing to take anything on tv with a grain of salt, oh yeah and I try not to wish death on entire industries that put food on peoples table. Don't let one show represent an entire industry. Andrius, though many show titles don't include "writers" story producers serve basically that function on reality shows, and I wouldn't say the wages are across the board lower. My rate is right on par with the Editors Guild Union rate, higher if you don't factor in dues, and health care offset etc. It's more of a union/non-union issue more than anything else. In this day and age of 400+ channels, netflix, hulu and the like, can't we just coexist and entertain people together. Like Hectorxd said, if you don't like it, don't watch it.
 
ATrain -

Friends was a fictional half-hour SITCOM.
Storage Wars is a half-hour REALity series that CLAIMS everything is real and not staged.

Your rebuttle is weak. There are reality series such as Top Chef and Amazing Race in which I believe is more "real" that staged. Both won Emmy's for Best Reality Series.

It cost $300,000 to produce one episode of Storage Wars. It cost I believe on the average $2 million to produce a scripted television show (someone let me know if the figures are different for sitcoms). What will happen if the producers are forced to admit they planted items on the show, well, they will lose not only viewership, but sponsors too.

You can entertain us, but why feed us a LIE? Barry entertained us with his shenanigans. He was hilarious and entertaining. So again, once the lawsuits implodes on A&E, we may see the demise of SW, who knows?
 
Atrain, I'm not really intending to trash the content of the reality genre as I won't lie and say I've never watched one. But, you do have to realize that reality employs fewer people to create than scripted shows and costs dramatically less to produce, thus putting less money in the production pipeline. Between reality TV and the singing/dancing/juggling contest shows (which I never watch!), there's a real scarcity of good scripted content on TV these days. Look at how well Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Walking Dead have done on AMC. There just isn't much real competition out there right now even with the huge number of channels. The time slots are getting filled up with cheap to make reality content.
 
As I said, I never saw anywhere on a episode of Storage Wars where it claims where it is real and not staged. If you can direct me to this I will gladly agree with you. What does it matter what the cost is of the show produced. I'll let you in on a little secret. A lot of the revenue generated from reality shows pays for scripted shows produced by the same company. Endemol, the parent company of the one I am working for, was only able to produced scritped shows like AMC's Hell on Wheels, because the produce reality shows. I'm not arguing artistic merit. I love directing scripted movies and web series more than editing reality. But without editing reality, I couldn't put food on the table, and neither could 90% of the television production companies in this town. Paul you say it's dragging the industry down, being someone in the thick of it, I say it's keeping it afloat.
 
...oh yeah...Storage Wars and the other reality shows are definitely creating their content to give the impression that it is real. Edited of course, but they are made to come off as being made from footage of real events. Whether people believe that or not is another question, but the operating assumption is that these shows are presented as highly selective documentaries of real events.
 
Andrius, You are correct, but a lot of these reality shows fuel the revenue for scripted shows. They are cheap to produce, they make a lot of money. The assumption is that we would have more scripted shows if reality shows did not exist. I simply don't feel that is true. I believe there would be less channels and less shows. Many of these scripted shows barely make any money. Some of the more expensive scripted shows lose money. The revenue is offset by DVD sales, Netflix deals and the extra money generated by reality programming. They are creating jobs and harnessing talent, not the other way around.
 
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