‘Storage Wars’: Lisa DeLarios on Raising Stakes During Season 17 & Future Aspirations

Lisa DeLarios won over the hearts of Storage Wars fans when she joined the show in 2021. Her fun-loving personality and humor could be disarming, but don’t let all that fool you. The treasure hunter has her head in the game when a potential profitable locker is on the line. She has managed to swim in the shark-infested waters of industry veterans.

With a background in acting, stand-up comedy, and certified dog training, DeLarios certainly brings a unique background. During Season 17, DeLarios steps up alongside the likes of Dave Hester, Ivy Calvin, Kenny Crossley, Brandi Passante, Dusty and Lupe Riach and Mary Padian. The stakes continue to rise on the A&E series with DeLarios up to the challenge, willing to bid higher to match the rising stakes.

With the premiere on the horizon, DeLarios opens up about her reality show journey and what’s to come.

You started on Storage Wars shortly after the pandemic. How do you reflect on that time?

Lisa DeLarios: When I got the call where they asked me if I wanted to try it out, I thought, “What?” It was shocking to just be on a TV show, but it now feels more comfortable, and I feel like I’ve gotten more confident. I’m starting to take more risks, which of course makes the stakes higher. Higher highs and lower lows.

You’ve become a fan-favorite in recent years and brought such a fun energy to the show. How is it having viewers connect with you?

I guess it doesn’t feel that different because I’m always being me. If people like my flavor, that’s cool. I really don’t get to connect with fans that much. So, it doesn’t really get to my head. I think I’ve been recognized maybe three times, usually at flea markets. But I like to keep things light and fun. I’m pretty playful. I come from a comedy background. I used to do stand-up comedy. I like to laugh and have fun. I get joy in sharing humor. It’s just awesome I get to also get paid to buy and sell junk, which I already did. To do it as a job on camera is extra fun.

Are you still doing stand-up? I feel there is a space there for you to talk Storage Wars stories and do some improv?

I actually hung up my microphone as I like to call it before we started filming Storage Wars. To be honest, I got to an age where I thought, “You know what? I don’t really feel like going out every single night and hustling to get on stage.” Oftentimes to make money doing comedy, it takes the fun out of the funny. It was amazing Storage Wars landed in my lap after I decided to stop doing stand-up. I still love comedy as a medium. I like to make short funny videos that I put on social media sometimes. Just being able to play and show my humor on the show has been fun. It all kind of fills my cup.

I love what you’re doing by fostering animals and using your platform to draw awareness to those causes. You’re also a certified dog trainer. Does that help business?

Thank you for bringing that up because I am very passionate about animal rescue and animal welfare. I’m also a certified dog trainer. Ultimately, Lisa’s dream is to have her farm where she can rescue and rehabilitate dogs and cats. That’s why when I’m hustling to make some money, it’s my ultimate dream. I want to be able to buy land and do that.

How would you say your approach has changed going for these lockers?

In the beginning I was a little more timid with how much I was willing to spend on these lockers. Also, I’m not a very competitive natured person. I think I would sometimes and if someone was going hard, I thought I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers. Now I’m bringing more cash, just feeling more confident, and also getting into the competition a little bit more. Like, “Back off Dusty! This one is mine.” I’m getting a little more into the heat of the competition.

I feel you may have an advantage in that way because maybe they would underestimate you. Or maybe take kindness for weakness. This gives you a chance to be more aggressive.

I love that. Yes, I kill them with kindness. They don’t see it coming. I think I’ve definitely surprised some of the buyers this season. Just because they may be like, “Hold on! She is not backing out. She keeps going.”

How would you say you’ve meshed with the group over the years? Did anyone help ease you into this world?

To be honest, I was surprised how supportive and friendly everyone was from the first day. Of course, as soon as the locker door goes up and the bidding starts, nobody is nice. Ivy kind of took me under his wing from the beginning. He is always sharing wisdom without being condescending. Sometimes girls can be competitive with each other, but immediately Brandi and I hit it off through our shared humor. I always have fun teaming up with her. I also got to meet Mary this season, and we’re kind of like Texas twinsies, we realized. That has been fun. Sometimes I’m like this storage friend or Storage Wars.

A&E

What else can you tease about what’s to come? Anything you can share on what you find?

I think what is cool about this season and the last season is that we know we’re doing hour-long episodes. The audience is getting to see more in-depth of what we’re finding in our lockers. So, it’s more of a treasure hunt. Also, you feel it’s fun because viewers will follow the buyers more into their side hustles. They are getting to know them personally. I think that’s fun and new. I also like how they brought back some of the OG buyers and mixed in some fresh faces. There is new energy, old energy. It has definitely been more where everyone is jumping in a little more heated competition compared to when I first started.

Are people going to learn more about you?

You’ll get to see some of the buyers at the flea market selling stuff, which I don’t think you’ve got to see. Normally, you don’t get to see the buyers doing that on that end. Maybe you’ll see some animal stuff. The new buyer Emily [Pokoj] is a photographer. You might see her doing a little bit of that. You’re just going to be able to follow us on our wacky adventures when we’re getting our appraisals, oftentimes we find these strange things and get to see those things in action.

One of the more interesting things I found in one of my lockers is this strange greenish translucent rock. I was like oh this might be garbage but I’ll go ahead to see if it’s not. It ended up being this ancient projectile glass that was basically formed by a meteorite that hit the Czech Republic 15 million years ago. I won’t tell you what the rock is called, but it is supposed to have strong metaphysical qualities. The celebrity psychic who did the appraisal warned me to not put this next to your bed because you will have crazy intense dreams. So I thought, “Yeah, I’m going to put it next to my bed.” After a week I put that thing away in a drawer and now I’m going to try to sell it because my dreams were really scary.

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Where do you see the business going?

I think one of the things about the auction and storage auction business is that it has become more popular on TikTok. You’ll see more people out there making it look easy. Like, “Look at me, I got this thing, flipped it, and made all this money.” But actually doing it hasn’t changed. When you show up, everything is the same. You can’t go inside. You actually have to use your own money. You have to bid against other people. It’s really hard work going through those lockers and it’s really hard processing the stuff and selling the stuff. I think it has become optically a little more glamorous. But it’s still a hustle and it’s hard work and not for everyone.

Is there anything we don’t see on the show about the process that would surprise people?

Maybe people will be surprised I’m actually cramming all the stuff I buy in my one bedroom apartment and try to sell it sometime. If I get a big locker full of good stuff I will get a storage space, but I like to move the stuff. When I’m sitting at stuff watching TV, I’m pricing stuff online. I don’t want to have to go to a storage unit and go through all that. I’m just kind of living with my stuff and moving it. Very glamorous really I know.

Storage Wars Season 17, February 28, 9/8c, A&E

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