“Storage Wars” is undoubtedly one of the most successful reality-TV series premiered by A&E in the 2010s. Known for the competitive streak of the bidders, and featuring lots of interesting findings inside the storage rooms, some very valuable, there was no chance of becoming tired of the show and its endless drama and amusing moments.

Although “Storage Wars” took a prolonged break from TV screens starting in 2019 – much to its fans’ chagrin – it returned to air with some known faces, but also with notable absentees impossible to ignore, but is fan favorite Casey Nezhoda one of those missing cast members?

Stay here to know all about Casey’s whereabouts, the current state of her family business, and whether or not she returned to “Storage Wars” or has taken a different path in life.

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What Is She Doing Now?

Fan favorites Casey Nezhoda and her husband Rene have been in “Storage Wars” for several seasons, and that doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. Despite taking a prolonged hiatus from TV, the show didn’t forget about the Nezhodas when it eventually made its comeback in 2021, since becoming regulars in the show.

That being said, Casey is doing what she does best, which is searching for the most incredible items in California’s abandoned storage lockers. Although in recent years her and Rene’s company Bargain Hunters Thrift Store closed down their shop’s physical location, the couple keeps their business afloat by successfully promoting their items on YouTube, which has hundreds of thousands of followers.

While Casey doesn’t reveal lots of details about her personal life, some sneak peeks into her Instagram account let us see that she splits her time between taking care of the business, raising daughter Tatianna, and working out. On top of that, her marriage with Rene is apparently going as well as ever these days.

What Happened To Her Business?

For over a decade, Casey and Rene Nezhoda’s business Bargain Hunters Thrift Store was located in Poway Road, San Diego, until its closing in April 2021. Although the business was apparently doing well, the Nezhodas closed down their only shop as their lease ended.

As reported by the San Diego Union Tribune, the Nezhodas weren’t the only thrift store in the area affected in recent years. Starting from 2020, several stores closed as well, as their leases weren’t renewed due to the potential sale of the adjacent properties, to become a residential area.

Once closed, a new physical shop wasn’t opened due to the apparent unaffordable lease costs in the area: ‘I would probably have to move to the business park, and (for retail) that would be suicide’, as Rene told the journal.

#TGIF #StorageWars #BargainHuntersThrift check out this new thing we we are doing on our Facebook Fan Club page lots of reels going out all day! https://t.co/pP4mBlrjYH pic.twitter.com/iE93knTw3H

— Casey Nezhoda on A&E (@Cbargainhunters) December 3, 2021

The Nezhodas then bought a 400 sqft warehouse in San Diego, from where they now manage their online selling business through platforms such as eBay and Whatnot, as they noted on a YouTube video on their channel. All in all, the Nezhodas have found new and inovative ways to keep their business afloat amidst the difficulties.

Social Media & Channel

Ever since closing their physical shop, Casey and Rene Nezhoda have kept their business alive by promoting their activities through social media and their highly popular YouTube channel Bargain Hunters Thrift. On the latter, the Nezhodas have attracted more than 180,000 subscribers and 17 million views combined, by often sharing videos of their activities, the products available for sale, some sneak peeks about their everyday life, and even educational content for collectors and business people alike.

As seen on their popular Facebook page, the Nezhodas’ Bargain Hunters Thrift Store has become a completely online business by offering their collectible products through bids on the websites Whatnot and eBay, the latter which is apparently their favorite. As Rene admitted on a YouTube video, the acquisition of their new and bigger warehouse in early 2021 was meant to expand their eBay operations, which so far has gone incredibly well, as the pair has sold over 11,000 articles on the platform, and gained almost 8,000 followers.

Did They Find Kobe Bryant’s Items?

Besides gaining fame for their skills at business and their “Storage Wars” appearances, the Nezhodas have also made headlines due to some amazing storage discoveries they’ve made in recent years. The most commented of all is related to the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant, of whom they found several items in a storage unit which formerly belonged to stylist Derek Roche.

The unit was initially auctioned for $375, then the Nezhodas bought the items from the winner for around $13,000 in early 2020. The unit contained dozens of shoes, t-shirts and accessories, some of which were brand new while others were presumed worn by Bryant himself. Some remarkable pieces price-wise in the collection include fur coats, official Lakers warm-up and game shirts, while the most personal items include Kobe’s daughters’ shirts and shoes.

Aware of the emotional value that the latter items held, the Nezhodas didn’t want to sell them, and instead planned on contacting Kobe’s widow Vanessa, to donate them to her.

However, in the end it was Vanessa who contacted the Nezhodas with a surprising proposal: ‘Everything has been worked out. A number of personal items, worn items, and paperwork were sold directly back to the Bryant family’, as Rene subsequently told TMZ.

Other Important Findings

So many years into the antiquity and bidding business, it’s really no wonder that Casey and Rene Nezhoda have a sixth sense at finding amazing items in storage units. The most recent of those happened in 2022, when the Nezhodas bought dozens of pieces of memorabilia of late Olympic track gold medalist Florence Griffith Joyner, known as Flo-Jo.

Initially the unit was won by George, an antiquity seller and good friend of the Nezhodas, who had the items stored for eight years before deciding to call Casey and Rene for a deal. While it’s unknown how much exactly the Nezhodas paid for Flo-Jo’s items, Rene admitted on a YouTube video that it was ‘thousands of dollars’.

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Some amazing items bought by the Nezhodas include the very same shoes worn by Flo-Jo when she broke her athletic record in the 1988 Olympics, besides several other collectible articles such as Flo-Jo’s Barbie doll edition signed by her. They ultimately sold the collection to Flo-Jo’s widower, Olympic triple jump gold medalist Al Joyner, whose favorite item out of the lot was a weight band he and Flo created together back in the good old days.

The ultimate sale price of the collection wasn’t revealed by Rene, but as he affirmed on a video, several people close to Flo-Jo including family and friends had reached out to him before he finally chose Al for the deal.

Was Their Store Robbed?

Casey and Rene Nezhoda went through some difficult times when their physical store was still in business. In May 2019, the Bargain Hunters Thrift Store was broken into by burglars who smashed the front doors and stole around $2,000 in articles from the shop, including some rare coins previously collected by Casey and Rene, the latter describing the criminals as ‘the lowest form of people’. An extra $2,000 in property damages was added to the losses.

Only two years later, the store was burglarized once again when the Nezhodas were taking a day off. This second time the amount stolen was bigger, as around $8,000 in valuable collectible cards was stolen, added to $1,500 in physical damages to the shop. In both cases, it’s unclear if the thieves were ever caught.

What Is Casey’s Net Worth?

Seeing how successful and popular Casey is, it’s no wonder that her financial situation is a subject of interest to her fans, so, Casey has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million, shared with her husband Rene, as of early 2023.

This modest fortune comes mostly from their decades-long career as antique dealers and owners of Bargain Hunters Thrift Store, on top of their earnings from “Storage Wars”, though their TV salary is unfortunately unknown. As well, the couple has made good money out of their gambling escapades, their most recent victory taking place in October 2022, when Rene won $70,455 during the Enjoy Poker Tour celebrated in Uruguay.

Regarding the reason for their success, Casey affirms that it all comes down to their hard-working ethic and experience, which sets them apart from some other antiquity businesses: ‘Other people got in the business after 2008 because they needed a job, but didn’t really know what they were doing. We have been doing this our whole lives’, she told TV Shows Ace in 2020.

All in all, the Nezhodas are already doing well financially, but will most likely keep growing their fortune in the next couple of years.

What Happened To “Storage Wars”?

Everyone who has been watching “Storage Wars” series’ remembers how starting from 2019, the show took a prolonged hiatus from TV in an unexpected way.

While an official statement regarding the show’s situation wasn’t released back then, in a 2020 interview with TV Shows Ace, Casey and Rene Nezhoda affirmed that A&E had ‘moved on’ from “Storage Wars”, but that they weren’t closed off from rejoining the show if the opportunity arose. The Nezhodas also disclosed other chances of appearing on TV in a ‘remote COVID type of show’, but unfortunately ‘it didn’t make sense’ for them to accept.

Holding off from appearing in other TV shows eventually paid off, as in 2021, “Storage Wars” announced its long-awaited comeback on air with the Nezhodas, along with several other fan favorites of buyers and auctioneers.

Who Left The Show?

While we’re happy to know Casey and Rene Nezhoda are still in “Storage Wars”, some other cast members didn’t have the same luck of returning to the show, or were left out of it long before its hiatus. Here are all of them:

Dave Hester

As one of the most scandal-prone cast members of “Storage Wars”, Dave Hester is a face hardly forgettable for fans of the show. Dave was a regular “Storage Wars” buyer before he was fired from it in the third season, to which he responded by filing a $750,000 lawsuit against the show and A&E for wrongful termination. The most shocking part of the lawsuit was Dave accusing the show of faking ‘nearly every aspect’ of it, claiming producers staged the storage units’ contents, by placing articles in it to make it more appealing to audiences.

Regardless of the scandal caused by Dave’s claims, the case was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount, and despite his revelations, he returned to the show in its fifth season until the 13th, when “Storage Wars” returned from hiatus, and he was nowhere to be seen -not much has been said about the reasons leading to his second exit from the show.

Jarrod Schulz

Despite being in “Storage Wars” for the longest time, in recent years things haven’t been going so well for Jarrod Schulz when it comes to his TV job.

As it happens, around 2019 Jarrod and Brandi Passante, who is also a “Storage Wars” regular, broke up after almost two decades together. There’s little information about the reason for their break up, but the former couple have taken separate professional paths and bid separately by the time “Storage Wars” returned for its 13th season in early 2021.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdMvjbGhI8q/

Then the situation took an ugly turn in April that year, when an argument ensued between the two while they were separately hanging out at a bar in California. According to reports, Jarrod allegedly pushed Brandi but was gone by the time police arrived at the place. He was later arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence, though according to TMZ, a separate investigation was led by A&E to identify the real nature of the incident.

Although the network didn’t officially address the situation, Jarrod wasn’t included in the 14th and following “Storage Wars” seasons, leaving us to think the incident led to his firing.

Barry Weiss

As an original cast member and undoubted fan favorite, many hearts were broken when Barry Weiss left “Storage Wars” back in the fourth season. His reasons for leaving were quite special though: ‘It was fun, but I’d had enough, and I kind of wanted to leave while it was still popular’, he admitted in an interview from 2017.

Some years after his exit from the show, a terrible bike accident suffered by Barry had him undergoing surgery several times, and a long recovery process. The “Storage Wars” so-called ‘Collector’ eventually made his long-awaited return to the show for its 14th season.

While many known faces are missing from the show nowadays, cast members such as Barry and the Nezhodas, are doing well, and keeping the show as alive as ever.

The mystery surrounding the supposed treasure hidden in Oak Island has been going on for centuries, defying the passage  of time by becoming one of the most popular legends around the world. Whether people believe there’s something hidden in the island or not, the fever awakened by History’s show “The Curse Of Oak Island” is undeniable at this point.

While the show’s popularity speaks for itself regarding this long-standing treasure-hunt, the cast formed by a large team of experts has also played an important role in making this mystery so entertaining to watch.

That being said, there’s more than just theories to work with, as so far several findings in the island have hinted and strengthened the probabilities of finding a treasure at last, but what role has the show’s metal technician Gary Drayton played in finding those artifacts? Is it true that he found a very valuable ring on the island? Stay with us to know all the answers to these questions about “The Curse Of Oak Island” and more!

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=377911354220987

What’s Up With The Ring?

While intelligence, expertise and lots of knowledge in history are necessary for successful treasure hunters, a little bit of luck is also welcomed by those who dedicate their life to this centuries old hobby, to some actually a profession.

In the case of Gary Drayton, all these factors played in his favor back in 1983, when he found an emerald gold ring most-likely belonging to the 1715 Treasure Fleet wrecked back in the day by a hurricane. The treasures on board the ships were once thought to be lost forever, yet in recent years, many people have uncovered its gold and silver items on Florida’s beaches, gaining the place the nickname of The Treasure Coast.

The cargo on the ships departed from Cuba with Spain as their destination, containing part of King Philip V’s riches and jewelry, for which he had allegedly been waiting for a long time: ‘(he) gave out the word ‘I need the treasure’, because he was married to Isabel, and she wouldn’t consummate the marriage unless she got the dowry of jewels’, as affirmed by Gary in the spin-off show “Beyond Oak Island”.

The 22-carat emerald ring valued subsequently at $750,000 was discovered by Gary while using his metal detector, finding several coins and other artifacts before finally stumbling upon the jewelry described by him as ‘the greatest treasure ring ever found in America’.

Gary’s Treasure Hunting Adventures

While finding such a valuable item is clearly a once in a lifetime event for most people, for a man as experienced as Gary Drayton this is just one of the many treasure hunting stories he has to tell. Nevertheless, uncovering centuries old treasures on the Floridian coasts isn’t a coincidence, but the result of decades long experience both as a metal specialist and history connoisseur.

As Gary admitted in an interview with Minelab in 2011, the key to his success at finding amazing hidden treasures lays on analyzing the area he’s researching: ‘(I) look at the beach and conditions present as clues on a treasure map, treasure is there if you have the patience and skills to find it’, he confirmed, listing some of said conditions as the weather, location and how many people are in the area.

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While Gary discouraged beginners from allowing themselves to be lead by rumors of findings while they explore an area, he also affirmed that a wise use of time and proper tools could lead people to success in their treasure hunting endeavors.

Gary’s vast knowledge has allowed him to write several guides on the treasure research topic, and lessons on metal detecting, all of it available on his website.

Did He Find More Incan Gold?

The 22-carat emerald ring found by Gary Drayton on the coast of Florida, is one piece of a bigger, legendary treasure lost in the ocean centuries ago.

When the 1715 Treasure Fleet was wrecked near Florida back in the day, much of the bullion gold it transported had previously been turned into jewelry in order to reduce taxes: ‘they would make jewelry out of everything they could, which is why they would wear as much as 17 pounds of gold on them’, as historian John Mattera in the spin-off “Beyond Oak Island”.

Although it’s unclear where exactly this gold was extracted from, in the show Gary affirms that lots of the treasure lost in the 1715 fleet wreck was of Incan origin. As well, Gary is convinced that the $750,000 ring in his possession was meant to be owned personally by Isabel, formally known as Queen Elisabeth Farnese, as part of her dowry.

That being said, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact origin of the treasures found by Gary in Florida, but it’s for certain that there’s an important piece of history in each piece he’s found.

Other Antique Artifacts

While the treasures Gary Drayton has found in Florida are his most precious possessions, he’s found many other impressive antiquities throughout his career. First is a pair of Dutch onion bottles he found in England’s countryside in his beginnings as a treasure hunter, which were apparently created between 1620 and 1640.

While the value of these bottles is unclear, these artifacts are valuable antiquities due to their good condition, and for replacing the centuries old tradition of ceramic pottery back in the day. Gary also owns a vast collection of blown glass articles and bottles, which despite being mere trash centuries ago, are now part of the world’s maritime history.

Always enchanted by the hidden secrets left by Spanish ships in America, Gary left his native England for warm Florida to search for those almost forgotten treasures. Gary’s dream was accomplished in the best way possible, by uncovering several articles made from gold and silver, including Spanish coins, religious artifacts from the 1600s, rings on top of emeralds and garnets, all uncovered by him.

Nonetheless, Gary admitted that the treasure he most hopes to find is nothing Spanish, but of rumoured Templar origin, and that’s definitely his main goal in “The Curse Of Oak Island”.

What Has Gary Found In Oak Island?

Ever since Gary Drayton debuted in “The Curse Of Oak Island” in 2014, his expertise both as a treasure hunter and metal detector specialist has led to some interesting and impressive discoveries. Here are some of them:

Lead Cross

Finding a piece of lead in the dirt might not be a remarkable event for most people, but Gary Drayton and the Lagina brothers aren’t just anyone. During the fifth season of “The Curse Of Oak Island”, the team was researching the area known as Smith’s Cove when Gary’s detector beeped over a barely explored set of stones.

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After Rick Lagina proceeded to dig up the dirt, Gary was quick to pinpoint an article which would have gone unnoticed by anyone else. It turned out to be a cross, which was described by Gary as ‘medieval’ looking, though it was still early to positively identify.

The cross was promptly sent to geochemist Tobias Skowronek, who determined that the cross was dated from before the 15th century, and its composition matched deposits of lead from Southern France. This discovery was equally exciting and baffling, as it prompted a new theory regarding the treasure allegedly hidden in the island: ‘In my opinion, the treasure is probably Templar related’, as Gary said in an interview with History UK.

Gary’s theory is exciting to say the least, but it also brings up many questions that are yet to be answered.

Brooches In The Lot Eight

Although finding lead and other types of materials which could hint to some ancient human activity in the area, for a treasure hunter there’s nothing like uncovering metal or a piece of jewelry.

In the fifth season of “The Curse Of Oak Island”, Gar Drayton and Rick Lagina were lucky to find some great artifacts of said nature. As they led research in the area known as Lot Eight, Gary’s metal detector alerted them to some metal pieces hidden under the dirt, which turned out to be a piece of old metal which looked as part of something bigger.

Further research in the same area resulted in the discovery of an ancient-looking golden brooch, which despite not being made of gold, had a beautiful ruby-resembling stone in its center, unlike any other articles they had previously found in the island. In Rick’s words, the brooch ‘even if it’s a semi-precious stone, this is treasure as defined by the Treasure Trove license’, he said in the show.

High-End Knob

It’s said that ‘all that glisters is not gold,’ which is why it’s important for treasure hunters to investigate the real nature of their discovery before jumping to conclusions. As the team researched the Swamp area for potential human-made structures during “The Curse Of Oak Island” eighth season, Gary Drayton discovered golden material on the ground near the excavations.

Word around the island is whosoever holds this axe, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor. Great top pocket find. #OakIslandCursers #thor #bobbydazzler #oakisland pic.twitter.com/cF0FNbMsDI

— Gary Drayton (@TheGaryDrayton) November 18, 2020

Visibly surprised and excited, Gary promptly declared that the artifact was a handle most like belonging to a boat, and could potentially be made of ‘low-grade’ gold. Rick Lagina found Gary’s theory plausible, given the heavy weight of the artifact, and how it was ‘untarnished’ and bright golden, despite the conditions of the ground and the passage of time.

The object was immediately taken to coin expert Sandy Campbell, who after carefully removing all the dirt from it with an ultrasonic cleaner, determined that the object wasn’t made of gold. However, the good news is that Campbell found the object rather old, theorizing that it was an ornament from a high-end chest or a similar object.

Despite being visibly disappointed by the result, the object wasn’t entirely dismissed by Rick, considering that it could have a connection to the man-made structures they were investigating at the time.

Ring Bolt

Even if uncovering jewelry or a whole chest is every treasure hunter’s biggest dream, other discoveries could be just as impressive, despite not involving gold or precious stones.

Such a case occurred in the show’s eighth season, when Gary’s detector beeped near an excavation area in the island. Despite initially thinking it was a coin, Gary and excavator Billy Gerhardt soon discovered that the article under the ground was an iron piece with a hole on its end, closely resembling a centuries old ring bolt.

While this discovery might not sound as impressive as a brooch or other jewelry, this piece of iron was actually part of something bigger. As it happens, in the 1960s an explorer named Fred Nolan discovered four human-made structures on his Oak Island property, forming a cross-looking area he traced on his maps. According to his notes, the four monoliths strategically placed over the area had ring bolts embedded in them, prompting the theory that a massive anchor had been built in order to place the treasure in its gallery.

The ring bolt uncovered by Gary fits the description of the artifacts discovered by Nolan, strengthening the mystery surrounding Oak Island.

Secret Tunnel

One of the goals the Lagina brothers have regarding their operations in Oak Island, is to find evidence that a structure was built on the land centuries ago. Discovering that human activity in the island precedes that of records dated from the late 1700s is important to establish whether treasure was actually buried in the island and its origin.

In the eighth season, “The Curse Of Oak Island” team took a step closer to that goal when Gary Drayton discovered a caster several feet underground. Gary was quick to reason that such an artifact probably belonged to a cart potentially used to transport cargo. Nonetheless, the most impressive part of the discovery was traces of a tunnel-like channel on the excavations, further giving a clearer form to his theory about the area’s former transportation use while hiding the alleged treasure.

Did He Find Gold In Oak Island?

Gold has indeed been found in Oak Island, yet it wasn’t Gary Drayton who made this valuable discovery. As happened in the ninth season of “The Curse Of Oak Island”, some pieces of wood recovered from a 88ft deep excavation were analyzed to determine whether it had been transformed by humans or if traces of other interesting materials were in it.

Surprisingly enough, the metal detector alerted the team to a piece of lead embedded in the wood. It was later determined that the wood carbon-dated from around the 1400s, added to the fact that the piece of metal had either come into contact with gold, or contained it.

Although the traces of gold found in the material might not be huge, it was enough to awaken the hopes that something big is waiting ahead on the road for the Lagina brothers and team. As we wait for that to finally happen, there’s no denying that so far “The Curse Of Oak Island” has done a good job at keeping us entertained and charmed by the centuries old mystery surrounding the island.