Pawn Stars meet fans on Asian tour
Reality show celebs shocked by own popularity
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The stars of the cable reality show Pawn Stars have left their Las Vegas pawnshop to meet fans in Southeast Asia. And one of them says he never thought they would be so popular.
Father-and-son duo Rick and Corey Harrison run the pawnshop with the family patriarch, Richard “The Old Man” Harrison. They offered tips to fans in Manila about bargaining and putting value on things. On the Philippine TV show ANC Mornings, Corey Harrison said Friday that he never thought the show would be a hit in the U.S., much less around the world.
Before the show began airing in 2009, their shop usually had fewer than 70 customers a day. Now it sees 3,000 on a slow day, he said. “Celebrities are starting to drift into the pawnshop. They’re seeing it on TV and they want to come check it out,” he said.
Harrison also gave would-be customers some advice. “I can honestly say that if you come into the shop and you’re rude and you’re angry and you’re bothering me ... I am probably going to give you a lower price than I normally would,” he said.