Trigger Warning: The following article contains mentions of domestic abuse.
Unsurprisingly,the original cast of “Storage Wars” looks incredibly differenttoday.
Here is the complete evolution of Brandi Passante and how she’s continued her successful career.
“I’m actually a very shy person.
I was even shy as a child I used to give everyone dirty looks!”
I would just be a big drag."
He wore me down.
He was persistent."
In response, Schulz explained that there was some complexity in their dynamic.
“I stopped posting photos of my babies.
Because some creepy ass dudes were harassing them.
However, when the business collapsed, he found himself jobless and with few prospects.
That’s when he and Passante followed the advice of his aunt and began looking into storage auctions.
“I had to draw the line.
We could have been on ‘Hoarders’ instead,” Passante joked toThe Orange County Registerin October 2011.
During the same interview, Schulz remarked, “I’m not an actor.
Even if the show flops, I can trigger the store another 20 years.”
No trash, nothing, and then you have to figure out how to sell it.”
“I got some scary letters in the very beginning.
I did have to move at one point to like a guard-gated community.
It was definitely life-changing, I did have to have a little bit of therapy about it.
I didn’t like to leave the house,” the reality star explained.
While there were plenty of squabbles between Passante and Schulz, their dynamic proved television-worthy.
“Working together as a couple every day is quite an obstacle to overcome.
She later revealed that she had ended things with him after filming on Season 12 had wrapped in 2018.
I have them all the time, 24/7 they’re here with me,” Passante explained.
I’m very happy with my life," she explained.
One of them was Women’s Own Worth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence.
It’s things that are needed, so I wanted to help in any way possible."
She shared a touchingInstagramtribute at the time, posting a photo of her dad holding her as a baby.
The caption alongside it read, “I always smile when I think of you.
I was most definitely a daddy’s girl.
I will miss you terribly.
Now if everyone I love, could stop dying in such close proximity that would be great.
#f***2020.”
When asked how long he had been sick, Passante replied, “Most of my life.
My dad had COPD I think … for probably 35 years, and then he had rheumatoid arthritis.
He had osteoporosis, he got liver cancer, he had … just so many things.
He ended up dying of lung cancer.”
Like any newly single person who just left a long-term relationship, Passante seemed to enjoy her newfound freedom.
When “Storage Wars” went on hiatus during the pandemic, she took some time to rediscover herself.
She spoke withPopCulture.comat the time about her return to filming, saying, “I was getting bored.”
Fans have loved her candidness for years, making her a great candidate for a podcast.
“Some guy came over to me and he said, ‘Do you like my shirt?’
I was like … ‘I don’t know man, yeah, whatever.’
[He asked], ‘What is it made out of?’
… And I was like, ‘I don’t know, cotton?’
He’s like, ‘Boyfriend material,'” she said, with a wink.
Her co-hosts cringed, but Passante laughed along, insisting it was a clever line.
After an Instagram user asked the reality star, “Why is your throat so scratchy?”
“I have Hashimotos [sic] Disease.
An auto-immune [disorder] that affects my thyroid.
Sometimes, it makes my throat Raspy,” the “Storage Wars” star wrote.
While it can cause further health issues, it is luckily a very treatable condition.
Schulz was charged with one count of domestic violence battery against Passante after he allegedly pushed her.
