The Real Reason Storage Wars: Miami Failed After Only One Season

Storage Wars showed viewers a way they could make money they probably never considered before by depicting what happens when an individual is unable to make rent payments on a storage locker. An auctioneer will sell the contents of the locker to the highest bidder without knowing what all is exactly inside. The ultimate goal is to find a treasure that can later be resold for a profit. Behold: The concept of A&E's wildly successful Storage Wars and its sundry spinoffs and imitators.

Some aspects of the show may be exaggerated, but the money that stands to be made is very, very real. The show was a massive success for A&E with millions of people tuning in to see what would be found next. As is the case with any success, spinoffs soon followed. While the original series took place in California, other Storage Wars shows branched out into Texas, New York, and Florida. 

While none of these spin-offs had the same kind of longevity as the original, Storage Wars: Miami proved to be particularly short-lived. The show only lasted for a single season consisting of 10 episodes, and in case you've always wondered why the series didn't continue, there's a shockingly tragic potential explanation. 

Kevin Pew was one of the main cast members of Storage Wars: Miami. On October 13, 2015, he held a viewing party with many people in attendance, including his son, Hashim Saeed Pew, and Janel Hamilton, the goddaughter of Hashim's mother. Based on a report from WPLG, Hashim Pew was sitting on a barstool behind Hamilton, who was on the couch. She got up to grab a blanket, and without any dispute or motive beforehand, he shot her. A police report states that Kevin Pew tackled his son and kept him restrained on the ground until police could arrive at the scene (via TMZ). He was held without bond for first-degree murder.

Hamilton worked at Macy's with plans to continue her education at Kennesaw State University in the coming January to receive a degree in law. Her great-aunt, Verion McGann, told the Sun-Sentinal, "She was so intelligent and so brave, a happy, pleasant, loving girl, and I just can't understand why this had to happen, but only God knows." Shortly thereafter, Hashim Pew was evaluated by two doctors and was deemed incompetent to stand trial. He was then ordered to undergo treatment with the Department of Children and Families to "attain competence to proceed." As of right now, there aren't any other sources indicating whether he was ever deemed competent, or if he's still going through treatment. 

Following the tragedy, Storage Wars: Miami continued to air new episodes until the first season ended on November 24, 2015. The series wasn't picked up for a second season, and no explanation was ever given as to whether the killing influenced the decision or if other factors played a role. Plenty of disturbing things have haunted the cast of Storage Wars, including one cast member stumbling upon a corpse in a storage locker, but the murder of Janel Hamilton is definitely the most tragic incident associated with the franchise.