I heard that, too. Also heard he was one of Hoss' high school buddies.
Most of these "reality" shows have a problem in that they decide on a theme and a character use and run it into the ground, including Most Dangerous Catch. They've lost a lot of captains and boats because of the way they cut the episodes. One captain consistently comes off as a good guy and another as a mean bastard because that's the way the directors have determined they want it displayed. All you have to do is just show the bad-a$$ side of somebody and no warm, cuddly side, and there you have it.
Most of the info about Pawn Stars is that Rick is hardly ever there, Hoss is the one that's dumb as a bag of hammers, the Old Man really runs the place, and Chumlee is one of the top employees who's not only bright but has a tremendous sense of humor. It was his idea to play dumb.
Some of the Ice Road Truckers and Axmen and logging and swamp shows go overboard trying to make drama out of tedium. LOL