Jarrod Schulz Facts That Storage Wars Fans Will Want To Uncover In Their Locker
In 2010, the A&E series "Storage Wars" opened the world's eyes to the hidden booty in unclaimed storage lockers across urban America. By showcasing some of the most profitable buyers of these forgotten treasure troves around California, "Storage Wars" became a sensation, drawing millions of viewers in Season 1 (via USA Today). Aside from inspiring fortune seekers across the country to hit local storage auctions, the series birthed a barrage of spin-offs and copycats that took over reality television for most of the 2010s.
Like modern-day treasure hunters, the eclectic characters of "Storage Wars" have become iconic in the world of second-hand goods. In the show's 14 seasons and over 300 episodes, plenty of looters and scavengers have thrown bids at auctioneers Dan and Laura Dotson. However, none have been as popular as the original four heavyweight buyers that premiered with the series.
Whether you rooted for Darrell 'The Gambler' Sheets or Barry 'The Collector' Weiss, the real win came from watching the strange and unique items get dragged out of these dusty vaults. Still, of the most popular "Storage Wars" regulars were the underdog couple known as the Young Guns. A lot has changed in the decade since Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante first nabbed a locker's worth of product for their Long Beach thrift store, including their public separation in 2021. Keep reading for the full background on Jarrod 'The Outlaw' Schulz, and discover what he has been up to since the Young Guns broke up.
He had some unique jobs before Storage Wars
One of the more attractive elements of watching "Storage Wars" is that the buyers are real people, unexceptional aside from their encyclopedic knowledge of collectibles and memorabilia. Not glamoured up for television, the series showcases their true day-to-day lives filled with treasures and failures. Like average people, the characters of the show have livelihoods to maintain, and storage auctions are more often than not their main source of income. However, unlike his competition, Jarrod Schulz was still a rookie to the second-hand scene when the show first aired. In fact, the young buyer had tried on a few hats before bringing a wad of cash to his inaugural auction.
One of the more well-documented careers of Schulz's past was managing a carpet cleaning business in the late '90s, where he met future partner Brandi Passante. In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Schulz admitted that their relationship broke some rules, "we were coworkers in the same carpet store. Technically, I was her boss ... and you were not supposed to do that."
Subsequently, as documented in the couple's appearance on The Mystery Men Podcast, the storage companions have different ideas about who courted who at the rug company. Still, Schulz moved on from carpets to becoming his own boss. According to Outsider, Some of his earliest ventures included branching out into mortgage brokerage and real estate.
Jarrod started doing storage auctions out of desperation
Unfortunately for Jarrod Schulz, he opted to join the mortgage business at the wrong time — right as the housing market crashed in the mid-2000s. The collapse was difficult for the couple, who were welcoming two children into their lives. "Becoming unemployed without any unemployment benefits. Finding a job wasn't easy," details Schulz in an interview with The Orange County Register. It turns out it was an aunt, who was a manager at a storage facility, that steered the Young Gun towards auctions of abandoned vaults. Proving fruitful, Jarrod and Brandi eventually opened their brick-and-mortar storefront in Orange County, California, the Now and Then second-hand store.
Regardless of how it was portrayed on television, Schulz typically set out on treasure hunts solo. It was at a storage auction in Harbor City when he was approached by A&E producers about being a part of their upcoming series, "Storage Wars." Striking a deal to feature Schulz as one of their main buyers, it wasn't until camera crews showed up at Now and Then that the producers noticed Brandi Passante working the counters.
Admittedly, Passante was a bit naive in the early episodes of the show as she learned her way around the sometimes-chaotic auctions beside her more experienced boyfriend. However, the couple gained ground as they developed teamwork and the strategy of playing to one another's strengths -– Brandi's tactfulness and Jarrod's risk-taking.
He owned his own clothing company
Where "Storage Wars" competitors like Dave Hester or Darrell Sheets can be seen wearing gear promoting their individual stores where they flip their storage goods, Jarrod Schulz's unique attire served another purpose. You would be hard-pressed to find an episode of "Storage Wars" where Schulz is not wearing a shirt made by Outlaw Apparel. As it turns out, the clothing brand was another of the Young Gun's self-owned operations.
Outlaw Apparel was a limited brand that focused primarily on tee shirts and baseball caps. Featuring Jarrod's minimalist black and white style along with logos of women, guns, and handcuffs, the company primarily operated online. However, the company has unceremoniously shut down in recent years, with a 'Close Out' promotion taking place in July 2018. Truthfully, fans of the series would not find it surprising that Schulz has a knack for fashion after he expertly estimated the price of a pair of red-stitched Levi's jeans in the Season 1 episode "Gambler's Last Resort."
His distaste for Dave Hester is real
Since the series first hit television screens there has been a lot of discussion about how much of "Storage Wars" is staged. According to one of its original stars, most of the show is set up by producers, including placed items, pre-paid lockers, and scripted drama. A 2012 article from Business Insider detailed how Dave "Yuuup" Hester sued A&E for wrongful termination claiming the majority of the series is faked for television. Hester ultimately lost the lawsuit, but not without planting the seeds of doubt for fans that anything taking place on "Storage Wars" withholds authenticity.
Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante have been the show's most significant advocates in opposing Hester's claims. Passante recently pointed out in an interview with Distractify that staging the units "would be collusion" as the auctions are open to the public. Meanwhile, much of the drama taking place on the show centers around jealousy and general distaste for Dave Hester. There are many episodes in the early years where Passante and Schulz openly argue with Hester.
Subsequently, Schulz has been open about his issues with the rival that built a habit of costing other bidders money. "If you see Dave Hester on the street the best thing you can do for him is just go up to him and give him a hug," Schulz said of his competitor in an interview with The Times-Standard. "Because I don't think he got enough of them when he was younger."
He made a Storage Wars music video
It must have been a shock to all the original stars of "Storage Wars" when they went from blue-collar workers to celebrity status as a result of the show's unprecedented popularity. Many of the treasure hunters had been in the storage auction game for years living off their minimal gains from their second-hand goods. Jarrod Schulz, in particular, was struggling to keep his head above water before his big break on television. As such, it's understandable that during the height of "Storage Wars" viewership, these hard-working thrifters had some fun with their newfound fame.
Taking a break from his day-to-day grind, in 2015 Schulz went all out in producing a music video exclusively for the promotion of "Storage Wars" titled "Visors." The one-minute video features Schulz, his partner Brandi Passante, and a group of Now and Then employees who have appeared on the show throughout the years. Celebrating visors, yo-yos, and frisbees, the short video is a rap parody that manages to showcase a variety of Outlaw Apparel merchandise. Regardless of the blatant promotion, the music video was a treat for audiences that enjoy Schulz's lighter side.
Jarrod was never married to Brandi Passante
Arguably, one of the most surprising facts about Jarrod Schulz is that he never married long-time partner Brandi Passante. On "Storage Wars" the pair consistently talk to each other like a couple that has been betrothed for decades. There are numerous episodes throughout the series where they will affectionately call one another 'husband' and 'wife.' Although there were regular disputes and conflicts between Schulz and Passante, they were best friends, business partners, and maintained an intimate relationship.
Additionally, the couple had two children together, Payton and Cameron Schulz, who have made appearances on the series in episodes such as Season 5's "It's Bring Your Kids to Work Day." From the outside, it appeared to audiences that the Young Guns operated a traditional family, even though the father and mother had never officially tied the knot. Both Jared and Brandi have preserved extremely private lives through their fame, leaving many fans unaware of their marital status.
His short-lived Storage Wars Spin-off
Beyond that, Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante's relationship became a pivotal piece to their own "Storage Wars" spin-off series "Brandi and Jarrod: Married to the Job." The 2014 show dove into the couple's day-to-day operations of storage auctions and operating their second-hand goods store in Orange County, California. It was one of several shows to spawn off of the original following "Storage Wars: Texas," Storage Wars: Canada," and Barry Weiss' own series "Barry'd Treasure." However, much like Weiss' spin-off, Brandi and Jarrod's series only ran for a single season of eight episodes.
The Brandi and Jarrod reality show took inspiration from another popular series, "Duck Dynasty," by featuring a thriving, successful family in their natural moments of banter and suburban life. Meanwhile, building the drama was the intended lead-up to the couple's long-awaited marriage. In one episode of the short-lived series, Jarrod throws his fiancé an engagement party and another features Brandi shopping for a wedding dress. Regardless of their intention, the show was not picked up for a follow-up season, yet the couple would continue appearing on "Storage Wars" together for another six seasons — without ever getting married.
He competed on Celebrity Car Wars
While he may have been one of the most private characters to appear on "Storage Wars," Jarrod Schulz is surprisingly one of the few original cast members to span out from the umbrella of the popular franchise. In 2017, Schulz joined Season 2 of "Celebrity Car Wars" on the Southeast Asian version of the History Channel. Alongside comedian Harith Iskander, model Aerin Yuktadatta, and actor Guy Ratchanont Suprakob, Schulz competed in various motor vehicle challenges in the Philippines.
"I was excited when I first heard about it," the "Storage Wars" star said about his new venture in an interview with Pass the Popcorn. "It was definitely something that I had a lot of interest in. Plus it sounded like I would get to crash some cars and have a lot of fun and it really was something too good to pass up." Ultimately, Schulz admits that the most difficult part of "Celebrity Car Wars" was adapting to driving in the Philippines, "It's a very unique style of driving; you have to be really focused when you're on the road ... Everyone in Philippines is a really good driver because you have to be in order not to crash into the person next to you."
His separation from Brandi took two years to announce
It was a shock for long-time "Storage Wars" fans when Season 13 premiered in April 2021 and Brandi Passante announced, "I'm not with Jarrod anymore." The series had been absent since January 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most fans were unaware of Jarrod and Brandi's separation. Meanwhile, the show dove into watching the former couple compete during the storage auctions, with Jarrod joking about bidding against his ex.
While most fans became aware of the couple's break-up during the season premiere, Brandi had spoken about life as a single mother nearly a year previous in an interview with The Dad Diary when she explained, "I did a lot of it on my own anyway, but it's the scary dad voice in the background that we're missing."
However, it was how long the pair had been separated that truly surprised the audience. Assuming something had happened during the events of 2020, Passante admitted in the Season 13 episode that their relationship ended shortly after filming "Storage Wars" Season 12 (per People). Jarrod soon left the A&E series and has yet to return. Meanwhile, Brandi has remained a regular cast member through Season 14.
He was charged with domestic violence against Brandi
It was not long after the April 20, 2021, Season 13 premiere of "Storage Wars" — when everyone found out about Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz's separation — that Schultz found himself in some deep trouble. As reported by TMZ, Passante was at a bar in Orange County on April 30, 2021, when Schulz arrived and the former couple got into a "heated exchange." Allegedly, Schulz got violent during the altercation, although by the time the police arrived, Schulz had already taken off.
Although Jarrod denied the allegations, he was ultimately charged with "one count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery" in May 2021 (per People). A court date was set for the incident after Jarrod plead not guilty, and his lawyer told TMZ that he was hoping for the case to be dismissed. Reportedly, witnesses that evening had conflicting stories of Jarrod's behavior, with one source stating that Schulz was seated throughout the interaction.
The aftermath of the charges is unknown and was likely settled out of court. However, TMZ reports that A&E and "Storage Wars" began their own investigation into the altercation. It is suspected that whatever the show producers discovered led to Schulz being absent from the most recent season of "Storage Wars."
Jarrod has a new girlfriend
Jarrod Schulz has remained out of the limelight since unceremoniously leaving "Storage Wars." The former cast member's social media accounts have been relatively abandoned, save for his Instagram account, where a few posts have trickled out in the past year and a half. A post from June 2021 revealed that Schulz had moved on from Brandi, as he shared a picture with his new girlfriend. TheCelebsInfo states that the female in the picture is Rochel Beckman, a bartender at Rush Bar & Grill, a bar Jarrod took over ownership of following his separation from Brandi.
Meanwhile, Brandi Passante has happily put her time with Jarrod behind her but is not actively searching for a new partner. The "Storage Wars" star appeared on the "Spirit Talk" YouTube channel in February 2021 saying that she was "just going with the flow." Passante continued that she has been "kind of coming into my own and figuring out who I am," said Passante. "I just don't have any attachment to anyone." Meanwhile, the children predominantly reside with Passante, as she discussed with The Dad Diary in June 2020.
He owns a restaurant in Orange County
One of the biggest questions fans have is — what is Jarrod Schulz doing today? Between his separation from Brandi and absence from "Storage Wars," the Now and Then store has officially closed its doors in Orange County. Additionally, Outlaw Apparel no longer operates its online store. So, what exactly happened to Schulz after leaving the hit A&E series?
According to the website of Rush Bar & Grill, Jarrod Schulz took over ownership of the establishment in April 2019 as he "decided his next adventure would be to take on this new opportunity and adventure with the goal of running a great time neighborhood bar." Subsequently, much of Schulz's online presence has been involved in promoting the Lake Forest, California restaurant. With a thriving bar to run and the tumultuous breakup from Brandi, fans should not expect to find Jarrod Schulz making any appearances on "Storage Wars" anytime soon.