Preparation behind the scenes
The Pawn Stars are good actors. Think about it…the cameras need to be rolling to catch the encounters, and the customers are always chosen ahead of time. The stars are told in advance who’s coming in and what item they’re bringing to the store to sell. It’s even likely that it’s a returning customer who they’ve seen before.
On TV they always seem surprised and don’t make us doubt the realness of the encounters. Did you ever wonder how the perfect expert just happens to be nearby and ready to come to the store within minutes? If the show didn’t work out all of the details ahead of time, it wouldn’t be as interesting.