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Storage Wars has gained widespread popularity since its debut on A&E in December 2010. The reality TV show follows in the footsteps of similar auction show Pawn Stars. Storage Wars features the experiences of a group of professional buyers, who, using their expertise, try to make a profit by selling the contents of storage lockers that have defaulted on payment. Due to the popularity of the original programming dealing with California storage lockers, several spin-off shows emerged. Storage Wars: Texas was released in 2011. After 3 seasons, the show wrapped up, and the final episode was aired in 2014.

Among the colorful cast, Mary Padian was the one viewers fell in love with. Also known as "The Junkster," she first appeared in the original Storage Wars and then became a regular on the Texas spin-off.

The bubbly brunette definitely knows the right formula to attracts viewers and has created quite the fan following. As successful as she is beautiful, Mary's net worth is estimated to be at around the $600,000 mark. Not too bad for a 36-year-old self-starter, right? Her fun-loving personality and ability to tap into her inner child have garnered her many adoring fans.

So, behind the scenes, who is Mary Padian, really? Where did she get her start in television? What's her love life like? So many questions that we have the answers to. All you need to know about this Texas superstar will be revealed in this article. Here are the 15 Shocking Facts About Storage Wars' Mary Padian.

She's Of Irish and Lebanese Descent

Mary might've been born and raised in Texas, but her family ancestry is quite colorful. Her father, John Padian is of Irish descent, while her mother, Teresa Padian, is Lebanese. Although she enjoyed a happy family life while she lived at home in Dallas, her parents divorced in 2009. Her father was the operator of a junkyard when she was growing up, which set the stage for Mary's future career. As a young girl, she would rummage through junk and salvage items that could either be refurbished, revamped, or turned into art. Her love of yard sales and garage sales turned her into a real thrifty lady at a young age. No wonder she has such a quirky, fun-loving personality; she's a total free spirit who can see the beauty in other people's junk.

She's Really Private About Her Love Life

Try to find anything online about Mary Padian's love life, and you really won't come up with much. The 36-year-old is almost suspiciously private when it comes to her dating history. The only hint at a relationship came on an episode of Storage Wars: Texas when she introduced a tall, handsome, blonde guy to her crew. Mary gushed about how she thought she would find love in California, but Texas was where she met her beau. Who would've thought? Mary seemed to really like this guy, though. She referred to him as her "perfect man" during the episode and got defensive when co-star Rene made a comment about his age. Apparently, he's younger than Mary, but we don't know much about this mysterious man named Dylan.

She Owns A Store Called Mary's Finds

Mary is a real refurbishing goddess. From her expertise as a buyer and reseller on Storage Wars, she's created an online shop of her very own. The shop, aptly named Mary's Finds, offers a collection of vintage and refurbished collector's items. Many of the items were found in storage lockers during the filming of the hit show. The shop boasts trinkets, toys, appraised items, and a large collection of Coca-Cola merchandise. Due to her large fan base, she also offers autographed photos of herself. Might as well make money off of the fame and add to her fortune, right? This junkyard queen definitely has what it takes to promote herself and boost her career. The side project has proved quite successful for the young entrepreneur.

She Worked For Several Magazines Before Appearing on Storage Wars

Mary attended university and graduated with a degree in photojournalism. After her schooling was completed, she took on an internship at D magazine. During this time, she really delved into her artistic side, rummaging through old junk and starting to learn the ropes of appraising and selling vintage items. She was offered a position as Assistant Editor in New York City with Architectural Digest. However, she soon tired of the big city life and missed her rural Texan roots. In 2010, she moved back to Texas, and that's when she kicked off her entrepreneurial career with the opening of the Mary's Finds shop. This is where she met Moe Prigoff, who gave her a tutorial in storage unit auctions. Moe, who was already a part of Storage Wars, really helped her get her foot in the door. Not long after, she made a guest appearance on the show.

She's Got A Huge, Close-Knit Family

Although her parents divorced in 2009, Mary retains a very close relationship with both of them. She has a younger brother named Luke and a shocking 42 first cousins! Her huge family is one of the main reasons that she really didn't make it in the big city. This Dallas beauty needed to be closer to her roots to feel anchored and secure. The family routinely gets together for huge parties at the Padian's family home. Despite having a super hectic schedule and lots of professional duties, she makes sure to make time for those who are closest to her heart. Here, you can see the Padian gang having a massive pool party for this year's 4th of July festivities. And this isn't even close to the entire family!

She's Naturally Super Artistic

Mary is a multi-talented creative and artistic soul. Not only does she have a great eye for finding treasure among trash, but she also has the vision needed to turn otherwise basic items into art. Moe Prigoff was impressed with her abilities from the very beginning. When they first met, he knew that Mary would be a natural at auctions, and she didn't disappoint. With her quirky personality and motivation to be the best she can be, she brings an almost childlike wonder to the trade. She once made a billiards table that didn't have a fabric surface. Although the design was super cool and creative, the project was a bust because the balls were not able to properly roll on the surface. Sometimes artistic vision and logic don't go hand in hand, unfortunately!

She's Just Slightly Richer Than Co-Star Jenny Grumbles

Jenny Grumbles is the pretty blonde auctioneer who appeared alongside Mary in Storage Wars: Texas. The 39-year-old California native has had a background very similar to Mary's. An artist at heart, she spends most of her time painting. Jenny is also the owner of a store that sells vintage and refurbished goods. Jenny's Store, in Dallas, offers an eclectic mix of old and new finds. The color-coded shop offers visual treats to those looking to furnish an apartment or home. Jenny's successes as a TV personality, artist, and entrepreneur have earned her a pretty nice living. Her net worth is estimated at $400,000, which is still $200,000 less than Mary's. Maybe she'll catch up in the next few years if her business continues to go well!

She Doesn't Take Herself Too Seriously

Being on a hit television show that's broadcast in several countries, it would be easy to get a little frazzled. Lucky for Mary, she's been able to retain her quirkiness and silliness; she hasn't allowed the fame to get to her head. A good example of this is a video that surfaced on YouTube in 2016. In the video, Mary and co-star Brandi Passante read aloud some of the nasty tweets that have mentioned them. The ladies laughed off all of the criticism and showed that they're great sports who can handle the pressures that celebrity life brings. It's refreshing to see that they're real people with authentic personalities that shine through. This down-to-earth vibe is probably what got them such a following, to begin with!

Storage Wars Has Created A Flux Of Wannabes

In a recent interview with The Mystery Men, Mary discussed how the popularity of Storage Wars has created a huge influx of people trying to "make it big" in the storage-buying industry. Because the concept of storage-buying wasn't super well known before the show aired, amateurs are taking a chance and hoping to make a quick buck. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as it looks. Having background experience is really key. Knowing the difference between junk and treasure doesn't come without several years of exposure to trends. Knowing what's sought after is the key to success, and naturally, those with experience are bound to make bigger profits and returns. Clearly, Mary's success speaks for itself! She definitely has this skill down pat.

She Eventually Moved From Texas To L.A.

Now that Storage Wars: Texas is no longer in production, Mary made the decision to move to Los Angeles, California to be closer to the set of the original Storage Wars. Since Season 5, she's been a main fixture on the show, which just wrapped up Season 10 this week. Due to the popularity of the show, it's been renewed for an eleventh season, scheduled to hit A&E in early 2018. Since the show started, it quickly rose to the most-watched show that A&E had ever broadcast. In 2011, the second season's premiere had a whopping 5.1 million live viewers. People definitely enjoy seeing other people's junk! Mary's relocation to L.A. has facilitated filming and has also helped to increase her level of fame and fortune. She's enjoyed a bigger sense of stardom being in California, with a steady increase in interviews and exposure.

Her Favorite Expression is "Razzle Dazzle"

On a famed episode of Storage Wars, an enthusiastic Mary used the expression "razzle dazzle" to describe an item that she'd refurbished from boring to spectacular. The Internet quickly caught on to this silly expression of hers, with memes and videos on YouTube surfacing in no time. There's a YouTube video in which the "razzle dazzle" moment is played 250 times in a row on the same reel. Quite entertaining. It's no secret that Mary has a bit of a childlike sense about her. She seems to always be talking in a half-baby voice, and she's the first one to switch into play mode on the show. Her youthful energy keeps her fans hooked; she's definitely the most free-spirited soul on the show!

She's Real-Life Best Pal To Co-Star Brandi Passante

Brandi Passante is perhaps the best known (and most adored) woman on Storage Wars. She's the longtime partner of fellow cast member Jarrod Schulz; the pair has two children together. Before she rose to fame on the hit show, she was actually a stay-at-home mom. She got a lot of tabloid coverage when she got into a particularly troublesome legal battle in 2013. A compromising video, which she claimed was a fake, was uploaded to an adult website. She sued for $2.5 million, but only received $750 and legal fees. Despite the fact that she didn't collect the full sum, her net worth continued to increase year by year. The drama gained her more attention and more media coverage, and today, she has an estimated net worth of just under $1 million. Marty and Brandi have been friends since they began filming together.

She's A Daddy's Girl

Not only did her father, John, teach her the tricks of the trade, but he also instilled in her a deep love and appreciation for family. John Padian is a proud pops; having his daughter make it big doing what they both love must be very endearing for him. Mary doesn't hide her love and adoration for her father. Her Instagram feed is littered with photos of her and her dad, looking happy and smiling. Now that they're living in separate states, they need to make more of an effort to see each other. Mary often flies her dad out to California for visits, and she goes back to Texas as often as her schedule permits. When she has a big break between seasons, she makes sure to get in lots of family time.

She Loves Getting Glammed Up

Mary is a super down-to-Earth, self-proclaimed tomboy. On TV, you rarely see her with even the slightest bit of makeup on. She has a natural beauty that really personifies the "girl next door." Because she has such beautiful features, she's a dream come true for any makeup artist. She's posted several photos on her social media sites with her makeup and hair professionally done. What a change! She's often captioned that she doesn't even recognize herself when she's all done up. Despite loving all things country and Texan, she definitely has an inner goddess that likes to come out and play. I suspect that she'll be gracing the covers of popular women's magazines in no time.

She's Super Loyal To Her Old Friends

Based on her Instagram feed, Mary has absolutely no shortage of friends. She has hundreds of photos of herself surrounded by smiling friends. Despite living in L.A. and having access to big Hollywood stars, she's retained her relationships with her close pals. She makes sure to schedule enough time to support them throughout their special moments: friends' weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and professional accomplishments. It's really nice and refreshing to see a rising star staying true to her roots; Mary is the perfect mix of success and homegrown class. The starlet has called herself a "hopeless romantic" and just generally enjoys living a happy and simple life. We think bright things are ahead for this young junkyard dog, and for sure, Mary's career is nowhere near its peak.

Sources: wikipedia.org; history.co.uk