Who Is Dusty On Storage Wars?

Dusty Riach is one of the newer additions to "Storage Wars." He started appearing on the reality series in 2021, becoming a recurring cast member for Season 14. In his short time on the program, he's already established himself as one of the most successful bidders the show has seen. Still, there may be those asking, "Who is Dusty on 'Storage Wars?'"

While he's new to "Storage Wars," he's had an interest in bidding, collecting, and selling since he was a kid. According to his cast description on A&E's website, he began selling toys at swap meets when he was only eight years old. His passion was further amplified by his parents owning an estate sale company, which he would get involved with. It didn't take long for him to become a genuine collector, selling his finds on eBay and becoming a fixture at storage auctions. But the reason it took some time for Dusty to find his way to "Storage Wars" is because of a slight detour into the music business.

When Dusty Riach was 21, he pursued a different career path: becoming the keyboardist for the metalcore band The Word Alive from Phoenix, Arizona. The band got together in 2008 and soon signed to Fearless Records. They toured all over the globe, but Dusty never forgot his other passion. While on the road, he'd get some extra money by picking up items across Europe and selling them.

In 2012, frontman Tyler "Telle" Smith spoke to Alternative Press about how Dusty and drummer Justin Salinas were leaving the band. He explained, "Every band goes through member changes, but the reality is Tony Zack and myself have written 90% of everything with most of the instruments post-Empire. Dusty left the band weeks ago so that is true, for much different reasons but all of those elements will be there." But Dusty didn't miss a beat. He returned to Arizona and started buying, selling, and collecting one again. 

He eventually moved to Los Angeles and joined the "Storage Wars" family, where he's been a particular pain for Rene Nezhoda and Ivy Calvin. He's found plenty of great finds on his episodes, including a World War I medal, vintage t-shirts, and a Yamaha Moto-Bike. Much of this ends up on his eBay page, Dusty's Shed, but he also posts collectibles on Instagram. Dusty has found success in several fields, and hopefully, it's just the beginning of his "Storage Wars" journey.