TLDR: Rene Nezhoda was buying and reselling antiques as a child, long before Storage Wars made that hobby into a career. He later brought his own father into the family business on camera, a partnership that lasted right up until a cancer diagnosis ended it.
Rene Nezhoda was born April 5, 1977, in Austria, and spent his early childhood in Frankfurt, Germany, before his family relocated to San Diego, California, around 1990.
He started trading antiques at just eleven years old, building the kind of hands-on pricing knowledge most people only pick up decades into a career, and later attended Las Vegas High School.
A Real Marriage Became a Real Business Partnership
Nezhoda married Casey Lloyd in 2006, and the two eventually built Bargain Hunters, a 7,000-square-foot thrift store in Poway, California, where they resold items recovered from storage lockers alongside other antiques and collectibles.
The couple shares a daughter, Tatiana, and closed the physical Bargain Hunters location in April 2021 after the shopping center it occupied was slated for redevelopment, shifting the business online rather than shutting it down entirely.
He Joined the Show With His Wife, Then His Father Too
Nezhoda and Casey joined the cast during Season 4 in 2013, initially in a recurring capacity before being promoted to full-time buyers the following season.
Starting in 2015, he began bringing his own father, Gunter, along to auctions on camera, giving the show a real, unscripted family dynamic that echoed the father-son pairing of castmates Darrell and Brandon Sheets.
Gunter had his own life in entertainment well before appearing alongside his son. Born in Vienna and raised partly in Germany, he’d worked as a bass guitarist alongside musicians including Pat Travers, Leslie West, Michael Schenker, George Lynch, and Kevin DuBrow, along with a handful of acting and photography credits, before settling in Las Vegas.
He Lost His Father in 2023
Gunter died in March 2023 at age 67, following a lung cancer diagnosis he and the family had chosen to keep private for six months in hopes of a full recovery.
Nezhoda shared the news himself in a video, explaining that decades of smoking had left his father’s lungs with “all kinds of holes” that doctors couldn’t treat.
He spoke warmly about how well his father had been received by fans over the years. “My dad was one of the guys on Storage Wars that never really got any hate,” he said. “People just loved being around him, including the crew. Everybody loved working with my dad.”
He and Casey Kept Going, and the Show Kept Following Them
Both Rene and Casey have remained regular presences on Storage Wars well past their father’s death, continuing to bid on units together into the show’s more recent seasons.
Beyond filming, Casey has taken up competitive poker in her spare time, including a run in the Ladies Event at Americas Cardroom.
Rene Nezhoda, Frequently Asked Questions
When did Rene Nezhoda join Storage Wars?
He and his wife, Casey, joined during Season 4 in 2013 as recurring cast members, becoming full-time buyers the following season.
Who was Gunter Nezhoda?
Gunter was Rene’s father, who joined him on camera at storage auctions starting in 2015. Before television, he’d worked as a professional bass guitarist alongside musicians including Pat Travers and George Lynch.
How did Gunter Nezhoda die?
He died in March 2023 at age 67 from complications of lung cancer, a diagnosis the family had kept private for six months while hoping for a recovery.
What business do Rene and Casey Nezhoda run?
They own Bargain Hunters, a thrift store originally based in Poway, California, that closed its physical location in April 2021 and now operates online, reselling items sourced from storage units and other antiques.
