They were the "Young Guns." If you watched A&E during the early 2010s, you couldn't miss them. Jared Schulz and Brandi Passante were the high-energy, bickering, yet weirdly synchronized couple who turned storage unit gambling into a mainstream obsession. He was the risk-taker with the "Outlaw" shirts; she was the skeptical voice of reason who kept the business from going under every time Jared overbid on a locker full of worthless junk.
But things changed.
The lockers got more expensive and the cameras eventually stopped rolling on the original run. If you've looked for Jared and Brandi from Storage Wars lately, you might have noticed the dynamic isn't what it used to be. Actually, it’s nonexistent. The reality TV power couple isn't a couple anymore, and their journey from thrift store owners to reality royalty—and eventually to separate lives—is a lot more complicated than a scripted 22-minute episode would suggest.
The Rise of the Young Guns
When Storage Wars premiered in 2010, the cast was a collection of archetypes. You had the "Collector" (Barry Weiss), the "Villain" (Dave Hester), and the "Mogul" (Darrell Sheets). Jared and Brandi filled the "Strugglers" slot. They were running Now and Then Second Hand Store in Orange County, California. They weren't rich. They were grinding.
That relatability is why they became the breakout stars.
People loved the friction. Jared would see a dusty box and swear it contained a vintage Gibson guitar. Brandi would see the same box and see a $300 loss. Most of the time, she was right. Their chemistry was built on a very specific kind of domestic tension that anyone in a long-term relationship recognized. It wasn't just about the money; it was about the "I told you so."
By the time the show reached its peak, they weren't just bidders. They were a brand. They even landed their own spin-off, Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job, which aired in 2014. Ironically, despite the title and a televised "proposal," the two never actually officially tied the knot in a legal sense, a detail that many fans missed during the height of the hype.
The Quiet Split No One Saw Coming
Reality TV has a way of masking the truth until it becomes impossible to hide. Around 2018, fans started noticing something was off. The social media posts stopped featuring both of them. The banter felt different.
It turns out, the couple had split up shortly after filming the 12th season.
They kept it quiet for nearly two years. It wasn't until the Season 13 premiere in 2021 that the public finally got confirmation. Brandi revealed in a confessional that she and Jared had ended their relationship. It wasn't a "TV breakup" for ratings. It was a real-life dissolution of a nearly two-decade partnership.
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Why did they hide it? Honestly, business probably played a role. When your entire public identity is "the bickering couple," being "the separated exes" is a harder sell for advertisers and producers. When they did return to the show separately, the vibe was... awkward. Jared would show up with a new girlfriend, and Brandi would handle her own bidding, often sniping him on units just to prove a point.
Where is Jared Schulz now?
Jared has always been a bit of a wildcard. After the split and the eventual shuttering of their physical thrift store locations, he leaned into his "Outlaw" persona. If you check his current ventures, he’s still very much involved in the world of flipping and memorabilia, though perhaps with less of the frantic energy seen in the early seasons.
He’s also moved on personally. He has been seen frequently with his partner, Rachael Helms.
It’s worth noting that Jared’s time away from the spotlight hasn't been without its hurdles. In 2021, he faced some legal trouble involving a domestic violence charge following an incident at a bar with Brandi. The legal system eventually handled the matter, but it cast a somber shadow over the "fun-loving" image the show had spent years building. It served as a stark reminder that reality TV is rarely the full reality.
Brandi Passante’s New Chapter
Brandi, meanwhile, has undergone a bit of a transformation. She’s become a massive advocate for various charities, specifically those focused on children and domestic safety. She’s also a lot more active on social media than Jared, often sharing glimpses of her life as a single mother to their two children, Cameron and Payton.
Her career hasn't stalled, either. She’s appeared in various Storage Wars specials and continues to be a staple of the A&E family.
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What’s interesting is how she’s navigated the "post-Jared" era of her fame. Fans often leave comments on her photos asking where Jared is, or worse, blaming her for the split. She’s handled it with a mix of humor and occasional bluntness. She’s made it clear that she is her own person, not just the "wife" (or partner) of a reality star. She’s doing fine. Better than fine, actually.
The Death of Now and Then Second Hand Store
One of the biggest casualties of their split—and the changing economy—was their business. The Now and Then store in Orange, California, was a character in itself on the show. Fans would travel from other states just to buy a $5 t-shirt and hope for a selfie.
- The store in Orange was the flagship.
- They opened a second location in Long Beach.
- The Long Beach location failed fairly quickly due to high overhead.
- Eventually, the Orange location closed its doors too.
The reality is that "storage flipping" as a business model changed. Thanks to the show's popularity, everyone thought they could get rich buying lockers. This drove the prices up at auctions. It became harder to find the "score of a lifetime" when you were bidding against 50 people who all saw the same episode of Storage Wars the night before.
The Reality of Reality TV Money
People often ask if they’re still rich. "Rich" is a relative term in Orange County.
While the show paid well per episode, most of that money went back into the business, taxes, and raising a family. They aren't struggling, but they aren't living like the Kardashians either. Brandi has been open about the fact that she still works hard to maintain her lifestyle. Jared continues to hustle in the auction world.
The "Storage Wars" effect is a real thing. It created a bubble. For a few years, Jared and Brandi were the king and queen of that bubble. When it popped, they had to figure out who they were without the cameras.
Why We Still Care About Jared and Brandi
It's been years since the peak of the show, yet search traffic for Jared and Brandi from Storage Wars remains high. Why?
Because we watched them grow up. We watched them raise their kids. We watched them go from a tiny thrift store to a massive platform. Their breakup felt like a "neighborhood" breakup. They represented the American dream—the idea that you could find treasure in someone else's trash if you just worked hard enough (and screamed at each other enough).
Their legacy isn't really the lockers they won. It’s the fact that they helped pioneer a genre of "professional scavenger" television that still persists today.
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Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Resellers
If you’re looking to follow in their footsteps or just want to stay updated on their journey, keep these points in mind:
1. Follow the individual journeys, not the couple.
Stop looking for a reunion. Both Jared and Brandi have moved into separate chapters. Following Brandi on Instagram (@brandipassante) is the best way to see her charitable work and current projects. Jared keeps a lower profile but still pops up in the auction circuit.
2. Learn the "Storage Wars" lesson.
The business of reselling has moved online. While Jared and Brandi relied on a brick-and-mortar store, most successful flippers today use platforms like Whatnot, eBay, and Poshmark. The days of the "Now and Then" physical storefront are largely a thing of the past.
3. Don't believe everything on the screen.
The "Young Guns" were a persona. Behind the scenes, the stresses of fame and business took a toll. Use their story as a reminder that the "perfect" TV couple is often struggling with the same real-world issues—finances, burnout, and relationship strain—as everyone else.
4. Watch the reruns with a new perspective.
If you go back and watch early seasons now, you can see the cracks. You can also see the genuine hustle. It’s a masterclass in how to build a brand, even if that brand eventually evolves into something different.
Jared and Brandi's story didn't have the "happily ever after" the producers wanted, but it had a real ending. That’s more than most reality shows can say. They came, they saw, they bid, and then they moved on.