What Was Going On Behind The Scenes For This ‘Pawn Stars’ Star?

Pawn Stars first made its way to our television screens in 2009. This show on The History Channel has been around for a decade already! It has not dwindled in popularity but only become more well-known. However, one star of the show has had it rough lately.

Read on to find out what Chumlee has been going through as of late. The reality TV show would not be this big of a hit if it was not for him! His hilarious antics are an important part of the dynamics of the show.

The Star Of The Show

Austin Lee Russell has won over a lot of viewers of the show. Chumlee is the type of guy that you need when you want to feel better. We will learn more about his problems later but let us see his past first.

He grew up in Nevada and did not perform very well in school when he was a young man. It was not much of a secret that he paid other students to work on his homework instead of doing it himself!

Not The Best Student In High School

We bet it did not come as much of a surprise that this guy dropped out at one point. Perhaps it was more than just his poor academic record. For one thing, his nickname was not really all that nice.

Just so you know, Chumlee did not get this nickname with any sincerity. It might sound cute but this is not really the cause at all. Where did they get his nickname? It turns out that they got it from an old show called Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales. But why did they pick this nickname anyway?

He Never Graduated

Chumley was a fat walrus on the show. Without a doubt, it hurt a fair bit. On the bright side, we are sure that he would not have gotten this close to a certain guy if this did not happen. Yup, Chumlee Russell and Corey Harrison have known each other since they were kids.

The truth was that he and Pawn Stars star Corey Harrison had known each other for a long time already. Among others, they used to spend time together at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, which was operated by Rick Harrison, Corey’s dad. Their friendship came with certain benefits, you know.

The Story Behind It

For one thing, Chumlee was able to begin working there by the time he was 21 years old. True enough, working at a pawn shop requires a certain type of precision. In reality, however, it is still primarily menial work more than anything else.

We promise you that it is not at all the most glamorous job in the world. Chumlee and the crew of Gold & Silver managed to enter the small screen only five years after this happened. We bet he started to feel more interested in going work once the cameras started to roll!

Cute Nickname But Cruel Intentions

They filmed one season after another and gained even more fame and success with the one that came before it. One reason for the popularity of the show would be comic relief that Chumlee provided!

Fans adored his onscreen personality. They knew what his hobbies and interests were. After all, those were the things he liked to target. They normally had to do with rap, video games, sneakers, and pinball!

Friends From Childhood

We are sure that you would not deny just how fascinating these items are, but the others on the team did not always approve of them. Watch the show and you would see how often he makes mistakes.

The others claim that it was nothing unusual. In fact, they were used to it. There was a time when they had a stand-up bass he propped up against the shelf. It fell, broke, and cost them $20,000. Oof.

A Friendship With Employment Benefits

The other cast members of the show like to tease him for making mistakes like that. This has actually become a bit of a trend on Pawn Stars. His antics only made the show even more popular!

There was even a time when he had to get a bodyguard for all their public appearances. You know you made it when something like that happens! We bet he was bewildered when he had to do this.

Not What He Expected

He liked getting all of this attention initially. For one thing, he was able to profit off it when he and his personal assistant created his very own merch line. The other members of the cast later did it too.

However, they were unable to beat the sales made by Chumlee and his line of merch. This was a perk of being the most famous Pawn Stars star. He also started a candy shop located in Vegas too.

Five Short Years Later

Chumlee is not the sort of guy who brags about how much money he makes. Still, we do know a thing or two about the state of his finances. In 2010, he received $155k after selling half of his shares to Rick.

He arrived at this decision because he wanted to focus on selling his merch. He might be a bit of a bumbler, but this guy knew how to work on a business. That was not the only thing he worked hard for!

Can’t Help It

Tragedy struck only two weeks before the show first went on the air. What could possibly have happened to this Pawn Stars star in 2009? That was the time his father died of pancreatic cancer when he was only 54 years old.

We doubt that it is surprising to hear that he did not live a healthy lifestyle. This was the last straw for him. After that, he started to eat better food and exercise on the regular in the name of his health.

Not The Best Buys

He often went to the gym and did yoga to get the blood flowing. Aside from these things, he also likes meditation and mindfulness for the health of his mind and soul. Was he making a lot of changes?

Chumlee dropped by the gym every day and only rested once a week. He also drank fruit smoothies in the morning and began to avoid red meat. Did these things work for him? It was a pretty intense health regimen, so we are not at all surprised to find out that it did wonders for him. Good on you, Chumlee!

Making Many Mistakes

Can you believe just how massive the transformation is? We think that this might be the best way to lose weight if you wanted to follow suit. He was able to do all of these things in just one year.

The transformation happened from 2012 until 2013. He lost so much weight in a pretty short amount of time. How much weight was this reality TV show star able to shed after that time? Oh, just 75 pounds.

Popularity For His Mishaps

We are glad for him because he really does look a lot happier after this happened. His transformation changed his whole life. For many people, the most exciting part about this is wearing old clothes again.

Chumlee had something else to look forward to, however. For him, it was nothing like most people expected. Nope, the most thrilling part about this was that he could finally take a ride on a hovercraft!

Quite The Popular Guy

Among other things, he started to see Tanya Hyjazi. She worked at the STACK Restaurant & Bar at the Mirage Casino as a chef. Aren’t you happy that he found love after all this time? They later got engaged.

That is correct. He asked his girlfriend at the time to marry him! We are relieved to hear that she told him yes. They first celebrated it at the Royal Hawaiian Resort in Waikiki. After this, they went on to celebrate it with their friends and loved ones at the Andiamo Italian Steakhouse in Las Vegas instead.

Enjoying The Fame

During the second celebration, they were glad that their loved ones were all there to express their support for this couple. It goes without saying that Rick and Corey Harrison were invited to go there!

There was no way his two close friends would miss it. Aren’t you glad to hear that it was all going well for him? However, there were bad things ahead for the star of Pawn Stars. What was it?

The Fan-Favorite

In May 2016, he was named a suspect in a sexual assault investigation. A lot of fans felt shocked, especially since the charges were made by another employee at the shop! It was later dropped for insufficient evidence.

It must have been a relief that he got this was what happened in the end. However, it was not the only time he ever found himself on the wrong side of the law. He would soon get in trouble once more.

Quite The Private Person

After that, the police decided it was time to raid his house. This was where all of his legal problems came to light. They did not see anything for the case they had, but they found many worrying things there.

What exactly did they find there anyway? It seems like they found marijuana, a gun, and crystal meth. Uh-oh. These things were considered contraband, so they had every right to feel concerned about him.

Surprisingly Business Minded

However, they still had to return for another raid. This second one was not good at all. They were able to see more contraband things there. They were especially worried about the 11 firearms that he had.

For one thing, 7 of them were not registered. Aside from this, they also found even more drugs in the house. There was also evidence to suggest cocaine use. They soon arrested Chumlee for these things.

Time To Make A Change

A couple of months after this incident, Chumlee had no choice but to face 20 felony counts at court. This was not a huge consolation, but at least they did not have any substantial evidence against him!

The firearms they found at his place did not seem to be used in anything illegal, for one thing. We hope that he has since comforted to a different lifestyle. It is good that he was able to fare at least pretty well.

A Healthier Lifestyle

This beloved reality TV show star pleaded guilty to drug possession, unlawful weapons possession, and attempted misdemeanor. Even though he did get prison time at all, he was given a one-year probation.

The one thing he has to do is to be on his best behavior for a year. If he pulled this off, they agreed to only add the misdemeanor charge on his records. He also had to attend mandatory counseling as well.

The Mind And Soul

We just hope that this was the last of his streak of bad luck. A lot of people are ruined by stuff like this all the time. For some reason, it did not seem to affect his success on the small screen, however.

By the end of 2016, he agreed to take part in a follow-up interview and finally talked about what he had to go through within the year. He said that it was a very difficult time. The marketing director also had to express that he was thankful that his fans were always through thick and thin no matter what happened.

Taking The Necessary Steps

The fans did not leave him during the tough times. If they were not around, there was no way he would have gotten through it all. The TV star even posted this on his Instagram profile to express his gratitude.

“I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to all my amazing fans that come and see me daily at @chums_candy – Thank you all for all the amazing love you show me,” said the caption. But what was it going to be like for this Pawn Stars star from now on? Read on to find out.

Impressive Transformation

There was a lot of speculation about what step the show going was going to take. They ultimately decided to renew it, much to everyone’s relief! Keep reading to find out how the fans of this show learned that there was no need to worry because the show continues to run to this day and age.

If you wanted to know, Chumlee has not once left the cast of the show. His probation will also end very soon, so there is that to look forward to. When the legal problem started to come up, he did take a leave from Pawn Stars to get a handle on things.

Healthy And Happy

He sure worked hard in the name of self-improvement over the years. This was likely the best thing that he could have done in those days. Trust us, Pawn Stars is doing fine. They recently celebrated their 500th episode as well!

“Come celebrate our 500th episode Monday night on History [channel],” said Chumlee on his excited post on Instagram. He said, “This is something we could not have done without you!!!! Thank you!!!”

A Major Change

It is not a secret that the show would not be this famous if it were not for him. The Pawn Stars show became big with the help of his personality. Fans of the show love him to this day!

Did you know that there are many spinoffs created after the show became a huge hit among viewers? They are Harcore Pawn: Chicago, Pawn Queens, Pawn Stars: Pumped Up, Pawn Stars Australia, Counting Cars, Pawn Stars UK, Pawnography, Hardcore Pawn, and Cajun Pawn Stars. What a list!

Turning His Life Around

Without a doubt, he has worked hard to get to where he is in life now. The show and his businesses would not have been a hit without him! Take a look at the gorgeous mansion in Las Vegas that he owns. He actually paid a cool $1.5 million for this beauty.

We can only hope that he will be able to return to his old self very soon. Even though he did go down a bad path before, it was not the end for him. He has definitely learned from all his mistakes already.

New Relationships

Chumlee did not ever stop in his quest to better himself day in and day out. He has a rather stable life at home, which is good. His wife and dog were always there to help him get through these challenges.

While he does get busy shooting for Pawn Stars, he is still a big fan of going into different business ventures over the years. We are sure that this guy is going to do a lot of awesome things soon!

Chumlee And His Sandwiches

Have you ever noticed how often he and the rest of the Pawn Stars team get sandwiches and other food from Subway? In reality, this is because the shop is a big sponsor of the show.

Despite this, we are sure that they truly have a blast eating those sandwiches. The only thing they had to do was to show off the packaging where the name of the brand can be seen. It was part of the job!

Must Be Incognito

The stars on the reality TV show have gotten so famous that lots of people recognize them in public. It is hard for them to step out without getting the attention of any of their fans. This is not easy to deal with.

This can make things very hard for them, especially when they want to check out a garage sale and then hunt down the valuable things that they wanted. There are times when the owners would make things pricier for them. If it was not that, they would sometimes hide stuff and keep things to themselves.

A Married Man

As you can see, Chumlee has gone through a lot of ups and downs over the years. However, there is one good thing that made everything worth it in the end. Along the way, he did find his one true love. They tied the knot in 2019 and seem to be totally in love with one another. Good for them!

The lovebirds got married all the way in Hawaii. How dreamy does that wedding sound to you? We are sure that everyone dreams of having a beautiful destination wedding there!

Animal Lover

While you will see Chumlee snuggling up to any dog that he can find, he does have two dogs of his own. He previously said that he would absolutely love it if he could get two pit bulls for himself! Aww.

This has yet to become a reality for him. At the moment, he has these two lovely little pups. We are sure that the day will come for the pit bulls he has always wanted, however. Anyway, the puppies here look so cute! We bet he loves them just the same.

Keeping Up With His New Lifestyle

Like we already said, he wanted to make this lifestyle as healthy as he possibly could. He began to live in a healthier manner. He put in a lot of effort into this because he wanted to stay happy and healthy.

It really does not matter where or what time zone he finds himself in. Even when on vacation, he makes sure to look after his stamina and fitness by setting aside time for these workouts. Good on you, pal!

A Designer Punch

Over the course of his journey, he also knew it was time for a major wardrobe upgrade. Considering how hard he works on his looks, this makes sense. If you ask us, we approve of these designer box gloves!

We bet it feels much more satisfying to throw a punch like this. They did a great job when it comes to representing the hard road that he had to go through. It was hard work, but he made it look easy.

A Man Of Many Talents

He has already become a pawn star, candy shop owner, businessman… What was next for Chumlee? Could he be thinking of training to be a pilot? He posted this photo of him at the cockpit online.

It seems to be grounded, but we have no idea what might happen in the future. We cannot discount the possibility that this photo was taken after he already flew the plane. We just want him to be happy!

Making A Living For Himself

Now, we already said this earlier, but this reality TV show star did not have things easy. He did have a hard time in school and when it comes to his personal life. It is a good thing that things are looking up!

In this day and age, he at least no longer has to worry about the state of his finances. He is worth about $5 million. We are impressed to hear such a thing. He managed to do well even if he dropped out!

Inspirational Messages

As you can see, Chumlee has had it rough in the past couple of years. This was the reason it was especially nice to see what he posted on his Instagram as of late. What did he have to tell his followers?

Well, he uploaded this photo of himself and added an inspirational caption for the benefit of all his followers! He hoped that someone would see it and feel inspired or comforted by the sentiment. If you ask us, this is the only way to go when it comes to social media. Chumlee is so awesome, isn’t he?!