Yesterday it was confirmed that BUCKWILD star Shain Gandee had died as a result of an off-roading accident.
It appears Shain crashed his Ford Bronco after leaving a bar at 3am. After being missing for 31 hours, authorities recovered the vehicle submerged in about 3 feet of mud containing the bodies of Shain, his uncle and a friend, Donald Robert Myers. All three were deceased when they were found in Thaxton Hollow, a muddy, rough decline. The scene was initially uncovered by friends who then alerted authorities.
The cause of death is reportedly carbon monoxide poisoning although authorities are awaiting autopsies and refuse to speculate at this time. Reports of a gunshot wound are unfounded at this point.
Buckwild has been a source of controversy since it hit the airways. WV Senator (and former Governor) Joe Manchin fought to have the show canceled. And there were many reports that much of the show is staged. As a West Virginia native I can personally attest to this. Even worse in less than one season two of the shows stars were arrested.
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Salwa Amin was nabbed in a heroin bust and is currently on house arrest awaiting trial, while Michael Burford was arrested for an aggravated DUI in West Virginia last month. Despite this MTV renewed the show for a second season and is currently filming in Sissonville, WV. There is a lot of speculation that they were actually filming earlier in the day/evening of the day the accident took place.
As a result of Shain's death, Charleston mayor Danny Jones tells TMZ he feels it is time for MTV to call it quits and cancel this show. “Of the few cast members on the show already two have had legal issues and now one has died," Mr. Jones says. "The show only enhances the negative stereotype the Kanawha Valley already has. I hope the show’s life is short.”
I have to say, I totally agree with him. This show, and others, exploits the already unsavory images people have of West Virigina, a state I grew up in and I am proud to call home.
MTV has not made a decision about the ultimate fate of season two, but they did acknowledge that filming has halted temporarily in the wake of Shain's passing. The network is also uncertain if Shain will be featured in season 2 if filming continues.
Even worse, despite all the attention the show has received, Shain's family is having difficulty paying for his funeral. To help cover the costs they are hosting a "mud run" on Wednesday night in Proctorville, Ohio TMZ reports.
It's unclear how much the cast was earning as part of Buckwild. Shain recently opened his own candy store in Sissonville, a storyline that was to be included in S2. The grand opening was held the day he passed away.
[Photo Credit: MTV]
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