‘Buckwild’ production halts in wake of Shain Gandee death

While the news of Shane Gandee’s death is still ringing across the television world, MTV has made their first move when it comes to the production of the show in which he stars in. We’re hearing that production has stopped for the time being on “Buckwild” season 2, and there is no word on whether or not it will ever pick back up.

What makes the future of this series in particular so ambiguous is the mere fact that there really is not that much of a precedent out there as to what the network should or could do moving forward. While there have been participants on reality shows (see the French version of “Survivor”) who died during production, these are often slightly different in that these were competitions. “Buckwild,” meanwhile, revolves around the lives of young people living in West Virginia, and death is something that is a part of life.

Ultimately, it could be days or even weeks until a decision is made on the future of the show. Why? The first priority here is making sure that the cast members are on board with either keeping the show going forward, or if they feel as though it is better to stop it now rather than to try and push forward with a series that may just make viewers uncomfortable. Perhaps the closest recent comparison is when Russell Armstrong died during “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” but the differences there are both the circumstances surrounding his death, and also the fact that it caters to a different sort of audience than the fun-loving folks who watch MTV.

We’re also assuming that Shain’s family will be heavily consulted in any future decision.

Do you think “Buckwild” should go on given the tragic events of today? For those looking for more information on Gandee’s death, it appears as though carbon monoxide poisoning may have been the cause as he and two other people in his car were trapped within a pool of mud.

Photo: MTV