UNFORGETTABLE stars Poppy Montgomery as Carrie Wells, an enigmatic former police detective with a rare condition that makes her memory so flawless that every place, every conversation, every moment of joy and every heartbreak is forever embedded in her mind. It’s not just that she doesn’t forget anything – she can’t; except for one thing: the details that would help solve her sister’s long-ago murder. Carrie has tried to put her past behind her, but she’s unexpectedly reunited with her ex-boyfriend and partner, NYPD Detective Al Burns (Dylan Walsh), when she consults on a homicide case. His squad includes Det. Mike Costello (Michael Gaston), Al’s right-hand man; Detective Roe Saunders (Kevin Rankin), the junior member of the team; and Detective Nina Inara (Daya Vaidya), a sassy, street-smart cop. Being back on the job after a break feels surprisingly right for Carrie. Despite her conflicted feelings for Al, she decides to permanently join his unit as a detective solving homicides – most notably, the unsolved murder of her sister. All she needs to do is remember. Ed Redlich, John Bellucci, Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly are executive producers for Sony Television Studios in association with CBS Television Studios.

UNFORTGETTABLE CAST INTERVIEWS:

Daya Vaidya is co-starring in this fall new series “Unforgettable” with Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh.  Daya took time out from shooting to chat with Media Mikes about her character and what we can expect from the show.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you give us some background on your character Nina in “Unforgettable”
Daya Vaidya: Nina is a Queen’s native with some street smart sass. The other characters are a little cleaner cut. The cool thing about the character is she has this street appeal and made Detective really young. She goes undercover quite a bit and is used to solve lots of crimes. It’s really fun to play a character with such duality.

MG: Were you familiar with the short story that the show is based on?
DV:  Yes I was. I also was quite familiar with the story of Mary Lou Henner and the condition she has which causes an autobiographical memory. Poppy’s character in the show uses that ability to solve cases and it’s both a blessing and a curse for her.

MG: How do you feel the series branches out from other crime/mystery series?
DV: CBS really has the procedural element down. There is a bit of sterilization, however “Unforgettable” I think delves into the characters and their relationships a little more than other series in the crime genre. The other thing that differs is we have story lines that don’t just revolve around a specific crime, which is a different take as well.

MG: How was it working with Arden Oplev?
DV: That was one of the greatest experiences I think I have ever had career wise. He is a feature director and he is so detailed and talented and most the time on TV it doesn’t function like that. Arden spent so much time on the details of each character it was great. I think he knew more about everyone’s characters than they did as he is really smart. He has a great vision and he has stayed with us as an executive producer. It’s really great to have him.

MG: How many episodes have you shot so far?
DV: We just started our fourth episode including the pilot. We have been shooting mostly in Queens and Long Island City. We have done a lot of location shooting but a majority of the series is shot in Queens.

MG: How is it working with such a great cast?
DV: They are really great.  We never have to worry as we have a bunch of great character actors. Poppy Montgomery brings some really great things to the project. There are a lot of people involved with this show that know how to make a network show work. I feel everyone involved with this project knows what it takes and what they have to do. We have a lot of fun with each other and there is some really great chemistry.

MG: What do you usually look for when approaching a role?
DV: I like strong woman who are smart, so that’s something I am always drawn to. I like the combination someone who can flow between different worlds. I think people are complex and sometimes they are forced to stay in one box and I like to play the people who don’t fit in one of those boxes. I am always open to try different things.

Michael Gaston is appearing in two TV shows this fall, the new series “Unforgettable” and returning in “The Mentalist”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Michael about his TV work and what we can expect from his characters.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you tell us about your role in “Unforgettable”?
Michael Gaston: My character Mike is a veteran detective that has spent his whole life in Queens. He is a good guy trying to do a hard job well. When the Carrie character is introduced Mike, who is the old school guy, surprisingly is the most receptive to her unorthodox skill set. Mike is just trying to get justice for the people who have been killed.

MG: How do you feel this show stands out from others in the same genre?
M. Gaston: There are a handful of shows that are a version where they are part procedural and then have one member with a special skill set. From my own stand point our show is a little darker. It’s been fun for me. The creators and writers are trying very hard to build on all the characters nuances. Speaking for my character they are giving me really interesting things to do right away. We are a pretty smart bunch of characters which is something you don’t always see as generally the character with the special skills has all the knowledge. We are allowed to be smart and clever. While the show is primarily serving up Poppy Montgomery’s character the rest of us are allowed some real latitude to be strong and interesting.

MG: What do you like most about working on “The Mentalist”?
M. Gaston: I get to work with one of my long time friends Robin Tunney. There are some actors on that show that I have known for a long time and getting to work with them is great. When I work on that show I have travel so for it to be a pleasant place to work makes things a lot easier.

MG: What can we expect from the upcoming season?
M.Gaston: I can’t tell you anything! I can tell you that I didn’t even know who Red John was until he was exposed as Red John and I am not even sure that was actually Red John. I don’t know anything. The way my job works is I did a couple quick episodes before “Unforgettable” started and I am not sure if I am going to be able to do anymore than that due to the schedule and the fact that we shoot “Unforgettable” on the east coast and “The Mentalist” is shot on the west coast. I shot all my stuff for “The Mentalist” in two days before running back to NY. It’s something I can’t really maintain and it’s not something that either show wants to schedule around. I think I may have read the trade that my character was replaced by a younger good looking guy. I don’t really know.

MG: How was it working on “Inception”?
M.Gaston: It was a tiny part that was about a day’s worth of work. I really admire Chris Nolan as he is astonishing. Leonardo DiCaprio is a real gentleman and very good at what he does. It was great to see him again.

MG: Can you tell us about your upcoming film “Everybody Loves Whales”?
M.Gaston: The film is based on actual events. A family of whales was stuck under the polar ice and it’s reported by a green peace member in Alaska. The news makes its way onto the NBC national news and the story becomes not only nationwide news but worldwide news. Everyone from the National Guard to Ronald Reagan became involved with these events in an effort to promote themselves and look like great guys. The film is a really sweet romantic comedy that has some political satire going on in the background. I shot up in Anchorage for about 9 or 10 weeks with a great group of actors such as Christine Bell, Ted Danson and Drew Barrymore. Everywhere you went there were just great people coming in to do work on the film.

Taylor Spreitler plays Lennox Scanlon on ABC Family’s “Melissa & Joey”.  She stars along side Melissa Joan Hart and Joseph Lawrence.  The show just finished this its first season and is already in production for its second season.  Media Mikes had a chance to chance with Taylor about her role and the finale.

Mike Gencarelli: So what do you like best about working with Melissa Joan Hart and Joseph Lawrence on “Melissa & Joey”?
Taylor Spreitler: It’s very cool to work with people who know what it’s like to work in this industry at my age. Melissa was staring in her own series when she was my age so it’s very cool to have people there to help me out and understand what I’ve been through and they are very supportive. It’s very great to have both of them there.

MG: Give us a little background on your character; what do you like most about playing “Lennox” on your show?
TS: There’s not really anything I don’t like about her. She’s a really fun character to play because with the situations that she gets herself into there’s never really a dull moment with her. It’s always fun to play that out. She has cool style as well.

MG: When you first started, what did you like best about the character. Was there anything in particular you did to prepare for the playing her?
TS: Well when I read the breakdown of Lennox everybody who had already read it was calling me, including my manager, and telling me that is was basically me. There wasn’t really anything I had to do, it was kind of like playing myself just a more dramatic version. I think the thing to adjust to was just getting close to everyone and figuring out the whole family dynamic of the four of us.

MG: What has been your favorite episode so far in shooting season 1?
TS: There has been a few but the episode with Andy Lawrence where Melissa takes me in to the club, that was a lot of fun. I had just graduated right after we were done filming that episode and they threw a surprise graduation on set. That was really cool for me. Any episode this season, part of it was filmed in Maui, where I go to prom and it’s formal. I didn’t go to High School so I didn’t get to experience that so it was nice to dress up and have a date and all that stuff.

MG: How do you feel working on this show is different or similar to working on “Days of Our Lives”?
TS: They’re both completely different. My schedule now is a lot better. “Days of Our Lives” was a great thing for me to do, it was really good training and a lot of fun; I was really close to everyone there and it was hard leaving. But you know it’s such a big cast and you can get lost in the shuffle. So it’s definitely nice to be in a smaller cast. We are more like a family here. We only do one script a week, so that’s nice, and not like learning 60 pages at once. That’s definitely a lot easier.

MG: When do you expect to start working on Season 2?
TS: We actually have already been filming it. We are filming the 3rd Episode on Season 2 this week.

MG: How does it work when you get a script for a show? How far in advance do you have to prepare for each episode?
TS: Usually we get our scripts the Friday before we start on the next episode, after we finish the taping of whatever we are done with that week, so we have a weekend to look over it and that Monday we do our paper read and start our week of figuring everything out.

Maxim Knight is currently co-starring as Matt Mason in TNT’s “Falling Skies”.  The show was a huge hit in season one and is gearing up for second season.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Maxim with about working on the show and playing his character.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about how you got the role of Matt Mason in TNT’s “Falling Skies”?
Maxim Knight: Well it was just like any other audition.  My agent told me where to go and who to see.  When I went in I didn’t even know that the project was…it was just “Untitled Alien Invasion Project”.  I didn’t know if it was a video game, a movie or what.  It was very interesting and secretive.

MG: How was it working with Noah Wyle & Drew Roy?
MK: It was really great.  Noah Wyle found ways to make the scene better and put the show in front of his personal needs, which was really impressive.  He is a very good actor also.  It was really fun working with Drew.  It was funny because he was always getting chased by girls on the set wanting autographs and pictures.

MG: With season one in the bag, what would you say was the highlight for you?
MK: I liked ripsticking scene, it was a lot of fun.  I got to go ripsticking and it was pretty cool.  The part when I eat a little bite of cake…it wasn’t just the one bite.  As you know, in TV shows they have many takes. I probably ate about 14 of those and then they served lunch and I was stuffed [laughs].

MG: What was the most challenging part about working on the show?
MK: Well having to wait for each script for the next episode.  I was always very excited to see what was planned next.  Also being up in Canada in the cold was my major issue.  Towards the end of the shooting, we were shooting in the winter and it was really cold.

MG: When do you start work on season two?
MK: In the second season we are shooting it from October to February in Vancouver, so it will be cold then again.  I can’t wait to see what happens to all of the characters. I am really excited.

MG: Tell us about your ADR work on some big films?
MK: Yeah, I did ADR on “The Smurfs” and “Happy Feet 2” recently.  I think “Happy Feet 2” looks really good.  I had a voice over coach that taught me the loops, his name is Tony Gonzalez.  He is the guy for voice over coach.  He taught me everything I know.

MG: What do you have planned next?
MK: I am doing voice over upcoming for Mowgli from “The Jungle Book” in an upcoming Disney video game. That is pretty cool.  I have never done video game stuff before.  I was just in an episode “Wilfred” and that was pretty cool but very naughty though.  I am in the season premiere for “CSI: Miami”, it is also pretty awesome.  I am in an episode this upcoming season of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”. I am also recently did a short film called “Trigger” directed by Matt Sinnreich.

Michael Steger is known best for his role of Navid Shirazi on The CW’s “90210”. The show is already entering its fourth season this Fall and Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Michael about what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: How do you feel your character has grown going now into the 4^th season of “90210”?
Michael Steger: I am so surprised as to where Navid has ended up. I had no idea he was going to end up running a huge production company. I thought he was going to be a journalist and be the next Anderson Cooper. A lot of the change has been good for Navid and I love what they are thinking.

MG: Are we going to see more music production between you and Dixon?
MS: You definitely are going to see a lot of the music side throughout the show. I do partner up with Dixon at one point as he is doing more of the producing. There is going to be a lot more behind the scenes stuff going on that Navid has to figure out in order to run a successful business.

MG: What can we expect to see relationship wise for Navid?
MS: There is still a friendship between Navid and Adrianna however it has been damaged. At the start of the season you will see Adrianna try and redeem herself however Navid is not having any of it. I think it will be a long time before those to reconcile their differences. As for Navid’s relationship with Silver they do move in together and I feel they are the best match for each other.

MG: How do you feel about the cast being trimmed back this season?
MS: We were all a little bummed to find out certain people weren’t going to be but at the same time we are excited because they are going to going other work outside of  “90210”.

MG: What do you think makes this season stand out prior to the previous three seasons?
MS: We are going to be exploring the world outside of high school. There are so many more story lines now that we aren’t confined to that one place. We are all out in the real world trying to be adults. Our audience has grown along with the cast over the four years as well so we want to keep everything in relation to where our viewers may be.

MG: How far in advance do you the scripts prior to shooting and how far are you into filming of season four?
MS: We have started to get the scripts a lot earlier than we have in the past. We have just started shooting the eight episode of this season.

MG: Any cool behind the scenes news you can share with us about the season?
MS: Navid and Silver end in parental roles this season. Neither one of them is quite sure how to handle it nor what to do so there’s a lot of chaos.  This season is going to be a lot of fun!

Ioan Gruffudd is known best for his role of Mr. Fantastic in the “Fantastic Four” series.  Ioan also starred this year in “Sanctum” and will be co-starring opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar in this Fall’s new show “Ringer” on The CW.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Ioan about his new show and what we can expect from his character.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you become attached to the new CW drama “Ringer”?
Ioan Gruffudd: I was going through pilot scripts as every actor sort of does and this one stood head and shoulders above the others that I was right for. Having Sarah Michelle Gellar already attached to the project was a massive attraction as this was going to be her return to television. I went and sat down with the creators and Sarah Michelle and they pitched me this wonderful arc for the character and for the show itself. It was sort of a no brainer really. There were some other bonus elements like the fact that we shoot in Los Angeles, which is great especially since I have a family now.

MG: What can you tell us about your role as Andrew on the show?
IG: Andrew Martin is a British guy who has done incredibly well at managing other people’s money. I don’t think he is the biggest player in town but he is certainly up there and lives quite comfortably. As far as his background goes other than what I have created I don’t really know anything concrete about him. There will be a lot of flashback throughout the show to explain the events prior to us meeting the characters in the park at the beginning of the pilot. I think we will learn more about the character relationships as the series progresses.

MG: How much time are you given to read over the scripts prior to shooting?
IG: Well for example the script we are preparing to shoot today I received it yesterday. It can be a very quick turnaround. I think the department heads usually are preparing a week prior to shooting so that set and things can be set up and the generally idea of each scene can be mapped out. I don’t mind getting the script that close to shooting as it keeps things exciting and fresh which is what we are trying to do with the series. Each week there will be a cliffhanger that keeps you coming back.

MG: What has it been like working with Sarah Michelle Gellar?
IG: It’s an absolute pleasure. I think she is the biggest star in that sense that I have ever worked with. She is a global superstar from her success with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and the other films she has made. At the beginning I was a bit of a nerd and excited about the whole thing. I was able to get over that though fairly quick and what I love about her is that she is so tenacious and on top of everything. Besides being a brilliant actress Sarah is a brilliant producer as well. She is really involved in the day to day creative workings of the show. Sarah has a much wiser head on her shoulders than I.

MG: What genre do you feel the show best fits in to?
IG: The CW shows are pretty glamorous and serialized deliberately. The way I have tried to picture it in the past is it’s your favorite afternoon telenovela coupled with “Damages”, when it is at its best. It has a lot of twists and turns throughout the episodes.

MG: How do you feel about switching gears from big scale films to television?
IG: I love being a nomadic actor and traveling to different locations to shoot films. There is something very appealing about that nomadic kind of life style. However I have a daughter now and this series shoots in Los Angeles, where we live, so it would be lovely to get picked up for a whole season which would allow me to be home more. I have always approached things from the basis of the script. This was an opportunity for me to play a real adult part. This character is very ambiguous and we don’t know where his allegiances lay, so it will be fun to see how to unravels.

MG: What do you look for most in a character when you approach a project?
IG: As I evolve and grow older I see things differently and new things present themselves. The lead characters I have played in the past have been very heroic. I have always played the central figure. In this series Sarah Michelle is the central figure, so there are two of us which is a different dynamic and I am enjoying that. I am able to share the weight with someone else. I am just enjoying the evolution and getting to play a very manly character, so to speak.

“Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon is best known for co-writing the story for “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”. She also was a writer on “Dollhouse” and “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena”. Besides writing Maurissa is currently appearing in the web series “The Guild” and also just worked with her brother Kevin Tancharoen in “Mortal Kombat: Legacy”. Media Mikes had the privilege to chat with Maurissa on her various projects.

Mike Gencarelli: You have worked with your husband Jed Whedon on numerous projects, how is it always collaborating?
Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon: Fortunately it’s a very harmonious working relationship. We sort of balance each other out as far as our creative processes go. I tend to be very detail oriented and over think things at times. Jed is capable of thinking stuff up on the fly. He will often throw out some ideas and I will be the one to pick out which one works and then we massage it into something that we both feel comfortable with. It’s definitely a ying and yang situation. I’m glad it is because if it wasn’t we probably wouldn’t be working together. (Laughs)

MG: How do you feel about writing for such projects ranging from “Dollhouse” to “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena”?
MTW: We are very grateful to have the chance to work on all these great shows. Me personally, when I started to get into writing seriously I always imagined myself writing on “Sex in the City” or a CW show. I never thought I would be pulled into the sci-fi/fantasy genre. I love it and am happy that I have discovered it. Of course having Jed who has always liked those things worked out great. Going from “Dollhouse” to “Spartacus” is something I like because it allows us to change things up and we never get bored.

MG: What was it like working with your brother, Kevin Tancharoen, on “Mortal Kombat: Legacy”?
MTW: He is my younger brother but I have always looked up to him. He has just been incredible since he was born. I don’t understand. (Laughs) When we were kids he was always coming up to me wanting to show me what he had done on his computer. He hates when I talk about him being the little brother. Just seeing him on his set with the cast and crew and directing something that he also wrote was great. I was just happy to be a part of it. I would have been there bringing him his water just to get to see him working. Getting to work with him professionally was a great experience. That was the first time he directed me or told me what to do…in front of other people. (Laughs) I was happy to be in it saying lines my brother wrote.

MG: Can you tell us about your work on this season of “The Guild”?
MTW: I have been a fan of the show since season one. I had heard about it when we were looking at casting Felicia Day to play the Penny character for “Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”. Joss had worked with her on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and said she would be great and the part and that we should watch her series “The Guild”.  I checked out the show and fell in love with it. The characters and cast are just great. When she asked me this year if I would like to play a part on the series I couldn’t believe it. I was over the moon! This season is really great and it’s much bigger than anything in the past. I feel all the cast are just shining. I can’t wait for everyone to see what happens.

MG: Out of all the songs on “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”, what is your favorite?
MTW: That’s hard. I really love “Everything You Ever”. That song gives me the chills. We actually recently watched on tape for a stage production done during Comic-Con for “Dr.Horrible”. Seeing people take something we had done and interpret it themselves and then adapt it to stage was very cool. The way they did the last song “Everything You Ever” was really great. It warms my heart that people love that project so much. It’s very exciting that it’s still alive years later.

MG: I love your song with Jed called “Remains”, any plans to release more music?
MTW: Yes in fact. We have been working on an album which has been really cool. I am not exactly sure as to when it’s going to be done but I think we might do a five song EP initially. We currently have three songs done and we are working on two more. I don’t know what’s going to become of it but we are just going to do it! “Remains” was a song Jed and I did strictly just for “Dollhouse”. We had no idea people would love it so much. A friend of ours came to us wanting to direct a video for the song. We basically shot it on the fly and people really responded well to it. The song has been out for two years but some people are just now discovering it which is great.

MG: Any top secret information you would like to leak to MediaMikes.com?
MTW: (Laughs) “The Avengers” is going to be a really cool movie! I really feel it’s going to knock people’s socks off. We have been privy to a lot of the stuff going on with the film and from what I hear it’s going really smooth and is going to be great.

Colin Egglesfield recently co-starred in “Something Borrowed” with Kate Hudson, John Krasinski and Ginnifer Goodwin.  He also currently guest starring as Tommy in TNT’s hit show “Rizzoli & Isles”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Colin about his working on “Rizzoli & Isles” and “Something Borrowed”.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you give us some background about your work on TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles”?
Colin Egglesfield: My first episode was called ““Don’t Hate the Player” and my character Tommy is just getting out of prison after hitting a priest with his car while drinking and driving. My mom played by Lorraine Bracco and my sister played by Angie Harmon were attempting to have a welcome home party for me. However prior to my release my character gets into a fight and has to stay a few weeks longer. When I finally get out I don’t tell anyone that I am coming. Dr. Isles lets me stay at her place as I had no other place to live. This comes as a shock to my sister and makes her a little suspicious of what I am up to. We see very quickly in the vet’s office as I am screaming about Dr. Isle’s dog needing to put on Prozac. My character is a bit of a loose cannon. The next episode I will be in is called “Gone Daddy Gone” and it airs Sept. 5th and we start see some sexual chemistry begin between my character and Dr. Isles. My third episode will air this winter and we might be seeing Tommy getting into some more trouble.

MG: Have you enjoyed the role so far?
CE: The role has been a lot of fun! To play someone who is kind of unpredictable and mischievous has been a lot of fun.

MG: How has it been working with such a great cast?
CE: It’s has been one of the best shows I have worked on. There is never a dull moment as Angie Harmon is like a cheer leader always clapping and hyping everyone up. She is like a big cheerleader! Sasha Alexander is also great as the two kind of balance each other out. When Angie gets too amped up Sasha is there to calm everything down. To also work with Lorraine Bracco and to play her son has been awesome and funny. It’s almost hard to work sometimes because prior to takes we are always sitting around cracking jokes. Jordan Bridges is another person that is a lot of fun to be around.

MG: How was your experience working on “Something Borrowed”?
CE: It was awesome and such an amazing experience. It is one of those dream roles that when I started acting 12 years ago you would dream about having one day. Working with people like Kate Hudson, John Krasinski and Ginnifer Goodwin was just an absolute dream come true. It’s definitely helped me with getting some other jobs. I just finished a movie with Andy Garcia and Juliette Lewis called “Open Road” which we hope to submit to Sundance.

Allen Haff & Ton Jones are the stars of Spike TV’s “Auction Hunters”.  The show is beginning its third season on July 19th with 26 new episodes.  You may not think that buying and digging through storage units is entertaining but these guys are fantastic and make this show one of the best on television.  Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Allen & Ton about their latest season and their love for what they do.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you guys meet and how did this show become?
Ton Jones: Allen and I were working the auction circuit for years now. Back in the day we were actually competition. We used to go head to head and battle each other out for storage units that we both liked. After beating our heads against each other for so long, we started talking like everyone does in the storage industry. We started finding out what each other likes and I noticed that he was interested in different stuff than I was. We decided that while digging, I came across a bunch of stuff I didn’t not know about that I wanted Allen to try and help me with. So he would help me sell some stuff that I was back stocked on and also vice versa. I would help him get rid of some stuff that he was back stocked on. We both realized we had a vast knowledge of different areas of the auction buying industry. Through years of competition, we decided it was better we worked together and make even more money.

MG: There is a big difference being watching a show and enjoying a show, you guys take a task of storage unit digging and turn it into a hell of an entertaining show, tell us about that process?
TJ: Thank you, well we have a lot of fun. It is easier for us to make a great show due to the team that we work with, they are awesome. But at the same time we each have a blast working together. We make everyday as fun as possible it is not really work when you are doing something that you love. You get to hang out with a buddy, cause trouble, goof off and joke around day in and day out at different locations all around the US. [laughs] And we give each other plenty of crap all the time.
Allen Haff: I can’t believe it, Ton and I have have some nice moments. We had a lot of high fives when the camera weren’t rolling and now they are actually paying us to do this on-camera. Here is the really cool thing…they edit out the really bad moments. So we look like rock stars. The magic of editing is a beautiful thing because I tell you…I buy some really crappy rooms at times. I am trying to say it in the nicest possible way. Ton and I many times have picked some real stinkers. We know now that when we are in the middle of the stinker…we just walk away. In the old days we would have to stick around spend a day unloading the garbage and then spend the next time trying to sell that garbage. Now Ton and I can just turn and burn…and we do. Our whole philosophy is the more money we make the more units we can buy and the better chances we have to hit it big. We do get some big ones but thanks to the magic of editing you do not see all of the bad ones.

MG: How many digs do you have to do to complete to fill a season?
AH: We do hundreds. We wasted some serious tape in the first season because we were trying to please the station since we had cameras there and we thought maybe we should buy some stuff we normally wouldn’t have bought. We threw a lot of money in the garbage can…especially in the first season. The truth is that Ton and I really do not lose money anymore. We got to that point where our strategy and structure of what we do is solid. We got reinforcements we have to come in and sell our stuff and get our money back. We do not lose money…at least not like we used to. For us it is all about buying the hundred rooms…cause when we buy a hundred, our percentage does not lie. We are going to have twenty killer rooms in that hundred. When we first started you’ll have four horrible rooms in a row, and you are thinking about quitting…but it’s worth it for the fifth one if you stick around. Once you have bought enough winners. It is weird, but you can see a winner coming down Main Street. If you know the signs when looking at a storage unit, then it is like playing cards with x-ray glasses on and that is the only way I can describe it. It is not gambling for Ton and I anymore, we know what the cards are.

MG: I read that season three will consist of 26 episodes, compared to the 8 of season one and 9 of season two, tell us about the huge jump?
AH: We are currently finishing up these 26 episodes right now. The idea that we are going to get to travel and go to some places we would normally have to pay to go on vacation…I wanna pinch myself. I can’t believe they are paying us to do it. I think in this season you will see a couple of guys who really know their business in Southern California being thrust into new environments and maybe a few places they should’t have went to. Maybe a few of these places aren’t going to welcome us with open arms. So I would not put the money on the visitors for this one…I will put the money on the home team. These guys know their business and they know their units.  They are going to work together and they are not going to like the outsiders coming in on their turf. I think it is going to be an interesting test. Honestly, if I can just get out of Alaska alive…I will consider that a win [laughs].

MG: I also hear word about a live episode for this season, what can you tell us?
AH: I do not want to disappoint anybody but we work live all the time. I do not know that it will be too much different for us except you might hear a few four letter words from Ton and maybe even from me if I get really excited. I think it will really put the pressure on.  I would really like to choose my live moments, cause let’s face it with the magic of editing…we are now taking that away. There is no safety net. I just hope that it is not a Geraldo Rivera moment. Nine times out of ten, we open up that antique trunk up and guess what is in it…drug paraphilia and as Ton likes to say…
TJ: It’s Christmas porn and George Foreman grills [laughs].
AH: So if that is your idea of live then you have to tune in to see it.  So if we buy the right unit something in there is going to worth our time.

MG: How often do you come across characters like “Chicago Charles” in your work?
AH: That guy looked like Theodore Huxtable, one of my mentors Bill Cosby. He even had the Cosby sweater on. I have never seen a guy talk so much trash. I would have not have picked him to be the real problem at the auction, but man when it came time to buy he was the guy. He was a smart cookie. It is guys like that that make this business really hard. Every single town we go to has a guy like that or worse.

MG: What would you say is one of the coolest items you have found? Weirdest?
TJ: Just imagine that we go through hundreds of storage units a month and anything and everything you can ever imagine that is embarrassing, gross, upsetting, disturbing or funny is in there. It is amazing to go through a lady’s dresser inside the storage unit, you will find reading materials, the Bible…and wow a twelve inch dildo [laughs]. That brings new meaning to the word, her time [laughs]. You go through someone jewelry chest and find their false teeth. Some of these storage units also aren’t 100% sealed. So we will be going through a box and opening something up and out jumps a huge rat in your rat and you near crap yourself cause it just ran down your arm and across the storage unit. We have come across everything. Some units you open up something or move something and you see a leg. You have this moment of sheer panic that there is a body in there and it turns out to be a prosthetic limb. It is insanity. We have so much fun. It is hilarious and disturbing at the same time. Good times.
AH: Ton and I sometimes see things different, which translate pretty well on TV. To speak in your vernacular Mike, I would say that our show is like 50% buddy comedy, 30% horror film, 0% rom-com, and the rest action. Everyday we go into the gladiator pit and battle it out with other guys that think they are best in the business. Just because they don’t have TV shows doesn’t mean that they are aren’t good, because they are good. It is very exciting and you can never relax on our show. When I start to feel comfortable, I disturb myself because I don’t like it. I want to be working hard and always alert.

MG: How you ever found something that you just had to keep?
AH: Let me just say if it was up to Ton, he would keep every single type of gun. We joke, I never met a storage unit I didn’t like and Ton has never met a gun he doesn’t like…ever. One the agreements we made before the camera ever came around was that we would sell the guns. We did a pretty good job of that for a few years but now we are at a point where if he will not get another chance to buy that gun again, then he keeps it. That doesn’t always make for good TV though. But don’t worry because let me tell you that guy has some arsenal [laughs]. He also knows that if there is something that has my name on it and looks like it belongs in “Happy Days” Al’s diner…then it is going in Al’s diner. He wants me to have those things and I want him to have his things. If we take the love of what we do out and make it all about the money…this is not a very interesting business. It is about stories for us and the history. So we definitely keep some stuff but like I said it doesn’t always make for good TV. Let me just tell you though…our houses are the bomb!