Storage Wars' Top 5 Episodes According To IMDb

When Clint Eastwood laid down his oft-quoted "Dirty Harry" line — "'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?" — he wasn't talking about gambling on storage lockers. But on A&E's "Storage Wars," a reality TV series that tasks professional buyers with purchasing abandoned storage units in the hopes that the contents inside will be worth enough to net a profit, feeling lucky is the name of the game.

Since the show first began airing in 2010, A&E has rolled out well over 300 episodes of "Storage Wars" and several spin-offs. Those spin-offs include shows like "Storage Wars: Texas," "Storage Wars: Miami," "Storage Wars: New York," and even "Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job," a one-season series about stars Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz's lives outside of "Storage Wars." But according to IMDb, there are five episodes from the original series that viewers have deemed more valuable than the rest. 

Here are the top five "Storage Wars" episodes that fans have appraised as the most entertaining.

2017 and 2018 were banner years for "Storage Wars," considering that three of Season 11's 29 episodes were ranked in IMDb's Top 5. Ranked lowest of those three, "Crate Balls of Fire" is a great reminder that every story needs a villain, and in this episode, that villain is buyer Dave Hester. 

Dave arrives in Santa Ana ready to battle for his share of the 10 available vaults — and ends up winning half of the abandoned units. Dave's aggressive bidding style and deep pockets don't do much to endear him to fellow buyers Ivy Calvin, Mary Padian, and Kenny Crossley, but his purchases end up netting him a large payout. And with that, Dave proves once and for all that there's no such thing as making friends on "Storage Wars" — only making money. Not that this is the first time Dave's bad behavior has gotten him in trouble on the show. The controversial buyer was briefly fired during Season 4 after claiming the show was staged and later engaged in a wrongful termination suit with the network. 

None of the "Storage Wars" buyers can pronounce the name of Placentia, California, where the Season 13 episode "She Bidded Me With Science!" takes place. But that doesn't stop them from turning a profit with the contents found inside the abandoned units there. 

In this episode, which aired in November of 2021, Ivy Calvin and his son discover the magical world of Harry Potter — and learn just how much custom Quidditch sets are worth. Meanwhile, Lisa Delario's scientific approach to bidding doesn't yield much in the way of cash, but it does compromise her relationship with fellow bidder Rene Nezhoda after the two face off in a series of bidding wars. 

An episode that shows what happens when egos and rivalries collide and drive up bidding prices, "She Bidded Me With Science" is a good reminder for the buyers of what happens when personalities interfere with profits.

Coming in at number three on IMDb's list — and representing the second highest ranked episode from Season 11 — "Assassin's Greed" features one of Rene Nezhoda's most impressive scores of all time. After purchasing three abandoned 10 x 15 foot lockers from Rancho Palos Verdes, Rene brings in backup in the form of his relatives — including his dad, Gunter — to join him at the Bargain Hunters Thrift Store to unbox and sort through the items. And what the Nezhoda family discovers is that Rene has hit the jackpot. 

He and his wife Casey unbox a dizzying array of Murano glass, massive crystals, and countless other pieces of mid-century furniture, silver, and art. After sorting through all his treasures, Rene manages to turn his original investment into approximately $80,000 worth of profit. Consider this your sign to take a trip to your nearest estate sale or thrift store.

The "Storage Wars" buyers thrive on competition, and in this special holiday episode, they apply their treasure-hunting abilities to something a bit more festive: a white elephant gift exchange. 

Hosted and organized by show auctioneers Dan and Laura Dotson, the game's format requires the buyers to select a present from under the Christmas tree and decide whether they'd prefer to keep it or exchange it for another gift that might prove more valuable. Offering new insight into the buyers' powers of risk assessment and appraisal, this episode from Season 6 features weird gifts and holiday cheer — plus some gentle banter between the buyers — with all proceeds benefiting charity. 

"A Very Miraculous Storage Wars Christmas" aired in December of 2014 and was rated a 7.6 out of 10 by IMDb's viewers, making this episode an instant holiday classic for fans of the series.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and profits can be found in even the most water-damaged storage units. In IMDb's top-rated episode of "Storage Wars" — Season 11's "Bo-ZAK That Whip," which viewers rated a 7.9 out of 10 — Mary Padian takes a chance on a unit of disintegrating boxes and discovers a 14-year-old peanut butter maker worth around $1,000 amongst the crust and dust. 

Meanwhile, Brandi Passante, Jarrod Schulz, and their friend Mark Bozek pay more than they want to for a unit, but their gamble pays off once they find a number of CRAFTSMAN tools. Ultimately, it's Shana Dahan and Edwina Registre who net the biggest profit, turning their $10 bid into a major victory after they unearth an $800 whip. 

Considering it was the penultimate episode of the season, it would appear that Season 11 of "Storage Wars" saved their best content for second to last.