1. "Pawn Stars" is the no. 2
most-watched reality show in North America. ("Jersey Shore" holds the top spot.)
2. The guys can't actually work the
counter anymore because of privacy laws. Since they've become celebrities,
people are constantly taking pictures of them, compromising the privacy of
whoever's at the pawn counter. "Now I'll meet a guy in the hallway," said
Corey.
3. PBS did a documentary on Rick and the shop in
2001. "I've always been a media whore," Rick said, laughing. When business
spiked after the special aired, Rick started to shop the idea of a TV show
around. HBO expressed interest early on and even developed a pilot, but their
focus was on the more depressing side of the pawn business, which wasn't the
angle Rick wanted to pursue.
4. Corey and Chumlee have personal assistants
now. "I do a lot of desert racing. My assistant empties out the septic tank of
the trailer when I go! It's a little weird asking somebody to do that for you,"
said Corey with a laugh.
5. Chumlee's done a lot of dumb things on
camera, but his dumbest move of all time (according to Corey) happened before
the show's inception. After someone came in to pawn a stand-up bass, Chumlee
leaned it against a shelf and walked away. The bass fell and shattered into
pieces. Chumlee put the pieces into a box, and put the pawn number on the box.
When the man came to pick it up, he opened the box and saw his bass in pieces.
"He started freaking out," Corey recalled. "He pawned it for $700, and it wound
up costing us $20,000 because it turned out to be rare." Chumlee, for his part,
can't explain his actions. "I don't know what I was thinking," he said.
6. Rick has always been a serial entrepreneur.
At one point, he even bought a Quizno's franchise that Corey and Chumlee ran
together.
7. Corey's brother Adam used to work at the
shop, too -- but you're probably not going to see him on the show anytime soon.
"Most likely not. He's a plumber now," Corey said. Is Adam envious of Corey's
newfound fame? "I think there has to be some type of jealousy," Corey mused.
8. The most dangerous thing Chumlee has ever
tested? One of the blunderbusses. "A flame shot out, and I did get burned up my
arm," Chumlee recalled.
9. "Pawn Stars" was originally set to be called
"Pawning History," until someone at the production company threw out its current
name.
10. "Pawn Stars" has become an international
phenomenon, airing in dozens of countries around the world, from Singapore to
Serbia. Fun fact: In Germany, the show is called "Die Drei vom Pfandhaus" ("The
Three of the Pawnshop").
11. Chumlee has pretty awesome taste in TV
shows: He doesn't miss "Boardwalk Empire," "Sons of Anarchy" or "Breaking Bad." Rick, on the other hand, would rather be
reading. "Television is so mind-numbing to me," he said.
12. Jon Bon Jovi once requested to meet the
guys. "We went to his meet n' greet to meet his kids because they wanted a
picture with us," said Chumlee. "He gave us front row tickets. That was pretty
cool. When does Bon Jovi personally invite you to his show?"
13. Since the show debuted, Rick gets shooed
away from a lot of garage sales and swap meets because people are worried about
his shrewd negotiating skills. "Last year I stopped by a yard sale and asked a
lady about a painting," he said. "She recognized who I was and took it away and
said, 'It's not for sale!' [Laughs.]
From Huffpost-TV
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