MTV Cancels ‘Buckwild’ After Death of Shain Gandee
MTV has canceled Buckwild following the death of star Shain Gandee, but one of the producers of the show says he may continue shooting the West Virginia reality series with an eye toward making a movie version.
J.P. Williams, who produces the show for his Parallel Entertainment company and manages most of the cast members, had harsh words for MTV in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “This is the network that has shows about teen pregnancy. They’ll stick by a show that allows you to abandon a child, but a kid dies by accident doing what he does for a living and they cancel the show?” he said. “There’s something that smells of shit here on every level.”
Shain Gandee Died From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
MTV had suspended production on a second season of Buckwild last week after Gandee, his uncle and a friend were found dead in Gandee’s Ford Bronco on April 1st after going off-roading, or “mudding.” The vehicle was discovered partially submerged in mud up a dirt trail about a mile from Gandee’s house in Sissonville, West Virginia. Authorities determined that Gandee, 21, and the others had died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Williams, a native West Virginian, said that MTV told him last Friday that the show would resume production, a decision he says MTV reversed yesterday. “There was no explanation,” he said.
MTV is expected to formally announce the cancellation of Buckwild this morning. The network has four new episodes in the can, along with a special dedicated to Gandee that is likely to air.
Williams said he was willing to finance a Buckwild film himself, if necessary. “My job is to protect these kids,” he said. “This will get ugly.”