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OLN’s reality series Storage Wars: Canada star Bogart Kenny is tagged as “The Kid.” He teams with his father, Paul, who mentors him on the tricks of the trade. They agree to disagree on every single episode. Bogart brings humility and hilarity to the show. Don`t take yourself too seriously and have fun!

He took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for iBid4Storage. 

Bogart Kenny Interview

Q. What was life like growing up in Toronto, Canada?

A. Growing up in Toronto was rough because there was never a normal day. Some event would happen on the street, or in school, on the bus... But it was a humbling experience because it made me realize how real life is.

Dad worked all the time. We didn’t have issues with money as we were a middle class family. Home life was comfortable. I had my own privacy. Not too many rules for me so I could go out with friends.

I grew up with sisters who always had the upper hand. They always beat me up and I couldn’t retaliate. They even threw objects at me.

I always felt, not trying to be arrogant, that I was more mature than those at school. I didn’t want to be a part of that immaturity. I had only a few friends because I didn’t like the majority of the people. Peer pressure - if I didn’t get along I wasn’t cool. But I wasn’t going to do that. I was who I was and I was going to do my own thing. I could care less if I was with people or not with people. I would not conform with what was a cool thing at school.

Q. Who was the greatest influence in your life growing up?

A. My mom. She raised us all on her own. She taught us most importantly, be nice and respectful to others. She still has to remind me to do it. She always preached this one thing - "You always put everyone else before you." If she was starving and only had a piece of bread, she would still give it to someone else in need. I learned from her that no one is better than another.

Q. What was your childhood dream?

A. To become a Movie Star. I was young when I saw Brad Pitt in movies. I liked how he acted and he is so believable, I thought he was playing himself. I thought that maybe that could be me one day. It wasn`t until I got older that I realized Brad was an actor taking on these roles. I told my middle school teacher that I wanted to be a movie star. She told me I should have a more `realistic` goal. I`m on TV now. Shows my middle school teacher, I was right.

Q. You attended Humber College to earn a Police Foundations diploma. What did you learn?

A. I had only one course left before I could earn my diploma, but then I began to film Storage Wars: Canada. I learned how to think like a criminal. I learned what you can and cannot get away with when you deal with cops. I learned police officers are just like any other person, just trying to do their job.

Q. You enrolled in York University but did not earn a degree. What happened?

A. When I attended York University, halfway through my education the school went on strike. We were off for a few months and I got use to being lazy and never returned. Those few months I was off I had to make money. I started to go to auctions with my dad and here I am.

The pick-up soccer games the university were phenomenal. There were a lot of players from the Toronto FC at York. I made a lot of great friends that I still hang out with today.

Q. You’ve been working since a young age. Tell us about your job experiences.

A. I was about 10 years old when I had a paper route. I did that for about a year or two. When I was 14 I was a referee for soccer games. I had to referee 4 year old girls, which was more like a day care job. Not one of those little girls listened to me. They would run off the field, kick the ball in the wrong direction… Kinda sounds like my wife now.

I worked for my parent’s eBay business listing items, which worked out the same way as me working for my dad now. I had a part-time dog walking job for a family friend. But they caught me drinking their orange juice so I got fired.

I had a job at the Dixie mall in a men’s suit store only because my girlfriend was working in that mall. I had to make sure no other guys were hitting on her. Then I wound up back where I started working with my dad. I figured I could now at least yell back.

Q. When you received your driver’s license you went on road trips. Any stories you’d like to share?

A. I would borrow my mom`s and sisters` cars in the middle of the night. On weekends I would drive all the way to Mississauga to see my girlfriend. A drive to Mississauga was a road trip itself.

Sometimes I would drive there and my girlfriend would sneak out of her house. We would go hang out in the park. One time her parents found out she was gone and I had driven us all the way back to Toronto. We had to hurry back to her place. One time my girlfriend and I drove to Niagara just to go walk over the border to the US. She would always nag and make fun of me that I had never been outside of Canada before that.

I once took my sister’s car and she told me to bring it back on Monday. She didn`t know I was taking a road trip. On the way, her car broke down. I had to call her and tell her the car wasn`t running. She said she would take care of it and asked where I was. That`s when she found out I had driven all the way to Montreal. That did not go over too well.

Q. You attend coin conventions. What was your best buy or memorable experience?

A. My best and most interesting buy was a ghost bill. That is when there a bill came out the printer from the manufacturers missing a lot of details on one side. These bills never get out into circulation. My worst moment was when we lost a $2,200 coin. We just couldn’t find it. I blame my dad.

Q. You now co-own a store. What are the struggles, difficulties, and joy do you encounter?

A. Struggle is to find the time to be at the store when we are filming the show. Difficulties are the daily problems that arise. It is like having 2-3 different jobs at one time. Make sure you budget properly in a way to assume there will always be more costs. Therefore, don’t try to get by with your bare minimum.

For us it was ideal to open up a store because our clients have a location to find us, as opposed to meet up somewhere. We spiced things up a little and challenged ourselves by renting our store location right beside a competitor. Joy is in control of my own time schedule. I don`t have to ask permission to go to the doctors, dentist, appointments, etc.

Q. What advise would you give someone who is about to go into a business with a family member?

A. Make sure you are both on the same page with everything. Spend time to have a conversation about all aspects of the business. What each family member is expected to get out of the business. You will learn to let things go much faster from the start.

On TV, dad and I get into arguments all the time, but then we have to spend a family dinner together right after. It’s not good to have awkward, silent family dinners or very loud family dinners after work.

Storage Wars: Canada

Q. How did you get cast on the show? 

A. My dad got scouted at a real-live auction. I went to the auction with him that day because we were working together. The TV production team saw how we argued with each other in our usual everyday way. That`s when they saw the comedic potential for the pair of us.

Q. What was it like to have your sisters on an episode?


A. Reminds me why I moved out of the house in the first place.

Q. What is your personal dream locker?

A. Full of gold and silver everywhere, in each box, like Christmas. The bonus would be an 80 inch flat screen television.

Q. What has been the best find in any auction either on the show or off the show to date?

A. Gold worth about $2,000. NASCAR simulators. Beats Pro headphones worth $600.

Q. Describe your cast mates: 

A.
Paul: Needs a lesson in matching clothes.

Ursula: You think she’s really nice, but then will come to bite you in the ass.

Don: You don’t mess with Don.

Roy: Never know what you are gonna get. One day a friend, another day an enemy.

Cindy: Who’s Cindy?

Rick: To himself.

Q. What surprised you most about working on a reality television series?

A. How long it takes to shoot a scene or episode. What you see on the show is about a quarter of the work we do. From buying a locker, cleaning it out, getting items appraised... All of that to film takes about 3-4 days for just ONE locker. Sometimes we begin filming at 6am and I won`t get home until 8pm.

Q. When Roy gave you a wedgie and hurt your ‘tuna’ – what ran through your mind?

A. My life flashed before my eyes!

Q. You personally clean out your own lockers. Have you sustained any injuries?

A. Oh yeah - I almost broke my leg! As I cleaned out a locker a cupboard fell and smashed on top of my knee. I limped for days and told my dad I couldn’t clean out lockers for a few days. Of course, my dad thought I overreacted. I clean out 1 out of 10 lockers. My dad will help me 1 out of 36 lockers. I twisted my ankles a few times. I dropped stuff on my hands. The worst are couches. Imagine carrying a 3-person sofa by yourself, then falling face first on a dirty, dusty couch.

Q. Have you had any mishaps off-screen?

A. There was a scene where dad and I used fireworks to open up a safe. That actually went on for a few hours. We threw fireworks at the safe and were frustrated. I threw one so hard it bounced off the wall and landed right in front of my dad’s feet. It exploded! We were both deaf but we could not stop laughing.  

Q. How would you describe the show?

A. You get to see a little bit of who we all are as people and the weird relationship with have with each other. What you see is what you get - we are who we are.




Q. How did you meet your wife?

A. I went skiing in Quebec with a friend. She is Czech and was vacationing with her family. We were about 13-14 years old at the time. We started dating when she was 15 and I was 16. We’ve been together ever since. She is very easy to relate to and she is my best friend. Our relationship has always been fun no matter what.

She is a hard working, very intelligent, and caring person.

We got married in Prague. I knew she was THE ONE. Everyone I have ever met in my life, she was the one that I could relate to and she related to me. I feel very comfortable being around her.

Q. What was it like for your family and friends when they saw you on that first episode?

A. Well, it started more with the previews of the show and being in commercials and that was really cool. I had friends from school that I hadn’t spoken to in a while call me up and ask if that was me on TV. 

Q: Which are your favorite sport teams to watch and which sport do you enjoy to play?

A. I enjoy watching the Toronto Blue Jays (baseball) and the Toronto Raptors (basketball). However, given their records, sometimes it’s so frustrating to watch. I enjoy playing recreational soccer. 

Q. You are the most athletic build young male on any Storage Wars franchise. Tell us about your workout regime.

A. I wanted to get in shape, but I didn’t have the discipline. One day I realized my body wasn’t gonna change unless I made it happen. I was gonna give it a few months. Give myself a shot. Then I saw RESULTS and that was more motivating that anyone can ever do.

I drink a protein shake in the morning. I also eat a protein cereal and eggs. Every day is a different workout for different muscle groups: legs, biceps, shoulders, back and abs. I drink another protein shake after I workout. I do not eat carbs or may limit carbs. I also eliminate sauces, cheese, dairy and sugars from my diet.

Q. What are your hobbies?

A. I play recreational soccer, the soccer video game FIFA and Texas Hold ‘em poker.

Q. What’s on your bucket list?

A. To play at one of the World Series of Poker events. I also want to see big sports event around the world: World Cup Soccer, Olympics, etc. I want to experience the atmosphere at these events. To see the emotions of the players and the fans; it’s so moving. When you see people play for their countries it’s different than when they play for clubs or teams.

Q. What’s your best attribute?

A. My mouth.

Q. What`s your worst attribute?

A. My mouth.

Q.What mottos do you live by?

A. "We’ll see." Every time someone asks me something, that`s my response to everything. I`m not shooting down what they are saying or their question, but I`m also not committing to anything.

Q. How would you like to be remembered?

A. As a very caring, charismatic but real person.



Check your local listing on the OLN channel for times on episodes for Storage Wars: Canada.

What did you think of Bogart`s interview?

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Also


Paul Kenny`s Interview

Ursual Stolf`s Interview

Cindy Hayden`s Interview

Rick Cofill`s Interview

Don Reinhart`s Interview



About the Author...
Chuck G. is a freelance blogger and celebrity interviewer based in Southern California. She`s quite the geek who likes to play arcade games and writes/produces short films. You may follow her on Twitter @chuckgwriter.