Chumlee was added on last minute
When the show first began the plan was to focus only on the Harrison family. The three Harrison men all had worked in the shop and were happy to appear on TV. But after some consideration the producers thought it would be good to add another member to the cast who wasn’t a Harrison to add intrigue. The family recommended Chumlee and the rest is history.
Chumlee worked in the shop and was a close friend of Corey’s. He’d known the family for years and fit in really well. It’s hard to imagine the show without the funny and lovable Chumlee.