Brandi Passante is one of the most beloved cast members of the reality TV show Storage Wars. Not only has the show been around for 10 seasons now (which is hard to believe) but even more unbelievable was that originally casted, Brandi wasn’t even supposed to be on the show. There are many things most people don’t realize about their favorite pawn star. One of those crazy little tidbits of information has to do with a distributor who took a liking to her and tried to make money off of a Brandi look alike. Though that didn’t end well for him.

Jarrod and Brandi are a great pair, balancing each other’s personality traits out quite well. While she always dresses to impress, Jarrod leaves much room for improvement. Funny enough, Jarrod owns his own clothing line, and Brandi does not. If they’re married then I guess technically she does too…but are they actually married? We surprisingly aren’t sure. There was a marriage proposal on their spin-off show, and wedding plans being made. But the couple who have been together for like 15 years, and has two kids, never actually tied the knot, as far as we can tell.

15 She Knew Items Were Staged For The Show

If you’ve ever watched the show you have probably wondered about the legitimacy of the items found in the lockers….it turns out so did Dave Hester, a Storage Wars star. He actually filed a lawsuit against Storage Wars because he believed the items were staged/planted inside the units. Rumor has it that Brandi and Jarrod were aware of the staging and even encouraged them to continue doing it. The pair has repeatedly denied such allegations that the show was a fake. A statement from A&E regarding the show's legitimacy was posted on ABC News: “There is no staging involved. The items uncovered in the storage units are the actual items featured on the show.” Real or fake, the show has had quite a run, so people must not truly care all that much!

14 She Is Not Married To Jarrod

Maybe everyone just assumed they were married because they are together, and have clearly passed the honeymoon phase. Brandi and Jarrod though they have been together for 15 years (and counting) but whether or not they are actually married seems to remain a mystery, though most are leaning towards not. On their spin-off show "Married to the Job" the first episode shows Jarrod using the dog and kids to propose to Brandi. She of course said yes! But time has moved on, and no such wedding ceremony has been photographed or filmed, which you would think they would have taken advantage of that payday and shown the world a glimpse of their wedding. The question remains...are they married? According to their spin-off show, Brandi wanted a big traditional wedding, with her entire family, friends and a whole lot of booze!

13 She Took Hunter Moore To Court (And Won)

As crazy as it sounds, Brandi found herself taking someone to court she had never met, for staging an adult film and claiming Brandi was the star. In 2013 she won the legal case against Hunter Moore, the distributor who falsified a film and photos claiming they were Brandi. The nature of the crime included charges of identity theft, and security breach, which led to Brandi asking for $2.5 million in damages, but the judge disagreed. In his ruling he did rule in Brandi’s favor but she was awarded a measly $750, and Hunter had to pay her court fees. Though her attempts to shut down the site and get the photos removed may have been successful, anything floating around the internet claiming to be her is completely false and most likely from this very incident.

12 She Wasn’t Supposed To Be On The Show

When Jarrod was outbidding on storage units, thanks to his aunt who got him into the business, he was approached by staff of Storage Wars and asked to be on the show. At the time Jarrod had his newly opened store Now & Then Thrift Shore and the plan was to film Jarrod working there for part of the first episode. Brandi happened to be there too, interacting with customers and dressed for the part. Producers asked Jarrod if they could include Brandi in the show and he said, “Do you think she wore that dress for nothing?” The rest, as they say, is history, but Brandi is a girl who knows what she wants, and just how to get it. Without her at Jarrod’s side the show would seriously be lacking.

11 She Was The One To Make A Move On Jarrod

Brandi met Jarrod in 1999 when they worked together for a carpet cleaning business. Neither one was interested in the other initially, and claim love at first sight was certainly not the case for them! At some point while working together something changed though, and Brandi made the first move…according to Jarrod. Funny enough Jarrod was technically Brandi’s boss at the time, and a friend had asked him to be nicer to her, which if this is true may mean Jarrod actually made the first move towards being more than just co-workers. In any case, it doesn’t really matter how it happened, they have been together for a very long time (nearly 20 years) and have 2 children together. They seem to work very well together, as different as they are, opposites sometimes really do attract.

10 Jarrod Served Time In Prison

Brandi and Jarrod are obviously very much in love. Though the details of their relationship are still vague (whether or not they are married or not), they are hard-working and loving couple. They seem to fit together about as well as any couple who is (just about) complete opposites. Brandi is the logical, levelheaded one, while Jarrod is a jump first, then figure it out on the way down kind of guy. Sometime around the time they met, between 1997-1999 Jarrod was arrested for transporting drugs, and for a DUI. He served nearly 1.5 years in a state prison as part of his sentencing. Though this isn’t a well known fact about Jarrod, Brandi knew of his crimes and loved him anyways. Even though all of this went down so close to the time they first met.

9 She Wears Very Little Makeup

Rarely do most women leave the house without a little mascara, and lipstick…at the very least. The idea of even going to the grocery store without putting on your face is seemingly unthinkable! Being a celebrity, of a reality show series you would think she would be more apt to wearing makeup. Lots of makeup like The Real Housewives, or really any man or woman on TV. It’s not for vanity but really just to make yourself look more presentable on camera. She claims she never wears lipstick, even on the show. Her “chicken lips” as she calls them make lipstick look utterly ridiculous, so this natural beauty stays away from the tube of delight most of us couldn’t live without.

8 She Is From Texas, Not California

Don’t let the blonde hair fool you. Though she now lives in California, where she and Jarrod run their business and film their reality series, Brandi is not a Cali girl. They are now permanent residents of the golden state, but she used to be one of the lone star state. Brandi was born and raised in Houston, Texas which is where her “ya’lls” come from. While she may seem every bit California now, she was raised as a southern girl and eventually moved out west. Jarrod is from Orange County, California and has been there his whole life. Brandi moved out west to CA, and that is where she met the love of her life, and father to her 2 children Cameron, and Payton.

7 She Was Never Business Savvy

Brandi didn’t know anything about storage auctions prior to the show. She has certainly proved herself a valuable asset to the Storage Wars team, but Brandi has had to learn as she goes. Before they became stars on the show, Jarrod was unemployed and began going to auctions. He got into storage auctions because of his aunt who managed a storage facility at the time. One day in Harbor City, Jarrod was out at an auction, doing what he did best, and staff from Storage Wars approached him to be in the show. Funny enough, at the time he was chosen the show didn’t even know about Brandi. The spot was initially given just to Jarrod, but that sure isn’t what actually happened! She is his perfect partner in crime.

6 She Cannot Travel Long Distances

Brandi loves to travel, but road trips do not seem to love her back. As a reality tv star you would think travelling would be second nature for Brandi, but she is one of the unlucky few who suffers from severe motion sickness. The celebrity nature of her work makes travelling often a necessity. In severe cases of kinetosis (motion sickness) the person feels nauseous, may vomit and feel dizzy. There are different supplements and remedies for motion sickness, but for people with severe cases, they may not be able to find much relief even with ginger tablets, supplements, or even the bracelets. When traveling on long road trips, she takes the backseat and warns anyone riding along not to sit near her. You never know what might happen!

5 She Has A Serious Fear Of Escalators

I remember going to department stores with my mom as a small child, and the sheer terror I felt when it was time to go up or down on the escalator. Elevators terrify people who hate small spaces, but some of us have serious fears of those awful moving steps! Could there be anything more threatening that metal unforgiving stairs, that move non-stop and you are expected to step on them without dying!? Brandi is one of those with escalaphobia (fear of escalators). Her biggest fear is not falling from the top, or getting her clothing sucked into it if she were to fall. Her biggest fear is that the escalator may eat her toes. Um, what? I didn’t even know I should be afraid of that!

4 She Hopes Her Kids Don't Follow In Her Footsteps

Brandi and Jarrod have made quite a name for themselves with their reality tv series Storage Wars. Though they won’t be winning any Oscars or awards for their time on the show, they have pocketed some very nice paychecks doing what to most of us looks rather fun and stress-free compared to a typical 9 to 5 job. Despite all of that, Brandi says that she hopes her kids do not follow in her footsteps. That this career is very hard and demanding and she wants them to blaze their own trail. Many find that shocking since the typical American dream involves starting a successful business and then passing it down to your children. A way of gluing the family together, forging a bond that should last a lifetime. But Brandi isn’t interested in that. At least not with this business anyways.

3 She Has A Great Memory

Brandi is more than just the pretty face, and cute dress beside Jarrod on the bidding war. She is also a savvy business woman…one who has a level head and seems to keep Jarrod from diving into auctions that are just way too risky. She is a good balance for him, and they seem to thrive off of each other’s strengths. But there is a particular trait Brandi possesses that you would never know from watching the show. She has a fantastic memory and a knack for trivia. She has even mentioned how her brain is so full of useless and ridiculous facts that are totally irrelevant to most life situations. Maybe she is on the wrong show? Who Wants To Be A Millionaire sounds right up her ally!

2 She’s A Great Cook

She’s an Italian woman who loves to cook. You may be wondering when in the world she has time to cook between filming her reality tv show, raising two kids, a running their family business…but Brandi doesn’t just love to cook, she’s actually really quite amazing at it. Before meeting Brandi, Jarrod would eat to survive, but that all changed when she came into the picture. Now he gets her favorite dish chicken stroganoff, and any of her other awesome Italian favorites. It’s a wonder she keeps such a slim figure cooking that way, but maybe she just has amazing self-control or a killer workout habit! Cooking is such a love and passion for her that she has said she thinks she could have a successful career with it, but maybe in this lifetime!

1 Her Stores Don’t Stay Open For Long

Being a reality TV star for Storage Wars is not their only source of income. The couple has operated multiple consignment shops in California since they began this journey, but the stores haven’t always lasted very long. Unlike the success of their rivals Pawn Stars, who seem to be doing pretty well, their stores Now & Then Thrift Store has had multiple locations, and several closures due to lack of sales. Their target finds are rare, hard to find pieces, but maybe the fact that they are rare, makes it hard to find potential buyers? It could just be the market and location of the stores. California is after-all not the cheapest place to own or operate a business. Regardless of their failed stores, the couple is still considered to be successful and they do quite well for themselves.

Sources: ABCNews.com, TheRichest.com, TheThings.com, Heavy.com