“Don’t do it”- Storage Wars star Brandi Passante asks beginners not to join the locker business

Season 16 of Storage Wars premiered on June 7, 2025. It saw the comeback of Dave Hester, the cast member who left the show following a medical emergency post-season 12. It also saw the show's veteran, Brandi Passante, thriving after her breakup with Jarrod Schulz, which happened before season 13.

In an Instagram video posted on Original Production's official channel on June 27, 2025, the stars of the show gave tips to those who wanted to begin their storage locker business. They were experts at their profession, which included buying storage units at auctions, taking the risk and hoping its contents would sell for more than its price.

While most other cast members had solid advice to give to new locker buyers, Brandi Passante simply asked them not to join the business.

"Don't do it," she said.

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The Storage Wars cast's advice to new locker buyers

Casey Nezhoda was the first to give her expert Storage Wars advice to people looking to buy lockers for the first time. She said that the beginners should have a plan and asked them to carry ample cash, a truck, i.e., a vehicle to carry the storage locker, a plan to sell the locker's contents, a lock to secure it, and a flashlight to check its contents.

Mary Padian asked the beginners to be cool and not to "freak out," while Ivy Calvin asked them to buy what they could see. He urged them not to gamble on 100 boxes they could not see. He instead suggested they put half their money on it, so they did not lose the full amount on a bad decision. He added that eventually they would learn to be bigger and more successful.

Laura Dotson also asked the beginners to get ample cash, while Storage Wars star Dan Dotson said they should figure out what they wanted before they were ready to pay for it.

"Don't get emotional. When you're at the maximum, just stop," he added.

He reminded them that there would be another unit and another opportunity, so they did not have to worry about letting a locker pass. He asked them not to spend more than they had in their pocket or more than they wanted to spend. Laura agreed and added that they should not buy more than they could haul, either.

Another Storage Wars veteran, Dave Hester, asked the newcomers to go to college and not to show up at this business. Brandi Passante had a similar stance because she not only told them to refrain from it, but also asked them to never start it.

Kenny told them not to go after big containers right away. He specified that the newcomers should specifically avoid units that measured 10x25 or 10x30. He asked them to go for the compact 5x5 or 5x10 ones instead. Stating the benefit of this, Kenny said that the smaller containers were much easier to organize because they could see their contents clearly.

"And if you guys get your shot, boom shaka laka, get your money, man," said Kenny.

Dusty compared the storage business with food and stated that they did not go bigger than their stomach. He asked them not to buy more than they could handle.

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For more updates on Storage Wars season 16, fans of the show can follow its production house Original Productions's official Instagram account, @orig_prod.

Edited by Arunava Dutta