MTV Cancels ‘Buckwild’; Production Shuttered On Season 2 Following Cast Member’s Death

MTV has decided not to resume production on Buckwild, a network source confirmed tonight. The final decision comes just more than a week after the sudden death of castmember Shain Gandee. Despite having enough footage for several new episodes, MTV executives couldn’t see any way to continue with the series without Gandee, I’m told. An already fully produced Buckwild special that was shot before Gandee’s April 1 death could still air. TMZ first reported Tuesday on the network’s decision to cancel the reality series. MTV halted filming on Buckwild’s second season last Monday after 21-year-old Gandee and two others were found dead in a car near Sissonville, WVa. Gandee was one of the nine cast members on the hit series, referred to as “the Jersey Shore Of Appalachia”. Buckwild debuted on January 3, 2012 to 2.49 million viewers and a 1.4 rating over its back-to-back episodes. That was better than 1 million viewers more than the 1.375 million who watched the premiere of Jersey Shore in 2009. MTV renewed Buckwild for a second season on February 6.

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