TLDR: Dave Hester was already a licensed auctioneer with decades of real experience before Storage Wars ever cast him, and his biggest career find happened long before cameras were rolling. He’s the same cast member who later sued the network claiming almost everything viewers saw was staged.
Dave Hester was born July 23, 1964, near Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base in Oceanside, California, to a father who worked as an auctioneer and collector himself.
He attended his first auction at 22 and obtained his own auctioneer’s license in 1992, building real, pre-television expertise long before Storage Wars existed.
His Biggest Find Ever Happened Before the Show Existed
Long before television cameras arrived, Hester bought a painting out of a storage unit for $750. That piece turned out to be an authentic work by California impressionist Jack Wilkinson Smith titled “The Golden Pool,” which he later sold for $155,000, a real career-defining find that predated his reality television fame entirely.
He Sued the Network Over the Way the Show Was Made
Hester’s firing from the show in December 2012 led directly to a lawsuit against A&E and Original Productions, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and seeking more than $750,000 in damages.
His attorney’s complaint accused the network of committing “a fraud on the public” in violation of the Communications Act of 1934, a law originally passed after the 1950s quiz show scandals to prevent broadcasters from rigging contests while deceiving viewers.
The complaint got specific: Hester alleged producers had planted a pile of old newspapers announcing Elvis Presley’s death in one episode and a BMW Mini in another, working with a company called Off the Wall Antiques to source the planted items.
He also claimed A&E paid for a female cast member’s plastic surgery to boost her on-camera appeal, and quietly covered storage unit costs for certain buyers to keep them competitive against more experienced bidders like himself.
Hester said he’d been fired specifically after telling producers he believed the practice was “possibly illegal.”
A&E fought back hard in court. The network argued its creative control over the show’s structure was protected under the First Amendment, and a federal judge agreed, dismissing Hester’s core unfair business practices claim in March 2013 on exactly those grounds.
Hester did win one narrower claim in the case, but the overall result favored A&E enough that he was ordered to pay $122,692 toward the network’s legal fees.
He Came Back to the Show Anyway
Despite the very public legal battle, and despite owing his former employer money, Hester returned to Storage Wars starting with Season 5 in 2014, following a settlement, and continued appearing on and off through later seasons, including a return for Season 12 in 2018.
He’s said he was earning between $15,000 and $25,000 per episode during his time on the show, on top of decades of legitimate auction income that predated any of his television fame.
He Built a Real Business Around His TV Fame
Hester had run the Newport Consignment Gallery and the Rags to Riches thrift store in Costa Mesa, California, for years before closing both in June 2011 to focus on television.
He founded Dave Hester Auctions that same year, turning his reality television recognition into a functioning auction and appraisal business that continues operating today, alongside merchandise built around his trademarked catchphrase, “YUUUP!”
He Started His First Business as a Teenager
Long before any of his television career, Hester started his own small enterprise at just 14 years old, buying and reselling machinery and tool kits to stores on the Camp Pendleton military base where he grew up.
That same instinct for spotting resale value in overlooked goods carried directly into the auction career he built as an adult, and eventually into the reality show that made him a household name decades later.
He’s Faced Real Setbacks Off Camera Too
Beyond the show’s own drama, Hester has said he lost a significant sum of money after lending funds to a friend to buy a car, only for that friend to disappear with the vehicle; a subsequent lawsuit to recover the money was unsuccessful.
He’s remained associated with both auctioneering and the Storage Wars franchise through it all.
Dave Hester, Frequently Asked Questions
What was Dave Hester’s biggest find on Storage Wars?
His most famous find actually predated the show: a painting bought for $750 out of a storage unit turned out to be an authentic Jack Wilkinson Smith work, later sold for $155,000.
Why did Dave Hester sue A&E?
After being fired in December 2012, he sued the network and production company for wrongful termination, alleging producers planted items like Elvis Presley memorabilia and a BMW Mini to manufacture drama, and paid for a cast member’s plastic surgery. He sought more than $750,000 in damages.
Did Dave Hester win his lawsuit against A&E?
Not really. A federal judge dismissed his core unfair business practices claim in March 2013, ruling the show’s creative structure was protected free speech. He won one narrower claim but was ultimately ordered to pay $122,692 toward A&E’s legal fees.
Did Dave Hester return to Storage Wars after the lawsuit?
Yes, following a settlement he came back starting with Season 5 in 2014 and continued appearing on and off in later seasons, including a return for Season 12 in 2018.
What does Dave Hester do now?
He runs Dave Hester Auctions, a business he founded in 2011, continuing work as a professional auctioneer and appraiser.
