‘Buckwild’ premiere review: A ‘Jersey Shore,’ or a West Virginia bore?
We have to start this review of “Buckwild” out for giving MTV a great deal of credit: they did a phenomenal job in promoting this show, and making it out to be the next big, controversial show about a group of geographically-based young people who love to have a good time. They caught lightning in a bottle with “Jersey Shore” for many years, so why not try it again?
Unfortunately, the problem with “Buckwild” is that we are not quite sure the show is worth all of the advertising space. Basically, the comparison of it being “Jersey Shore” meets “Duck Dynasty” is still very much valid; they are young hillbillies out to have a good time, and while they do many similar stunts to the Robertson clan in Louisiana (using a garbage truck as a swimming pool vs. building a water park in a pond), they do so while drinking rather than talking about their faith or making duck calls.
Were there some funny moments? Sure, and Shain is also a great character in particular: a guy so backwoods that his idea of communicating with someone from a distance is hollering from one porch to the next. The problem with the show as a whole is just that it feels too much like an MTV show by the numbers: there is booze, there is screaming matches with complete strangers, there are hookups (see Tyler and Cara), and there are even allegations on Twitter over just how “real” the reality is. The show at least feels to be better grounded than “Jersey Shore” season 6, but it probably helps that these people are not stars and are treated like normal people.
Overall, we’re just not sure that “Buckwild” really does anything that different from what is already out there to justify an existence on the air. What made “The Hills” and “Jersey Shore” so popular was that they presented a lifestyle that was relatively foreign to viewers. Meanwhile, this is a lifestyle that has already been exploited on reality TV for years.
Do you think that “Buckwild” is a show that you would watch more than once, or is this something you are planning to stay away from moving forward? We want to hear your thoughts below! You can also take a further look at the show over at the link here.
Photo: MTV
albert vincent
January 5, 2013 @ 12:52 am
Just like Derrick I grewup in West Virginia. I live in Tennesse now and have for the majority of my working adult life. Like many shows about West Virginia, this show does not reflect the reality of the great state the I know. Nor does it reflect upon all the people that have made great contributions to society that are from West Viriginia. Many people have a hard time beleiving it when I tell them that the mother of Florida State football team, Jimbo Fisher, was my chemistry teacher in high school. Rich Rodriquez and Nick Sabine are from West Virignia as is LA LAkers coach Mike D’Antoni. Chuck Yaeger is from West Virginia and that is just the start of countless people that come from the Mountain State. Many people do not kinow that West Virginia was orginally going to be the 14th state, called Kanawha. I am tired of television making us look like “white trash” that cannot do anything but sell drugs and have sex with our sisters.
Derrick
January 4, 2013 @ 9:25 pm
I live in WV and it doesn’t portray “everyday life in WV”. They’re just using exploitation to make money by telling a joke that’s been told a million times, and it’s so fake and fabricated it’s not even funny. Google the articles “The House that MTV Built” and “Cold Spot Owner Says Buckwild Stops Here” both by the Charleston Gazette.
Myra
January 4, 2013 @ 6:45 pm
I absolutely love it its so different from what I’m used to in Massachusetts though some people hear think their redneck and some are its nothing compared to these kids from West Virginia with their mudding and Mac truck pools I enjoyed it so much!! Pure entertainment and so care free!!
Dale
January 4, 2013 @ 12:43 pm
Just watched the first episode of Buckwild. Loved it ,it was hilarious it wasn’t that different from the things I did growing up. I guess you have the redneck attitude to appreciate it. The ones I have talked to that didn’t care for it were all “cityslickers”. I’m sorry but the cast of jersey shore makes the cast of buckwild look like geniuses. I mean come on at least they r doin stuff ,on jersey shore all they wanna do is lay around and degrade each other.
klynne
January 3, 2013 @ 11:22 pm
Let me start by saying, I just recently turned 45. I grew up with MTV. I love reality television. The trashier the better! I watch all of the “Real House Wives” episodes, it does not matter which season. Got hooked on “Flying Wild Alaska”, “Hillbilly Handfishing” etc. etc. So, you see my taste has no bounds.
I really enjoyed the first and second episode of “Buckwild”. It takes me back to the days of when I was 18. My friends and I did stupid things in northern Michigan. We lived through it, and now we are all grown up and have jobs.
I like this cast. All of these “kids”, well kids to me, are likable, and seem like decent people. I will continue to watch this show. Just pure entertainment to me. Just a reminder of my youth and how stupid we were back then. But, we did have fun. Would not trade that in for anything. Just glad I survived it!!!!