Storage Wars

"Storage Wars" stars Rene & Casey Nezhoda are licking their wounds after dropping a bundle on a unit that belonged to a member of Wham! ... 'cause it turned out to be a total waste!

Rene tells TMZ they paid $4,100 for a storage locker that had been owned by Deon Estus ... the bass player for George Michael's '80s hitmaking group. Besides Wham!, Deon had also played with Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, Elton John and Annie Lennox ... plus, he had a top 5 hit as a solo artist.

So, you can see why Rene thought he scored when he nabbed the locker in Vernon, CA.

Well, instead of Wham!, it was more like Ooops!

He says it was abandoned and a complete waste of his money ... filled with dirty dishes, pillows, blankets, scarves a DVD player and receipts among other worthless items.

Rene says they did find a guitar case, but of course ... there was nothing inside. Giant swing and a miss.

Deon's stuff had been sitting in the locker since 2018. In case you didn't know, the iconic bass player died last October at the age of 65.

"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda has a new way to make a quick buck ... and no, it ain't bargain hunting -- he took home the pot at a South American poker tournament, winning some serious cash!!!

Rene tells TMZ ... he beat 339 other players to take 1st place at the Enjoy Poker Tour in Punta Del Este, Uruguay over the weekend. That was after he also placed 11th in the High Roller event.

The storage hunter won a total of $70,455 for his victory in the main event -- some big poker players like Phil Hellmuth and Chris Moneymaker shouted him out on Twitter, congratulating him on his big W.

The event, hosted by America's Cardroom, seemed to wear down Rene a little bit ... saying he started out strong but would begin to get some pushback from the other players.

Olympic legend Florence Griffith Joyner -- AKA Flo-Jo -- had her priceless memorabilia returned to Olympic gold medalist and husband Al Joyner ... and it's all thanks to "Storage Wars" Star Rene Nezhoda!

Rene tells TMZ ... after our story broke about his acquired collection, family members and friends of Flo-Jo started reaching out to him, including Al, hoping to buy it back.

Rene and Al met up in San Diego to strike a deal, with Rene making a profit much smaller than he could've snagged on the open market. Rene says the important thing was restoring the gold to the fam.

The item that held the most value to Al was her weight belt, something they'd use together working out. The belt was going in the trash after the locker -- originally owned by Al -- was picked through. Luckily, the piece was saved and it's back in Al's hands.

As we reported, Rene bought a ton of Flo-Jo's belongings and collectibles off of his pal George, who purchased Al's lockers at auction. Inside were Olympic jackets, autographed Flo-Jo Barbie dolls, and signed track shoes -- the same ones worn while breaking the world record!

It was in 1998 when Flo-Jo unexpectedly died of suffocation in her sleep after suffering an epileptic fit.

"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda scored big on his latest find ... unearthing tons of memorabilia that belonged to Olympic legend Florence Griffith Joyner -- Flo-Jo!

Rene tells TMZ ... his friend George bought Flo-Jo's storage locker 8 years ago in the San Diego area. Rene says he dropped several thousand dollars to take the Olympic content off his hands ... and the haul is impressive!

Rene walked away with Florence's Olympic jacket and even her signed track shoes -- the ones that she wore while breaking world records! As you'll recall, Joyner broke records in the 1988 Seoul Olympics ... for both the 100m and 200m dash! She took home 3 gold medals that year.

Also bought by Rene are rare photos, magazines featuring her, and autographed Flo-Jo Barbie dolls ... talk about a blast from the past!

Rene says he'll likely sell the pieces of history on eBay or through collectible auction house Heritage Auctions ... but if a member of Flo-Jo's family reaches out, he might work out a deal with them to return her personal items.

Flo-Jo died in 1998 after suffering a fatal epileptic seizure in her sleep. Apparently, her family paid the bills for the storage rental for years, but for some reason stopped, and that's why the locker went up for action.

"Storage Wars" star Barry Weiss returned to filming the only way he knows how ... by surprising the cast with a grand entrance.

TMZ's got this first look at Barry back in action for the Season 13 premiere of the hit A&E show. The episode, shot in March, shows Barry filming for the first time since a terrible bike crash sidelined him for quite a while.

You can see in the video Barry hasn't lost his sense of humor or style, for that matter, after rolling up in one of his exotic cars. Because you're wondering ... it's a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr that's retrofitted with a flamethrower exhaust. 🔥🔥🔥

At first, the cast can't make out who's behind the wheel ... much less be able to tell it's Barry because they've never seen him in that particular car -- although, he's known for his hot wheels.

Someone jokingly says it's the Batmobile before Barry rolls down the window and reveals his pretty mug. He asked, "Did you miss me?!?" ... before the cast unloaded a few jokes on him.

Everyone was glad to see him back in action, although a fellow bidder laments that on the day he's searching for collectibles ... the king of 'em comes out of retirement.

As we reported, Barry was seen across SoCal back in March filming again, but this time we have his pals' reaction on video. TBH, Barry looked great, and that's saying a lot considering the hell he went through.

After his nasty 2019 bike accident, Barry underwent multiple surgeries on his back and femur. The road to recovery was a long one, but now we can see how he's muscled his way back.

"Storage Wars" star Jarrod Schulz is preparing to go to trial in his domestic violence case ... insisting he didn't rough up his ex, Brandi Passante, and saying he wants the whole case dismissed.

Jarrod's attorney, Benjamin Arsenian, tells TMZ ... Jarrod denies pushing or making any contact with Brandi, contrary to what prosecutors claim, and he has no plans on taking any plea deal unless it results in a complete dismissal of the case.

Sources connected with the case tell us prosecutors have not put a deal on the table, and the case is going to trial.

TMZ broke the story ... Jarrod is charged with 1 count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery stemming from an alleged incident with his ex back in April, when prosecutors claim he pushed Brandi twice during a heated argument inside an Orange County bar.

Our sources say there are conflicting witness statements about what went down ... we're told one witness says Jarrod didn't push Brandi but gave her a shoulder bump, while another says Jarrod was sitting on a barstool the entire time.

Law enforcement sources tell us Brandi did not need any medical attention after the alleged incident and there were no visible marks on her body.

Jarrod pled not guilty Monday and the trial is set for July 12.

"Storage Wars" star Jarrod Schulz's days might be numbered on the popular reality TV series ... it all depends on what the network determines after conducting its own investigation following his domestic violence charge.

TMZ broke the story ... Schulz is accused of pushing his ex, Brandi Passante, during a heated argument in late April while she was hanging with friends in a bar. The Orange County D.A.'s Office hit him with 1 count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery for the alleged incident.

Sources close to "Storage Wars" production tell us ... A&E found out about Jarrod getting charged when our story broke, and immediately launched a probe to gather information and speak to those involved.

We're told the network is currently investigating, and though Schulz happened to be off this week's filming schedule ... it's not expected he'll return to shoot segments until A&E concludes its review.

Our sources say once that happens, a decision will be made about his future with the show. We've spoken to multiple other main cast members who say if the allegations of domestic violence are true ... they don't believe he should return.

We're also told the cast has been uneasy with the situation between Jarrod and Brandi, long before the recent allegations.

"Storage Wars" stars Jarrod Schulz and his ex, Brandi Passante, might be cordial on the show after their break-up, but behind the scenes, he's now facing criminal charges for allegedly roughing her up.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Brandi was hanging with friends at a bar in Orange County on April 30 when Jarrod showed up. We're told the exes got into a heated exchange and Brandi told Jarrod to bounce.

Our sources say Jarrod didn't, and that's when things took a turn for the worse. We're told at some point, Jarrod allegedly pushed Brandi twice ... while yelling at her and her group.

Cops were called to the bar, but we're told Jarrod had left by the time they showed up. A police report was taken ... and a few days later Jarrod talked to cops, and denied ever putting hands on Brandi.

Well, the Orange County D.A.s Office isn't buying his version of events, because it's now charged him with 1 count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery.

Jarrod and Brandi have appeared in all 13 seasons of the hit A&E show. They're dubbed "The Young Guns" because they're the youngest auction bidders in the main cast.

But, during the season 13 premiere last month, Brandi confirmed on-camera for the first time she and Jarrod split up 2 years ago. They have 2 kids together.

"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda is having a bad case of déjà vu -- his store was burglarized, again ... and this time the crooks made off with thousands in merch, again.

So here's the deal, Rene and his wife, Casey -- owners of the Bargain Hunters Thrift Store featured on the show -- say they were enjoying a day off back on February 17 when they were notified that a couple of thieves were ransacking the San Diego area store.

We’re told surveillance camera footage shows the burglars entered through a back door after smashing the glass. When the dust finally settled ... we're told they made off with tons of sports memorabilia cards and other collectibles worth between $7k-$8k.

On top of that ... Rene, Casey and their crew say the store was a disaster -- physical damages only ran 'em about $1,500, but it took a long time to clean up the mess.

Two things to note ... Rene says the burglars missed out on some VERY expensive trading cards, and thinks one of the thieves left behind some possible evidence. DOH!!!

A spokesperson for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department tells TMZ ... detectives are in the initial phase of the investigation, but are working a few leads they've developed since the heist. They have not identified the suspects yet

It's going to take more than serious injuries from a motorcycle crash to keep Barry Weiss away from the auction block ... he's back for the new season of "Storage Wars."

Sources close to production of the reality TV series tell TMZ ... they've resumed filming for Season 13 the past few weeks in L.A. and Orange County, and Barry's among the returning OG stars.

We're told he was on set earlier this week to shoot, and as you can see ... he's looking pretty good for a guy who had multiple surgeries on his back and femur less than 2 years ago following a nasty motorcycle accident.

We're told Darrell Sheets is another "Storage Wars" favorite returning for the upcoming season, along with Rene and Casey Nezhoda, Ivy Calvin, and Kenny Crossley. Dave Hester and Mary Padian will not be returning.

The show's been off the air since early 2019, but it looks like it's coming back strong ... just like Barry.

The son of "Storage Wars" star Dan Dotson got shot and had to be airlifted to a hospital for surgery ... but he's expected to survive.

Dan shared the troubling news Sunday on Twitter, saying he got a call his son, Garrett, was shot in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Dan said Garrett was stable at first, but then things got worse a few hours later.

Garrett's mom, Laura, tells TMZ ... her son was walking his date to a car when he heard someone say something and then he got shot. She said he was able to call 911 himself and rushed to a local hospital ... where doctors determined the bullet hit a main blood vessel to his heart and also fractured his spine.

Laura says the injury was so bad he had to be airlifted to a Vegas trauma hospital ... and during the flight a doctor's hand was in Garrett's chest to stop the bleeding. She says the move saved his life.

We're told he's now out of surgery and was able to move his foot, which is a very positive sign.

Dan wrote ... "Thank you to the surgeon that saved my son from bleeding out on the air trip to Vegas Thank you everyone for the prayers & positive thoughts thrown our way. Garrett is out of surgery & is expected to survive."

"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda just found a virtual pot of gold buried in a Dallas storage locker -- because it's filled with trinkets from "The Dude Perfect Show."

Rene -- who runs the Bargain Hunters Thrift Store featured on the reality show -- tells TMZ ... he and two buddies, Jeremy Hales and Justin Grimes, dropped $2,770 on a storage unit this week in Texas, and when they got inside they realized it used to belong to the super-popular YouTube stars.

"Dude Perfect" has a massive following -- 47.1 million subscribers -- so you've probably seen their insane sports trick shot videos, or recognize them from their Super Bowl commercial.

It's quite a haul for Rene ... the storage locker is filled with "Dude Perfect" props dating back to their first season -- trophies, a massive baseball mitt, the famous panda costume and more.

Ex-"Storage Wars" star Dave Hester is once again belting "Yuuuuuup!" at storage locker auctions ... but he needed months of intense therapy to get there.

Dave tells TMZ ... it was back in November when he woke up one night feeling sick and having trouble breathing. His GF rushed him to the hospital in Newport Beach, CA, where he suffered a hemorrhagic stoke.

Doctors performed a battery of tests and determined he had been suffering from sleep apnea. Tests revealed when he slept his breathing stopped more than 100 times an hour. The deprivation of oxygen along with high blood pressure triggered the stroke.

Dave tells us he spent days in the ICU and was then transferred to a live-in rehab facility for a month. The famous auctioneer -- arguably the face of A&E's popular show -- suddenly went from hunting down forgotten treasures in storage lockers to learning how to walk again and do the most basic functions -- like shower.

He's not fully recovered yet, but he's working with neurologists and other medical professionals to get back in shipshape condition.

Whatever his limitations ... they aren't enough to keep him from his auctioneer duties.

Barry Weiss can now breathe a sigh of relief ... he's out of danger, but now the long road to recovery begins.

TMZ broke the story ... the "Storage Wars" star and popular auction guru suffered severe injuries in a scary motorcycle accident back in April after a car pulled out of a parking space and nailed him.

He was riding with a friend at the time ... as they slammed into the back of the car but Barry got the worst of it. As we first reported ... Barry landed in ICU and had to undergo multiple surgeries on his back and on his femur. He spent weeks in the hospital but a rep for Barry tells TMZ ... he's finally out.

We're told Barry's currently in an outpatient program and going through the long, hard process of rehab. The ordeal hasn't stopped Barry from working. He was just named the new face of Sherwood Valley Casino.

We're told Barry will do voice-over work for the NorCal casino while he's in rehab. When he recovers, the casino's global brand ambassador will appear in TV commercials to pimp the joint and also do meet and greets.

For now, Barry's rep says the reality TV star's thankful for the concern and well wishes his fans have shown since the accident. #OnwardsAndUpwards.

One of the shops featured on "Storage Wars" was broken into over Memorial Day weekend -- costing its reality TV star owners a few thousand dollars and a crappy day of cleanup.

Rene Nezhoda -- who runs the Bargain Hunters Thrift Store with his wife, Casey -- tells TMZ ... a thief, or group of thieves, smashed through the front glass doors of his San Diego-area business early Saturday morning around 4 AM ... and made off with some of their goods.

We're told the culprits jacked around $2,000 worth of rare coins Rene and Casey had in their possession, and ended up doing about another $2,000 of damage to the store in total.

All in all ... the Nezhodas are looking at a minimum set back of $4,000.

Rene and Casey posted a video of the aftermath later in the day, and it's clear they were pissed about the break-in. Rene goes so far as to call the culprit "the lowest scumbag out there." Check out his tour of how the burglars got in and out ... it's a pretty entertaining breakdown, even if it's a crappy financial situation for them.