Obviously all reality shows use a lot of editing and make story lines as real life isn't as exciting as a story line but I would at least like the characters on the show to be real people and not actors and like the show to have some basis in reality.

I was watching animal planet the other day while channel surfing and there were guys catching a snake. Taking a closer look I noticed one of the guys was Ton, the bald guy from auction hunters. This leads me to believe both these guys are actors and the show is totally fake.

Obviously Storage Wars drums up drama and makes a story line but I'm pretty sure all those guys are actually real people who attend auctions and run resale shops.

This kinda ruins the show for me. I can't say I'm surprised though. I used to watch Black Gold the oil show based in Odessa Texas. A buddy of mine recently moved down there and told me they were actually having casting calls for guys to be on teh show. Again, another "reality" show taht uses actors and is totally fake.

I looked up Ton on imdb.com and found he was a main charter on a show called Venom In Vegas, and a security guard on CSI:NY along with a extra biker on a show called the fall of night. So it appears he is a actor. Two of the shows Venom in Vegas and Auction Hunters were produced by Gurney Productions. Allen Haff has a hugh list of TV shows.
Most likely it is just a fake reality show.

Sure it's fake, and I like Storage Wars better.  But, it's entertaining and I'll still watch!

The show is based in Southern California.  Given that you can't swing a snake around in SoCal without hitting an actor, I have no problem believing that these guys can be both actors and storage unit buyers.

From Ton's bio: 

An accomplished animal handler and wrangler, Jones supplements auction hunting with his Reptile Rescue and Wildlife Services business that manages bobcats, mountain lions and venomous snakes.

From Allen's bio:

Throughout his television career, Haff maintained his resale business and eventually left hosting to focus on Angel City Estate Sales in 2006. In 2008 Haff started Hollywood & Vintage, a high volume liquidation company specializing in movie memorabilia and vintage collectibles that he operates from his office & warehouse in Los Angeles.

Do I believe that the show is produced to make it appear that these two guys are storage auction savants or that making a killing in the biz is easy?  Yes.

Do I believe that the show is completely faked and these guys are not actually storage unit buyers?  No.

Both shows include staged units in my opinion. Information was posted on the Storage Wars forum several months ago that really called one of their units into question.

Both shows include staged units in my opinion. Information was posted on the Storage Wars forum several months ago that really called one of their units into question.

And your opinion are based upon what? That it is on tv, and that they made a show from it?
COPS are on tv, thats not fake.

I know someone who again know Don, and Don who is the man behind this show would not accept fake units. Have they been doing something to the units? maybe, they have from what i know started to block out names on boxes and clothing. This is to protect a theird party who does not wnat their name on tv. This is pretty commen in the tv world.

Auction hunters am i not a big fan of, it shows to much the upside of the business.
Storage wars i think is a good show, based on genuine finds. Someone mention that one locker of toys was from an outside collection and used as a staged thing. Well if your friend know this for a fact, why don't you run down to the closest PD and file charges against the show for fruad??

Yep, AH has gone downhill. The show that did me in was when there were four lkrs at the site; two were crap; they got the good two that were left. One had the Quadzilla and the other had the hovercraft. The chances of that happening at all (existing in the same place) have got to be enormously high in the first place, but for them to get both? What, no other money there or people afraid to spend it?

On the other hand the most recent episode had them up agains G-Mar in Ft. Lauderdale. The G-mar spent about $6K and beat them out of 4 of the 6 lkrs there. So, there might be hope, but doubtful in the case of AH.

SW is getting better with more realism. I am still waiting for a dump run to be shown on either show.

All of this is my opinion.

I admittedly don't watch the show religiously if its on I'll watch it, wont tape it or go out of my way to see it.

Anyhow, as for Barry and bust units he normally makes it a bust homself from hwat I see.

I remember one episode where Jarred was complaining that Barry bought a unit nad just trashed and threw out everything in it because there was no antiques.

Barry seems like a collector so if there's not some cool antique he just doesn't care to even bother trying to unload the rest of the stuff in the unit.&

Look at the Suge night episode, he buys a box and when its full of clothes he's trying to sell items for like $10 in the parking lot.