MTV Cancels ‘Buckwild’ After Shain Gandee’s Death, But the Show’s Producer Refuses to Quit
MTV has finally announced the expected: 'Buckwild,' the reality series about the young people of West Virginia, has been canceled in the wake of 21-year-old cast member Shain Gandee's death of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning on April 1.
But it seems the show's producer, J.P. Williams, isn't taking the news so well.
After Shain's passing earlier this month, the network halted filming of the second season of the show just four eps in, but now that it's been officially axed, MTV released a statement today (April 10) reading:
After careful consideration, MTV will not be moving forward with season two of 'Buckwild' in West Virginia. We love the cast and the show and this was not an easy decision, but given Shain's tragic passing and essential presence on the show, 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.
While no second season episodes will see the light of day, a special filmed two months ago will air as a tribute to Shain this Sunday, April 13.
Meanwhile, Williams has issued a statement of his own, ranting, "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 [mudding] and they cancel the show? There's something that smells of sh-- here on every level."
Williams adds that the cast and crew were told on Friday that the show would be going forward, only to have MTV announce its cancellation without informing anyone involved. But rather than moving on, Williams says he plans to continue filming the series himself and even turn it into a movie.
"My job is to protect these kids,” he told the Hollywood Reporter, before promising, “This will get ugly.”