Keeping up with the Kajun Pawn Stars

You know how sometimes the Kardashians talk about how busy they are filming their reality shows, but their shows are just supposed to be about their real lives, so how much busier could they really be? And then you realize the whole thing is just a contrivance anyway because are they really all that wacky enough to rent their mom a chimp named Suzyto satisfy her desire for another baby?

That’s the common ground the Kardashians share with the DaRamuses of Cajun Pawn Stars. Not chimp babies, but a wee bit of contrivance. (And a whole lot of love!)

I know this because I once staged three fake garage sales at my house (all in the same morning!) for a home design show on cable. I adlibbed a part about throwing in some sombreros for free, and they made it the motif of the episode. It’s not that big of a deal. Seriously. Whatever. I’ll tell you about it later. The point is, everything about it was fake. Even the line I adlibbed was fake because we did, like, three takes and the furniture wasn’t even mine to begin with—neither were the sombreros if we’re being honest.

So take it from me, a reality TV veteran, there’s lots of rehashed haggling happening on Cajun Pawn Stars. But that doesn’t make these people any less entertaining.

I took a crash course in Cajun Pawn Stars for all of us. (You’re welcome.) Here are the pop-up facts (just like on the show!):
The place: Silver Dollar Pawn—Alexandria, Louisiana
The people: Jimmie “Big Daddy” DaRamus and his two kids, Johnnie and Tammie, and some other people who work there
The point: Still negotiating that one. There are trivia questions, talking heads, history lessons, haggling tableaus. Much like at the Silver Dollar Pawn Shop, there’s something for everyone.

New episodes air Wednesdays at 7 on the History Channel. Let’s go pawning!