I have just started watching episodes of this on some network on local cable and seen more episodes on Youtube and oh my god. This show is truly messed up.

For those of u who don't know, its set in Detroit a large pawn store on 8 Mile. Its run by an older White man (Les Gold) who is pretty cool and his son and daughter who are both capable but squawk all the time. They are a bit rough around the edges, but they have hearts of gold, they have a tough and thankless job. The people who come in the store are most rude, violent, stupid and vulgar trash I have ever seen in my life. Unfortunately nearly all of them are Black and ghetto being Detroit (81 % black).

They are always swearing (F and mf are virtually every 2nd word), they all think they are pimps and rappers and always get violent and Les and his staff. Most of the show focusses on people getting their junk jewellery told its fake or not being offered enough pawn money or loan money for their jewels. People also try to rip them off with junk and counterfeit stuff, many have to be escorted out of the store, or threaten to kill them, beat them up and one white woman even mentioned "Their Jewish ways". We get some light hearted moments and true deals like mostly white people selling them bizarre things like coffins, dolls house, old sample pools and cars.

But this show scares me, is America mostly like Detroit, I would be scared there, the people are so loud and threatening and nearly every show has some person shrieking, breaking stuff, swearing their head and beating up people. I truly don't think this stuff could be made up for telly and its real. There was even a Tony M lookalike who threatened to kill Les and he called the cops on him. Another case a guy got real ghetto over a $1 documentation fee and caused such a scene, that Les gave him the damn dollar to shut him up.

Do you guys watch it too? and what do you think of it.

Being that I actually live in Michigan, & I've actually been to that pawn shop a couple of times before, I can tell you that all of the drama is fake as hell. Sure, there are some rowdy people in Detroit [that's pretty obvious. I'm sure that there are rowdy people in your country too ], but what you see on TV is NOT real. It's all there for ratings. It's kinda sad to think that this is how other countries see Americans/Detroit. It shouldn't be seen as anything other than a guilty pleasure.

I've seen Hardcore Pawn and it's no different than any other Reality show. The Producers ask the Staff and some of the customers to make the encounters over-the-top. Some reality stars will admit the Producers will ask them to "go there" during scenes and some Stars will tell you all of it is real. We know that's a lie. Every Reality Show has to be scripted or everyone will just be walking around looking crazy. There has to be a begining, middle & end just like a regular show...Hardcore Pawn is entertaining...

I think "the MOST Ghetto Reality TV show Award" goes to that show about a Hot Dog shack in New York City. I forget the Network that airs it but it's a small Hot Dog joint ran by 20somethings. Customers walk in and they have them do silly shit for a Free Hot Dog combo. When I first saw it I couldnt believe it was a show....

I drive past that pawn shop everyday on my way home and I've been inside of it, so I can tell you honestly that the garbage you see on that show is staged.

ThisOne said:

I tried to watch it once I did for about 7 minutes But then turned it off cause it's crap I rather watch reruns of the flying nun

I haven't seen the show, but I can imagine it's quite over the top being shot in Detroit. Most reality shows are bullshit if you ask me. Like someone else said, producers must "egg on" the cast members to make things interesting and to keep viewers coming back for more drama. If people acted like they had sense and common decency, the shows would probably be very boring or mundane. Producers have to keep upping the anti to guarantee a second season and continued employment. Have you noticed how every TV network seems to have at least one reality show? Just goes to show how tasteless and boorish American TV has become. Personally, I watch PBS and cable for the documentaries.

Love the show

I watch the show sometimes...it's dumb entertainment.

Same as "South Beach Tow".

It's very evident that the drama is staged, ESPECIALLY on South Beach Tow.

PurpleJedi said:

I watch the show sometimes...it's dumb entertainment.

Same as "South Beach Tow".

It's very evident that the drama is staged, ESPECIALLY on South Beach Tow.

I can't watch South Beach tow because it's really staged. The stuff the customers do they should get arrested, but they don't, and all those side stories. Hard core pawn is over the top, but not like South Beach tow.

Thats what I find strange, why would any one want to make up that type of nonsense of folks gettin all crazy ass over a few dollars. Detroit has enough problems without this adding to its dull image as a violent, crazy shit hole. If I lived in Detroit and that show was displaying to the world what Detroiters are like, I would be pretty annoyed.

Who could be entertained by a 400lb dude squawking over a $50 offer for something he thinks is worth $200 and a ghetto type thug, saying to the jewellery girl "Bitch you better get yo manager out here, cos u cant fxxkin see u dumb hoe ass bitch" and all that stuff. Its not funny it portrays people as violent buffoons.

They have a lot of crackheads on the show who hock junk for a few dollars and other people who cant wash and have missing teeth, dirty ill fitting clothes from the reject store. Groups of obese women squawking when Ashley tells them their rare gold bracelet is stainless steel. One episode had groups of women flipping out because the cash machine hadn't arrived at the anniversary gala and people being evicted off the property. They also glamorise the use of goons and meatheads as securit (I am sure some of these dudes may have worked for Prince). And then tehres all the fat people, is everyone in America that fat?????? Damn they are all 300, 400 and some even look 600 pounds.

I feel sorry for Detroit and yes I know there are better things about the USA than these trashy reality shows. Most of Hardcore pawn can be easily watched on Youtube, silly as it is, I find it funny. Theres even ghetto names. One dude got angry when they could find his Girlfriends account, her name was Burnita

In one episode this crackhead has these two dusty cube TV's from about 1982 he is trying to hock and he gets angry when they give him nothing and starts swearing and calling people "Mark ass nixxas". I have no idea what a mark ass person is.

I really ahve no time for Jersey Shore, the tow truck ones, Idol shows, reality TV fullstop. I mean when will this fad pass? I know they are cheap, but I am yet to see one with an IQ rating of over about 82.

Adorecream said:

Thats what I find strange, why would any one want to make up that type of nonsense of folks gettin all crazy ass over a few dollars. Detroit has enough problems without this adding to its dull image as a violent, crazy shit hole. If I lived in Detroit and that show was displaying to the world what Detroiters are like, I would be pretty annoyed.

Who could be entertained by a 400lb dude squawking over a $50 offer for something he thinks is worth $200 and a ghetto type thug, saying to the jewellery girl "Bitch you better get yo manager out here, cos u cant fxxkin see u dumb hoe ass bitch" and all that stuff. Its not funny it portrays people as violent buffoons.

They have a lot of crackheads on the show who hock junk for a few dollars and other people who cant wash and have missing teeth, dirty ill fitting clothes from the reject store. Groups of obese women squawking when Ashley tells them their rare gold bracelet is stainless steel. One episode had groups of women flipping out because the cash machine hadn't arrived at the anniversary gala and people being evicted off the property. They also glamorise the use of goons and meatheads as securit (I am sure some of these dudes may have worked for Prince). And then tehres all the fat people, is everyone in America that fat?????? Damn they are all 300, 400 and some even look 600 pounds.

I feel sorry for Detroit and yes I know there are better things about the USA than these trashy reality shows. Most of Hardcore pawn can be easily watched on Youtube, silly as it is, I find it funny. Theres even ghetto names. One dude got angry when they could find his Girlfriends account, her name was Burnita

Who, indeed?

I stand accussed and plead guilty for liking that mark ass programme. It just cracks me up, if its staged then they have some great acting going on there. I wonder what they get for doing an over the top scene like smashing something or threatening to beat the shit out of someone.

If its true, it sad people would make a fool of themselves for some money or whatever. I mean I know people are broke and out of work, but you can better utilise someone other for skills of acting like a violent dimwit or seeing how many motherfuckers they can put in one sentence.

Yeah, I'm from Detroit and I've had a few friends go there just to get on the show. They tell them how to act after they see what they want and agree on a price, then "the crazier, the better" was what my friend was told. I've also known people not even from here that just wantd to be on the show so they get their 10 seconds of acting a fool on television then get back on the plane.

Between the corruption the City has been through, Kid "wish-I-could" Rock and the poet M&M, I'm more proud of the city's musical history then I am anything else. To be honest (if you've never been here) it's the hard working, hard playing people of the Detroit area that are really the best. When I say the area, the city has under a million people, the surrounding area has over 5 million (with a wide mix of people from all over the earth)

And they have just taken the channel that had all the episodes off Youtube claiming multiple copyright infringements from TruTV. I thought it was an official channel. Anyway over it now, that show always leaves me in a bad mood.

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

SweeTeaII said:

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

I drive past that pawn shop everyday on my way home and I've been inside of it, so I can tell you honestly that the garbage you see on that show is staged.

And to think...we so bad we can stage a figment of someone's (probraly a lil dick hatin) imagination and have the like of those such as "Engishmen" believe it! not only that, we so bad "They" view an entire country, that is something high percentage of immigrants, are clones of black ghetto people from detroit! yeap, we bad!

I'm in New Zealand and we do have clones of Detroit type thugs, buts its nowhere near as bad a s Detroit. The local Maori and Polynesian immigrants often ape ghetto black people (Mostly Islander, most Maoris are a bit more intelligent). We have rapping, graffiti, kids with names like Lakisha, Lil Shorty and 2Pac Te Maru etc.

What else, they hate whitey and everything white people stand for, there's graffiti everywhere, junked cars, ghetto liquor stores (Although there's no malt liquor) and these are in ethnic ghettos like Otara, Mangere, Cannons Creek, Porirua. Nearly everyone is on WINZ (Our version of Welfare) and birth rates are high (4 for Polynesians, 2.6 for Maori, 1.7 for Whites), many are 13 to 18 when they are pregnant, they leave school on their 16th birthday and the language is mostly swearing.

I know its wrong to blame Ghetto rap culture for all these problems, but its a big part of it. The people of our ghettos look up to all these thugs, gang bangers and players as demi gods and revolutionaries. Its got so bad some of our local rappers are telling the kids to keep it Pacific not African.

We have a chain of ghetto pawn stores called Cash Converters (Cashies to those who can't say words of more than 3 syllables or can't be bothered). The schools are full of 8 year old kids who know all the lyrics to Lil Wayne and 2Pac songs, yet they can't write their own name. Still paradise next to Detroit. Honestly that place is just a hole. Who could live there, don't people know how to mow lawns

And we have those ghetto mobile shops that feed off people without cars and on welfare. They sell them essential stuff on credit at marked up prices and charge interest. Even worse is that most of the merchants in the stores and areas are Chinese and Indian migrants. Most shops they run are high fat food stores, loan sharks, pokie (Slot machine) bars, $2 and junk shops that sell stuff like Bob Marley blankets and doo rags.

[Edited 11/8/13 13:27pm]

If some producer of a reality TV show ask me to act like a fool I wouldn't. Don't matter how much they offer (and I'm sure it's not alot, if any). Little class goes along way.

My fellow film friend Andre worked on the show. He said they do get some crazy mofos in there for sure. But that all teh drama between the family is fake... and that they laugh once the takes are done

He also said they get actors... or random mofos off the street. And kind of egg them on ''yeah get more rowdy yeah get more ghetto'' are words he said they actually used with people

Shyra said:

I haven't seen the show, but I can imagine it's quite over the top being shot in Detroit. Most reality shows are bullshit if you ask me. Like someone else said, producers must "egg on" the cast members to make things interesting and to keep viewers coming back for more drama. If people acted like they had sense and common decency, the shows would probably be very boring or mundane. Producers have to keep upping the anti to guarantee a second season and continued employment. Have you noticed how every TV network seems to have at least one reality show? Just goes to show how tasteless and boorish American TV has become. Personally, I watch PBS and cable for the documentaries.

PBS is my refuge from trashy programming too, I always say, there's a reason they call it "programming".

I thought by now everybody knew that all reality shows are scripted...there are so many of them because they are cheaper to produce than having to pay actual professional actors. There's no shortage of people of any background who will act a fool for a few bucks.

Hell, people from all over the world post all kinds of foolishness on youtube every day and they don't get paid anything.

Watch it every Tuesday.It''s scripted.None of the stories are real,like Les fake almost heart attack,that was laughable or Seth going behind his dad's back to go into business for himself.

It's TV,entertain you.

I gotta big ass

Prince imitation

So since we are talking about TRU TV, anyboby watch impratical jokers?? That's funny.

iaminparties said:

Prince imitation

I saw that episode!!!

this show is a guilty pleasure I watch it all the time.It's obvious that some of the drama is "scripted",but it's still a fun show.