Seems like every cable channel wants their own reality show based around a Pawn Store. It’s a rather easy production since you just have to stick a camera crew in a showroom and capture the semi-staged action. There’s plenty of people with dreams that their family treasures are worth millions. These folks will be shocked when they discover the price they’re going to get in a pawn store for grandma’s wedding ring or junk they found at a flea market. They’re ready to wrestle and beg for an extra few bucks. Thus you get exciting TV. It seems like an easy formula, but Pawn Stars has a special sauce that makes it so popular: Chumlee. The court jester of the Las Vegas Strip can surprise you with his knowledge and still humor people with his goofball antics. Pawn Stars: Volume Five has 16 episodes where Chumlee shines like a sack of silver hammers.
What comes in the store for this installment? “Darth Pawn” takes Rick out of the store to see about buying a life-size Darth Maul figure. What makes the deal look bad is the guy also wants money for a Jarjar Binks. It’s just worth its weight in firewood. “Chummobile” gets Chumlee excited when a guy wants to unload a fake version of the Tim Burton Batmobile. Chumlee loses his mind when offered a chance to buy “Robosaurus.” He could own a mega-car killing dino-car. But the mega-money pricetag might be an issue. “Evel Genius” rolls in an Evel Knievel pinball machine. That was a cool pinball machine. “Pablo Pawncasso” reminds us that fine art isn’t an extremely great investment. If you have to bring your art to a pawn store instead of an auction, don’t expect top dollar. “Sub for Sale” is a lesson that sometimes things that appear broken still have value. “Take a Seat” gives Rick the chance to own the U.S. Senate seat that once held the rump of the man whose name is on Las Vegas’ airport.
Pawn Stars remains an addictive show. Even reruns are fun to watch as you start analyzing the art of the deal when Rick, the Old Man, Corey and Chumlee face off with the delusional people. The best is watching Chumlee prove to the Old Man he understands the business while not losing his oddball charms. Even with the half dozen Pawn Stars rip-offs on TV, the original remains welcoming because hanging out with Chumlee is so enjoyable. Accept no counterfeit Pawn Stars on your TV.
The Episodes
“Darth Pawn,” “Put Up Your Dukes,” “Pawn Illustrated,” “Striking a Chord,” “Harrison For President,” “Wise Guys,” “Robosaurus,” “Ah, Shoot!,” “Going Postal,” “Chummobile,” “Evel Genius,” “Pablo Pawncasso,” “Sub for Sale,” “Missile Attack” and “Not on My Watch.”
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The detail brings out the wear and tear in the items put on the counter. The audio is Dolby Digital stereo. The mix is fine. If you have any sound issues, the episodes are subtitled in both English and Spanish.
There are no bonus features.
Pawn Stars: Volume Five is a great way to marathon the episodes without having to deal with nine minutes of commercials every thirty minutes. That’s more time you can absorb the genius of Chumlee.
History Channel and New Video Group present Pawn Stars: Volume Five. Starring Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison, the Old Man and Chumlee. Boxset Contents: 16 episodes on 2 DVDs. Released: August 14, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.
