Posted on 06/17/2012 5:39:23 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
So which is your favorite show? Pawn Stars or Hardcore Pawn? Personally I have to go with the latter because it comes closer to reflecting the grim reality of what I've seen of the pawn business, namely a lot of really nasty customers. And for those of you who think that Les Gold and his family are too hard on his customers, look at who he has to deal with.
My favorite scene is when the jerk who looked like a Cabbage Patch Doll tried to sell his Cabbage Patch Doll to Les while cursing him out and whining about being disrespected. Then Les replied by tossing the Cabbage Patch Doll on the floor and saying: "If I were to do THIS, that would be disrespecting you."
It made me want to stand up and cheer. You can watch the scene HERE.
Les Gold is totally cool. His kids are spoiled brats — but interesting. The Pawn Stars ensemble is terrific, too. Both good shows in different ways.
I like Pawn Stars the best. I’m originally from Flint, Michigan & I don’t need any reminders of how bad Flint & Detroit have become since I left.
PJ, is this a joke? I have never heard of Hardecore Pawn, but I do watch Pawn Stars, even though I question the reality of the show.
It seems a bit too made up to be true.
But you have to admit that Hardcore Pawn comes closer to reflecting grim reality. Some customers cut ahead in line and then scream for top dollar for their junk and then just won’t let up on the screaming when they don’t get it.
That guy on Hardcore pawn needs to go in and have the oil changed in his hair. No way I would expect any kind of a decent deal from someone who ran a pawn shop that looked like that.
Check out Hardcore Pawn. It comes much closer to reflecting grim reality.
They are both interesting. The Hardcore Pawn show seems staged as well as Pawn Stars. The ownerns daughter on Hardcore Pawn seems like a whiney attention whore. She is spoiled and she seems like she’d even be a b**** in real life and not just for the drama she creates on the show.
I find Hard Core entertaing but some of it appears staged. If you are not interested in dealing with a customer you don’t have to encourage their bad behavior you simply say no thanks and move on.
Folks shouldn’t expect a fantastic deal selling to a pawn shop. You want a good deal, then list your item on Craig’s List. You want a quick deal, then sell to a pawn shop but don’t expect as good a price.
My vote is Hardcore Pawn!
“Check out Hardcore Pawn.”
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Obviously available only in the US.
You can’t be Mr. Rogers and run a pawn shop in real life.
I’d fire Seth and tell him to go see if he could find a real job. My guess would be NO! And I agree with the customers being hard to deal with. Typical entitlement mentality. “I got this used piece of garbage that doesn’t work and you GOT to give me $1000 for it.” Not.
We went in to the Pawn Stars store in Vegas before it became such a big TV hit. Not that big a store and none of the “stars” were there either.
Helping keep mankind warm for 65 years.
“Hardecore [sic]”
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Look, I am half asleep.
I can not help it if I make a small typo :P
Good night.
Yeah I know they are dealing with low life people for the most part, but still she is a low life herself and with a huge PITA type of attitude. Hard to imagine she is a mother of 2. Can you imagine her raising children?
I liked Pawn Stars for a while - then burned out. Hardcore I never bothered with as, IMO, it was just another copycat version of a successful idea that spawned new variations until you’re sick of the whole genre.
Some folks on the net have claimed that most of the stuff on trutv is fake or staged. I don’t know personally if that’s true for hardcore pawn but Lizard Lick Towing is fake imo. I think people come in the pawn shop and “act a fool” so they can get on TV.
Of course, the shows are scripted. Neither show is reality, really.
I don't think it took much acting by the Cabbage Patch Jerk. He really is that way...or deserves an Oscar for some incredible acting.
I don’t know which I like better. I’m going to call a guy to come down and help me sort this whole thing out.
In my opinion, they are completely different shows. I watch Pawnstars to see neat one-of-a-kind collectables, antiques etc. I watch Hardcore pawn to see the result of 50 years of the nanny state. The quality of mechandise on hardcore pawn is what you would expect from the inner city of detriot.
Watch when another insane customer comes into Hardcore Pawn and goes crazy. They get dragged out, screaming, grabbing the door frames, throwing things. In the back of their T-shirt or dress, you see the clear outline of a mic pack so every word can be recorded for the show. Setup? Just possibly.
One thing that bothers me on Pawn Stars is the way some of the really high priced items like the old cannons and guns have shown up on other reality tv shows. It's like they are advertising them to the public. I heard one of the cannons auctioned for a huge price after being on Pawn Stars and a couple of lesser shows.
Pawn Stars never sells anything on the show, they only buy. They never show anyone standing in line to make their payments. Even though it is so staged, Hardcore Pawn would give the more realistic depiction of a pawn shop.
I saw what you did there.
Looks like (from the 3 minutes I was able to stomach before switching the channel permanently) to be the Jerry Springer show at a pawn shop.
Useless junk being pawned by useless scumbag degenerate lowlife customers to useless scumbag degenerate lowlife pawn shop owners.
Pawn Stars on the other hand is educational, with both customers and owners treating each other with respect.
The merchandise never fails to fascinate.
They Pawn Stars ought to take the flamethrower , charge it up along with the bowling ball cannon and Gatling gun, and head over to Hardcore Pawn and put the place out of its misery.
Yea, especially his hair LOL.
Chumley would make a better POTUS than anybody on the ballot in November.
Hardcore Pawn gives me a headache. It’s like watching an Obama rally.
A whole sea of pathetic people behaving like they were raised by total gutter trash. But it is Detroit, so what should I expect?
It makes me ashamed to be from the same state, although I’m as far away as possible from them without being at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
Pawn Stars is just the same old canned corny reality show dialog and scripted situations masked as something that is supposed to be “educational”.
I have an expert that can help you out with this. Let me have him come by and take a look at the situation here. Is that ok?
... They rarely buy. Guy has an item and they bring in some expert who says it is worth $2,000 and the cheapass seller offers $200. Typical of pawn shops that prey on people who feel they have to sell or buy. They screw them on both ends of the transaction. Trashy operation with trashy people. Can’t stand pawn shops.
First thing to remember about “reality” tv is that everyone of these shows is contrived. There’s no way that Chumlee knows the history of some piece of armor or sword from the middle ages. They research the stuff before they go on camera. That said, Pawn Stars really is a history lesson. Extreme Pawn is more a drama show, between Les’s battling bratty kids and their battles with their ungrateful, resentful, low life clientele.
But if you believe in the reality of reality tv, read the recent expose of House Hunters. Seems that the house hunters really might look at more houses than three. They also might have already bought a house, so the hunt is a re-enactment. And some of the houses they look at aren’t really for sale.
The much more obvious scripting of Hardcore with the real trash element they have is off-putting. Also, I often wonder how long it will be before we see the Hardcore boss in a public dust up. It ain’t real bright to play tough guy on “reality” TV, someone’s gonna take you up on it. Some marginal personality somewhere is just dying to do it.
Pawn stars is a great show. Hardcore pawn is more realistic and quite frankly I am sick of even seeing ghetto thugs any more in any format.
Yeah but they do serve a useful purpose. Musicians are known for pawning their instruments between gigs so they can eat and then getting then out of hock when a gig comes up. There was a scene in The Glenn Miller Story which showed that.
I agree that Les Gold is very interesting to watch. But I am surprised how disrespectful his children - especially his son - are to him. The call him by his first name, and talk to him using vulgarity and near-insults.
So either the show is scripted, or Les is heading a very nontraditional Jewish family.
I find Hardcore Pawn to be disgusting because it is about disgusting people. The customers AND the owners are disgusting people. The things they bring in for pawn are not interesting. Confrontation after confrontation that’s all they’ve got going on.
I am an antique collector and antique lover. Pawn Stars is about Rick and family AND about interesting antiques and artifacts. No contest.
The guy on Hardcore Pawn is a total asshat idiot. I watched a few episodes and decided it wasn’t worth my time. But I did like the episode where he totally expected to get a deal on some guns from a local gun dealer and the gun dealer told him to get screwed and tossed him and his wretched family out of his shop.
Pawn stars, there’s more cool historical stuff
Hard Core Pawn, after all the complaints about them making blacks look bad, it seems now they always make sure they put at least 1 or 2 crazy white on every show.
That was a funny episode. I agreed with the gun store owner. The gaul of Les to try to weasel out a “deal” on the guns. The guy was already giving him a break on the price, but Les still tried to nickel and dime him down further still.
AMEN!!
I much prefer Pawn Stars. I can stomach just so much of Les’ bitch daughter and his whining son or his obnoxious customers.
Cajun Pawn Stars. They even pawn livestock!
Pawn Stars hands down, I like the experts opinions and the actual testing of things they take in. Hardcore Pawn is like a soap opera, I have never learned anything from that show except daughters shouldn’t ever be spoiled.
That's why the wife and I watch it. We don't care about drama or even if a lot of the show is scripted. I never thought I'd watch a show about a pawn shop, but it is extremely interesting to see what a lot of old (and somewhat new) stuff is worth. And it's always fun to try to guess the lowball number the Rick and co. will offer the customer after the expert declares how much an item should be worth.
That's exactly why I don't care too much for Hardcore Pawn. I can't imagine how their life isn't full of depression, especially knowing how (apparently) many of their clients turn around and use the money they just got for gambling.
Pawn Stars may not be as realistic, but at least I don't feel depressed after watching it.
And it's true: The Hardcore Pawn kids are so self centered, it only adds to the depressing air of the show.
Hardcore Pawn is totally scripted. I watched an episode where 2 strangers totally went at it and they both were wired for mics. At least Pawn Stars you know they are wired and put on a nice show. Pawn Stars for me.
PS. All those reality shows are rigged.
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