Storage Wars

A&E will pay tribute to Darrell Sheets during this weekend's new episode of "Storage Wars" ... TMZ has learned.

A network source tells TMZ ... the show is currently in the middle of Season 17, with a new episode set to air Saturday, April 25. While Darrell does not appear in the current season, the network plans to honor him with an in-memoriam card during the broadcast.

Leading up to the episode, A&E will also air a marathon of "Storage Wars" from 1 PM to 9 PM, of classic episodes featuring Darrell.

"Storage Wars" star Brandi Passante is honoring Darrell Sheets after his shocking suicide ... saying she's at a "loss for words" in an emotional Instagram post.

She reacted to the heartbreaking news of the A&E star's death Wednesday, saying her heart hurts for his loved ones ... and urged people who are struggling to get help.

She pleaded, in part, "I would like to say to everyone, if you are struggling, if you feel hopeless or like no one cares. I assure you they do!! You are not alone. Please reach out for help." Brandi's emotional message was paired with a selfie with Darrell as well as BTS images of them together.

Rene Nezhoda says people online mercilessly cyberbullied Darrell Sheets before his death ... and, he hopes this will serve as a wakeup call to all the online menaces out there.

Nezhoda spoke about Sheets -- who cops found dead in his home early Wednesday morning -- in a video ... admitting the two had their run-ins because they both competed intensely against each other.

Nezhoda says, deep down, he and Sheets were friends ... and he's sad his pal's gone now. He also says he hopes cops will look into cyberbullying claims Sheets made about others as they investigate his death.

"Storage Wars" star Darrell Sheets is dead, TMZ has confirmed.

Lake Havasu Police in Arizona tell TMZ ... Sheets apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Officers responded to a report of a deceased individual at his house at about 2 AM Wednesday, police say. He was pronounced dead at the scene ... his body has been transferred to the Mohave County Medical Examiner's Office.

Yuuup ... Dave Hester is back to pissing off his fellow "Storage Wars" stars ... bringing back his signature catchphrase after a few years away from reality TV.

TMZ obtained a clip from Dave's big return to the A&E series this weekend ... and he's keeping a low profile at a storage unit auction before belting out "Yuuup" and shocking the rest of the cast with his surprise comeback.

The sound of Dave's voice sends Rene Nezhoda, Ivy Calvin and Brandi Passante turning their heads to find their worst nightmare ... the guy infamous for driving up the bidding is back ... and he's up to his old antics.

Gunter Nezhoda, the late "Storage Wars" star, will share the screen with his son Rene one last time in the show's upcoming season ... by inspecting a unit the only way they know how -- with some laughs.

The new clip, obtained by TMZ, gives fans a glimpse into the A&E series' 15th season, specifically Gunter and Rene as they go through one of their new units ... finding some pretty sweet items during their clean out.

Rene even jokingly tosses Gunter an old grenade he found in the locker -- something that Gunter reacts to with some warranted shock!

We're told the two filmed the scene last summer in Montebello, CA before his cancer diagnosis. The network hasn't announced an airdate yet for the new season.

TMZ broke the story ... Rene's father died in his sleep Tuesday night in Utah as a result of lung cancer complications. Rene told us Gunter flew to Utah for emergency surgery after his chemo caused holes in his lungs, but doctors ultimately determined there was nothing else they could do.

"Storage Wars" stars Rene & Casey Nezhoda are licking their wounds after dropping a bundle on a unit that belonged to a member of Wham! ... 'cause it turned out to be a total waste!

Rene tells TMZ they paid $4,100 for a storage locker that had been owned by Deon Estus ... the bass player for George Michael's '80s hitmaking group. Besides Wham!, Deon had also played with Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, Elton John and Annie Lennox ... plus, he had a top 5 hit as a solo artist.

So, you can see why Rene thought he scored when he nabbed the locker in Vernon, CA.

Well, instead of Wham!, it was more like Ooops!

He says it was abandoned and a complete waste of his money ... filled with dirty dishes, pillows, blankets, scarves a DVD player and receipts among other worthless items.

Rene says they did find a guitar case, but of course ... there was nothing inside. Giant swing and a miss.

Deon's stuff had been sitting in the locker since 2018. In case you didn't know, the iconic bass player died last October at the age of 65.

"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda has a new way to make a quick buck ... and no, it ain't bargain hunting -- he took home the pot at a South American poker tournament, winning some serious cash!!!

Rene tells TMZ ... he beat 339 other players to take 1st place at the Enjoy Poker Tour in Punta Del Este, Uruguay over the weekend. That was after he also placed 11th in the High Roller event.

The storage hunter won a total of $70,455 for his victory in the main event -- some big poker players like Phil Hellmuth and Chris Moneymaker shouted him out on Twitter, congratulating him on his big W.

The event, hosted by America's Cardroom, seemed to wear down Rene a little bit ... saying he started out strong but would begin to get some pushback from the other players.

Olympic legend Florence Griffith Joyner -- AKA Flo-Jo -- had her priceless memorabilia returned to Olympic gold medalist and husband Al Joyner ... and it's all thanks to "Storage Wars" Star Rene Nezhoda!

Rene tells TMZ ... after our story broke about his acquired collection, family members and friends of Flo-Jo started reaching out to him, including Al, hoping to buy it back.

Rene and Al met up in San Diego to strike a deal, with Rene making a profit much smaller than he could've snagged on the open market. Rene says the important thing was restoring the gold to the fam.

The item that held the most value to Al was her weight belt, something they'd use together working out. The belt was going in the trash after the locker -- originally owned by Al -- was picked through. Luckily, the piece was saved and it's back in Al's hands.

As we reported, Rene bought a ton of Flo-Jo's belongings and collectibles off of his pal George, who purchased Al's lockers at auction. Inside were Olympic jackets, autographed Flo-Jo Barbie dolls, and signed track shoes -- the same ones worn while breaking the world record!

It was in 1998 when Flo-Jo unexpectedly died of suffocation in her sleep after suffering an epileptic fit.

"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda scored big on his latest find ... unearthing tons of memorabilia that belonged to Olympic legend Florence Griffith Joyner -- Flo-Jo!

Rene tells TMZ ... his friend George bought Flo-Jo's storage locker 8 years ago in the San Diego area. Rene says he dropped several thousand dollars to take the Olympic content off his hands ... and the haul is impressive!

Rene walked away with Florence's Olympic jacket and even her signed track shoes -- the ones that she wore while breaking world records! As you'll recall, Joyner broke records in the 1988 Seoul Olympics ... for both the 100m and 200m dash! She took home 3 gold medals that year.

Also bought by Rene are rare photos, magazines featuring her, and autographed Flo-Jo Barbie dolls ... talk about a blast from the past!

Rene says he'll likely sell the pieces of history on eBay or through collectible auction house Heritage Auctions ... but if a member of Flo-Jo's family reaches out, he might work out a deal with them to return her personal items.

Flo-Jo died in 1998 after suffering a fatal epileptic seizure in her sleep. Apparently, her family paid the bills for the storage rental for years, but for some reason stopped, and that's why the locker went up for action.

"Storage Wars" star Barry Weiss returned to filming the only way he knows how ... by surprising the cast with a grand entrance.

TMZ's got this first look at Barry back in action for the Season 13 premiere of the hit A&E show. The episode, shot in March, shows Barry filming for the first time since a terrible bike crash sidelined him for quite a while.

You can see in the video Barry hasn't lost his sense of humor or style, for that matter, after rolling up in one of his exotic cars. Because you're wondering ... it's a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr that's retrofitted with a flamethrower exhaust. 🔥🔥🔥

At first, the cast can't make out who's behind the wheel ... much less be able to tell it's Barry because they've never seen him in that particular car -- although, he's known for his hot wheels.

Someone jokingly says it's the Batmobile before Barry rolls down the window and reveals his pretty mug. He asked, "Did you miss me?!?" ... before the cast unloaded a few jokes on him.

Everyone was glad to see him back in action, although a fellow bidder laments that on the day he's searching for collectibles ... the king of 'em comes out of retirement.

As we reported, Barry was seen across SoCal back in March filming again, but this time we have his pals' reaction on video. TBH, Barry looked great, and that's saying a lot considering the hell he went through.

After his nasty 2019 bike accident, Barry underwent multiple surgeries on his back and femur. The road to recovery was a long one, but now we can see how he's muscled his way back.

"Storage Wars" star Jarrod Schulz is preparing to go to trial in his domestic violence case ... insisting he didn't rough up his ex, Brandi Passante, and saying he wants the whole case dismissed.

Jarrod's attorney, Benjamin Arsenian, tells TMZ ... Jarrod denies pushing or making any contact with Brandi, contrary to what prosecutors claim, and he has no plans on taking any plea deal unless it results in a complete dismissal of the case.

Sources connected with the case tell us prosecutors have not put a deal on the table, and the case is going to trial.

TMZ broke the story ... Jarrod is charged with 1 count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery stemming from an alleged incident with his ex back in April, when prosecutors claim he pushed Brandi twice during a heated argument inside an Orange County bar.

Our sources say there are conflicting witness statements about what went down ... we're told one witness says Jarrod didn't push Brandi but gave her a shoulder bump, while another says Jarrod was sitting on a barstool the entire time.

Law enforcement sources tell us Brandi did not need any medical attention after the alleged incident and there were no visible marks on her body.

Jarrod pled not guilty Monday and the trial is set for July 12.

"Storage Wars" star Jarrod Schulz's days might be numbered on the popular reality TV series ... it all depends on what the network determines after conducting its own investigation following his domestic violence charge.

TMZ broke the story ... Schulz is accused of pushing his ex, Brandi Passante, during a heated argument in late April while she was hanging with friends in a bar. The Orange County D.A.'s Office hit him with 1 count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery for the alleged incident.

Sources close to "Storage Wars" production tell us ... A&E found out about Jarrod getting charged when our story broke, and immediately launched a probe to gather information and speak to those involved.

We're told the network is currently investigating, and though Schulz happened to be off this week's filming schedule ... it's not expected he'll return to shoot segments until A&E concludes its review.

Our sources say once that happens, a decision will be made about his future with the show. We've spoken to multiple other main cast members who say if the allegations of domestic violence are true ... they don't believe he should return.

We're also told the cast has been uneasy with the situation between Jarrod and Brandi, long before the recent allegations.

"Storage Wars" stars Jarrod Schulz and his ex, Brandi Passante, might be cordial on the show after their break-up, but behind the scenes, he's now facing criminal charges for allegedly roughing her up.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Brandi was hanging with friends at a bar in Orange County on April 30 when Jarrod showed up. We're told the exes got into a heated exchange and Brandi told Jarrod to bounce.

Our sources say Jarrod didn't, and that's when things took a turn for the worse. We're told at some point, Jarrod allegedly pushed Brandi twice ... while yelling at her and her group.

Cops were called to the bar, but we're told Jarrod had left by the time they showed up. A police report was taken ... and a few days later Jarrod talked to cops, and denied ever putting hands on Brandi.

Well, the Orange County D.A.s Office isn't buying his version of events, because it's now charged him with 1 count of misdemeanor domestic violence battery.

Jarrod and Brandi have appeared in all 13 seasons of the hit A&E show. They're dubbed "The Young Guns" because they're the youngest auction bidders in the main cast.

But, during the season 13 premiere last month, Brandi confirmed on-camera for the first time she and Jarrod split up 2 years ago. They have 2 kids together.

"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda is having a bad case of déjà vu -- his store was burglarized, again ... and this time the crooks made off with thousands in merch, again.

So here's the deal, Rene and his wife, Casey -- owners of the Bargain Hunters Thrift Store featured on the show -- say they were enjoying a day off back on February 17 when they were notified that a couple of thieves were ransacking the San Diego area store.

We’re told surveillance camera footage shows the burglars entered through a back door after smashing the glass. When the dust finally settled ... we're told they made off with tons of sports memorabilia cards and other collectibles worth between $7k-$8k.

On top of that ... Rene, Casey and their crew say the store was a disaster -- physical damages only ran 'em about $1,500, but it took a long time to clean up the mess.

Two things to note ... Rene says the burglars missed out on some VERY expensive trading cards, and thinks one of the thieves left behind some possible evidence. DOH!!!

A spokesperson for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department tells TMZ ... detectives are in the initial phase of the investigation, but are working a few leads they've developed since the heist. They have not identified the suspects yet