MTV cancels 'Buckwild' after death of Shain Gandee
West Virginia senator Joe Manchin III finally got his wish… though he surely didn’t want it to come true this way.
MTV officially announced today that it has canceled Buckwild, a reality show about southern teens that was initially touted as the new Jersey Shore. Given Buckwild star Shain Gandee’s sudden death on April 1, the news isn’t entirely shocking: “We felt it was not appropriate to continue without him. Instead, we are working on a meaningful way to pay tribute to his memory on our air and privately,” the network said in a statement. MTV also revealed that it will air a special called Buckwild: WV to the NYC this Sunday, April 14, following an entire day of programming dedicated to Gandee.
As unexpected as the cancellation may be, one person isn’t happy about it: Producer J.P. Williams, who railed against MTV in an interview late Tuesday.
“This is the network that has shows about teen pregnancy,” Williams complained to the Hollywood Reporter. “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 [mudding] and they cancel the show? There’s something that smells of s— here on every level.”
Williams also implied that he plans to continue shooting the series — his team had completed four episodes of Buckwild‘s second season before learning of its cancellation — and will try to produce a Buckwild film from the resulting footage.
Read more:
MTV paying for ‘Buckwild’ star’s funeral
‘Buckwild’ camera crew not with Shain Gandee at time of death
