Although it may not come as a huge surprise that "reality" TV is somewhat contrived, Auction Hunters has taken it to a new level that places the entire industry in doubt.
Auction Hunters premiered on November 9, 2010 on Spike (formerly Spike TV). The show follows Allen Haff and Clinton "Ton" Jones, as they participate in storage unit auctions throughout Southern California. The pair leads viewers through the process of bidding on and winning abandoned storage units, appraising the items found within, and selling the most lucrative and interesting pieces to experts or collectors for awesome profits.
Great concept, and the show is entertaining, the only problem being the show is completely fake. And I mean 100% phony.
The show is co-hosted by Allen Haff and Clinton "Ton" Jones who are paid actors under contract to Spike who earn their money through TV contracts, not junk dealing.
Allen Haff is an actor best known for his roles as; Police Officer #1 in the made for TV movie Washington Field, Yacht guest #1 in CSI Miami and even the lead role in the 2001 blockbuster hit, Rodentz.
Clinton Jones made a career for himself playing security guards and bikers in the late 2000's. Jones also starred in 3 episodes of the shortlived documentary I was Bitten, in which he appeared as an "expert" animal wrangler, back in 2008.
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So the hosts are actors, end of story, right? Actually it gets worse; The Blatant breaking of The Sherman Act of 1890 and "bid rigging".
Bid rigging is the result of a conspiracy between two or more participants entered into for the purpose of artificially affecting auction prices. The parties' agreement to the scheme is the necessary keystone to establish a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Here are two important points about bid rigging that are not commonly known.First, a violation of the Sherman Act does not occur when a rigged bid is executed in an auction. The law is broken at the moment the conspiracy was formed by the co-conspirators. The Sherman Act outlaws a conspiracy made "in restraint of trade or commerce." The statute is triggered upon the parties' making an agreement to do what is impermissible, and it does not require execution of the plan.
Second, it is not necessary for the conspiracy to succeed for the Sherman Act to be violated. Again, the violation occurs immediately upon the parties making an agreement that is prohibited by law. If two or more would-be bidders conspire to depress bidding in an auction, they have violated the act even if their plan fails. Likewise, if an auctioneer and a shill, or a seller and an accomplice, conspire to artificially boost prices in an auction, a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act has occurred regardless of whether they gain a higher selling price.
Upon conviction, the statute provides for a "fine not exceeding $100,000,000 if a corporation, or, if any other person, $1,000,000, or by imprisonment not exceeding 10 years.
The Sherman Act is clearly broken in one episode where hosts Allen Haff and Clinton "Ton" Jones use the phrase "Drop the unit on him", where they deliberately inflate the unit's price to $950.00 and then stop bidding.
As employee's of Spike TV, Allen Haff and Clinton "Ton" Jones are not liable, however Spike TV is guilty of breaking The Sherman Antitrust Act as the corporation that hired and promoted the activity. Spike TV should be getting a 100 million dollar fine. Wait! It's fake remember, so Spike will never see such a fine, proving this show is nothing more than a "show" and not reality.
In this horrific economy, everyone is trying new ways to make money for their families and Spike TV has taken full advantage of this by producing shows which falsely imply money can be easily made by buying and selling junk.