MTV has made the decision to cancel Buckwild after cast member Shain Gandee was found dead in a vehicle last week. It's understood that Gandee, ages just 21, and two other men who were travelling in the vehicle had all fallen victim to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The show had been picked up for a second season, and production had already started at the time of Gandee's death, but TMZ reported that it was shut down immediately when his body was discovered. "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," an MTV representative said.
Young Shain's death wasn't the first incident to throw the future of the show into doubt though. Cast member Salwa Amin is currently facing possible charges for drug possession, while Michael Burford was also recently arrested for driving under the influence in West Virgina.
Van Toffler, President of MTV Viacom Music and Logo Group told The Wrap that cancelling the show had been emotionally tough, but was ultimately the right thing to do. "I couldn't see how the show could air - based on the nature of the show, about kids being buckwild in West Virginia - in light of this event. It just wouldn't make sense," he said.
To be honest, I'm not even sure how it made it all the way to the box in the first place. Looking back, the show was little more than Geordie Shore meets Jackass in redneck territory. While some may have found it entertaining, I thought it was mind-numbingly dangerous, and paid it little attention until news of the tragedy broke. But hey, each to their own and all that...
It's terrible to think that somebody had to die in such circumstances in order for MTV to rethink what they were promoting, especially given the fact that Mr Gandee allegedly died while out "mudding" after a night at a local bar. The channel was happy enough to broadcast scenes of him doing something similar during the day, only a few episodes into Season 1. It wouldn't be tough to argue that the future of Daredevil Reality TV might be questionable right now, would it?
MTV will air a series of tributes to Shain Gandee in the US over the weekend. RIP.