Storage Wars’ Brandi Passante found success, acclaim and wealth through the show, but she also ultimately lost her relationship with ex Jarrod Schulz as a result.
The curse of reality television couples is one which has been a matter of critical thinking as it is suggested that couples who share their lives on a reality show are bound to break up.
One such couple believed to have experienced a similar experience is Storage Wars’ Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz. Arguably the biggest star of the show, Brandi Passante was introduced on the AE flagship show with its premiere in 2010.
At the time she was a “treasure hunter” in forgotten storage units for items to thrift.
Due to the success of the show, Passsante’s personal life was tumultuous, as she faced a breakup and subsequently abuse allegations. But Passante has survived and now arguably has a better handle on success.
Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz as the “Young Guns”
Storage Wars’ success is credited to the chemistry and banter between then partners Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz.
As such, they were touted as the “Young Guns” of the show, which also alluded to the fact that at the time of their premiere of the show on AE, they were the youngest members of the main cast and were the most talked about.
A fact which would land them a spin-off of their own titled Brandi & Jarrod: Married to the Job in 2014.
Storage Wars: Brandi Passante, success and new beginnings
Brandi and Jarrod: Married to the Job was meant to be Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz’ affirmation of their star-power as seen with their feature on the ensemble cast on Storage Wars.
However, the show did not even complete its first season run as AE cancelled the show after a few episodes. Though their series did not work out, the couple returned to Storage Wars when the new season aired.
While it seemed that the couple were growing in success in front of the camera, with suggestions of their animosity shown in snippets on camera, it was alleged that behind the scenes, the antagonism which appeared on screen was even worse behind the scenes.
Most of the growing distance between the couple was attributed to their growing fame and the success which accompanied them with their new-found fame.
This was asserted by Passante, who earlier on spoke about the surprise success on the show by stating , “I really, honestly didn’t think that (Storage Wars) was going to go anywhere.”
Therefore, with the transition of being a part-time worker and stay-at-home mom, to a fully-fledged working personality, who was committing to over 60-hour work long weeks and spending more time with her then fiancé, it all began to take a toll on their relationship.
When did Brandi and Jarrod break up?
Officially, Brandi Passante confirmed that her and Jarrod Schulz broke up in 2020. But their breakup behind the scenes is believed to have happened even earlier than that, specifically in 2018 or just a year earlier.
This is as at the time, fans of Passante who follow her on Instagram began to notice peculiarities via her social media account.
This is as she was sometimes spotted not wearing her engagement and would sometimes post suggestive images with men who were not Schulz, which fans believed indicated that she was single from as early as 2018.
Storage Wars: Why did Jarrod leave?
While it has not been officially confirmed, it is believed that Jarrod Schulz was fired due to an alleged physical altercation between him and ex Brandi Passante.
In 2018, during what is believed to have been the couple’s break up, Schulz attended a friendly gathering. First getting into a verbal altercation, it is alleged that Schulz shoved Passante twice.
A matter that AE had stated it would investigate. But while the network did not revert with its finding, when season 14 of the show returned, Schulz was not part of the returning cast.
Where is Brandi Passante now?
Brandi Passante is still very much a part of the cast and one of the beloved cast members of Storage Wars.
Following her separation, it is believed she received control custody of her two children with Jarrod Schulz, and while she does share milestone moments, she does not share much about them on social media.
She has also actively worked with charities including being one of the celebrity ambassadors of Women’s Own Worth, which is a non-profit organisation creating awareness around gender-based-violence.
Moreover, in October 2020, she faced a major loss when it was confirmed that her father had passed, which is still an ongoing healing process for Passante.