JamesG
04-10-2013, 11:37 AM
MTV Cancels "Buckwild" Following Star Shain Gandee's Death
4/9/2013
by Lacey Rose
In the wake of "Buckwild" star Shain Gandee's death, MTV has opted to cancel the series, according to a source close to the show.
The news comes more than a week after Gandee, 21, was found dead April 1 in his vehicle, along with his uncle and a friend, after going off-roading, or "mudding," on a remote road in West Virginia.
The local sheriff's office ruled the death was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, likely caused be the car's tailpipe being submerged in mud.
Production on the MTV show's second season was suspended following the tragic incident, and grief counseling quickly was set up on location for the cast, crew and their families.
At that time, Charleston, West Virginia Mayor Danny Jones urged the network to cancel "Buckwild", noting that "the show only enhanced the negative stereotype the Kanawha Valley already has."
After several days spent weighing the implications of moving forward with the reality show, MTV brass ultimately decided it would be imprudent to do so. The move -- a bid to avoid any potential controversy as well as a recognition that Gandee was the show's breakout star -- comes after a heavily hyped and ultimately successful first season.
In fact, the hope on the part of MTV executives was that "Buckwild" could fill a void left by one-time juggernaut "Jersey Shore".
While "Buckwild" had yet to garner the ratings "Shore" did at its height, it did draw 2.5 million viewers to its January premiere, putting it ahead of the 2009 "Shore" bow (1.4 million) and the opener of spinoff "Snooki & JWoww" (2.4 million).
During the series' first season, "Buckwild" averaged 3.2 million total viewers on a Live+7 basis. Advertisers responded, too, spending a healthy $10 million collectively on ads to run during the show in January, according to Kantar Media.
The West Virginia-based cast was poised to benefit from that success in season two. Gandee and seven fellow castmembers renegotiated their contracts to score a 300 percent raise. Each went from $1,000 an episode in season one to $4,000 an episode in season two, plus a $5,000 bonus, according to multiple sources.
(Salwa Amin, the ninth member of the ensemble, who has been in and out of jail on drug charges, was not part of the re-negotiation.)
According to one series insider, internal conversations were had on the day of Gandee's death about potentially "softening" the show, which has focused on such behavior as off-roading, tire roll-downs and hard partying.
But doing so likely would prove incongruous with the show's brand -- and potentially turn off viewers in the process.
MTV didn't immediately return request for comment.
Update:
The sudden cancellation of MTV’s hit reality series "Buckwild" following star Shain Gandee’s death has producer J.P. Williams livid.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter late Tuesday, Williams, who manages most of the cast members and produces the show, took particular aim at MTV for pulling the plug midway through filming on the second season.
"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?" he fumes.
"There's something that smells of s--- here on every level."
According to Williams, his Beverly Hills-based Parallel Entertainment along with production company Zoo Productions were informed Friday that MTV would be moving forward with the series.
At that time, the network had four episodes in the can and was planning to shoot four more plus a special dedicated to Gandee to kick off the season. But Williams says MTV brass followed up Tuesday with a different message for the show’s producers.
The network had opted to cancel the series instead.
“There was no explanation,” he says, still bewildered.
He adds that the cast, which had planned to come to Los Angeles for the MTV Movie Awards this weekend, had not been informed of the news. The network is expected to formally announce the show’s cancellation Wednesday morning.
A special, which was shot before Gandee’s death and was produced by an outside production company, is still expected to air.
Williams, who manages eight of the show’s cast members, including Gandee, does not intend to move on to other projects. In fact, he suggests that he will continue shooting the series and will look to produce a Buckwild film, which he would self-finance if need be.
"My job is to protect these kids," he tells THR, adding: "This will get ugly."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/buckwild-producer-rips-mtv-will-435869
4/9/2013
by Lacey Rose
In the wake of "Buckwild" star Shain Gandee's death, MTV has opted to cancel the series, according to a source close to the show.
The news comes more than a week after Gandee, 21, was found dead April 1 in his vehicle, along with his uncle and a friend, after going off-roading, or "mudding," on a remote road in West Virginia.
The local sheriff's office ruled the death was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, likely caused be the car's tailpipe being submerged in mud.
Production on the MTV show's second season was suspended following the tragic incident, and grief counseling quickly was set up on location for the cast, crew and their families.
At that time, Charleston, West Virginia Mayor Danny Jones urged the network to cancel "Buckwild", noting that "the show only enhanced the negative stereotype the Kanawha Valley already has."
After several days spent weighing the implications of moving forward with the reality show, MTV brass ultimately decided it would be imprudent to do so. The move -- a bid to avoid any potential controversy as well as a recognition that Gandee was the show's breakout star -- comes after a heavily hyped and ultimately successful first season.
In fact, the hope on the part of MTV executives was that "Buckwild" could fill a void left by one-time juggernaut "Jersey Shore".
While "Buckwild" had yet to garner the ratings "Shore" did at its height, it did draw 2.5 million viewers to its January premiere, putting it ahead of the 2009 "Shore" bow (1.4 million) and the opener of spinoff "Snooki & JWoww" (2.4 million).
During the series' first season, "Buckwild" averaged 3.2 million total viewers on a Live+7 basis. Advertisers responded, too, spending a healthy $10 million collectively on ads to run during the show in January, according to Kantar Media.
The West Virginia-based cast was poised to benefit from that success in season two. Gandee and seven fellow castmembers renegotiated their contracts to score a 300 percent raise. Each went from $1,000 an episode in season one to $4,000 an episode in season two, plus a $5,000 bonus, according to multiple sources.
(Salwa Amin, the ninth member of the ensemble, who has been in and out of jail on drug charges, was not part of the re-negotiation.)
According to one series insider, internal conversations were had on the day of Gandee's death about potentially "softening" the show, which has focused on such behavior as off-roading, tire roll-downs and hard partying.
But doing so likely would prove incongruous with the show's brand -- and potentially turn off viewers in the process.
MTV didn't immediately return request for comment.
Update:
The sudden cancellation of MTV’s hit reality series "Buckwild" following star Shain Gandee’s death has producer J.P. Williams livid.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter late Tuesday, Williams, who manages most of the cast members and produces the show, took particular aim at MTV for pulling the plug midway through filming on the second season.
"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?" he fumes.
"There's something that smells of s--- here on every level."
According to Williams, his Beverly Hills-based Parallel Entertainment along with production company Zoo Productions were informed Friday that MTV would be moving forward with the series.
At that time, the network had four episodes in the can and was planning to shoot four more plus a special dedicated to Gandee to kick off the season. But Williams says MTV brass followed up Tuesday with a different message for the show’s producers.
The network had opted to cancel the series instead.
“There was no explanation,” he says, still bewildered.
He adds that the cast, which had planned to come to Los Angeles for the MTV Movie Awards this weekend, had not been informed of the news. The network is expected to formally announce the show’s cancellation Wednesday morning.
A special, which was shot before Gandee’s death and was produced by an outside production company, is still expected to air.
Williams, who manages eight of the show’s cast members, including Gandee, does not intend to move on to other projects. In fact, he suggests that he will continue shooting the series and will look to produce a Buckwild film, which he would self-finance if need be.
"My job is to protect these kids," he tells THR, adding: "This will get ugly."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/buckwild-producer-rips-mtv-will-435869