MTV Cancels Buckwild – Rob and Kat Weigh in

Was it handled properly?

The Hollywood Reporter and other news outlets have been reporting that MTV has decided to cancel the MTV reality hit show "Buckwild" midway through production of their second season.  The news comes 8 days after the body of breakout star Shain Gandee's body was found in his truck dead from carbon monoxide poisoning after a mudding accident.

We brought this up during the news earlier today.  We got into a discussion about whether or not MTV made the right decision.  Here are our thoughts:

Rob

While I understand that MTV is probably between a rock and a hard place, I think their decision to cancel "Buckwild" was a bit hasty.  And it's not because I'm a fan of the show and want more of it, and I certainy recognize that a human life is far more important than a television show.  I feel like it would have been more appropriate had Shain died FILMING the show or if he had died in any sort of way related to the show, but he died in a freak accident not involving "Buckwild."  Even if the content of the show changed away from that "mudding" "redneck" lifestyle, showing the cast grieving is not in poor taste.  It could have been used to facilitate positive outcomes, like raising money for Gandee family (who reportedly are too poor to even pay for Shain's funeral), raising awareness about the dangers of mudding, and helping the cast as well as viewers mourn their loss.  It's a shame that for this "reality" show to cancel their entire existance just because something "real" happened.

Kat

Being that this is a reality show and in the case of Shain's death - which was a tragic accident that could have happened to anyone - I am not sure that canceling the show is really the right way to go. Had Shain taken his own life, I could understand, but since it was an accident - again that could have happened to anyone - and essentially "real life" I don't think it would have been in poor taste to continue on with the show. I definitely think there could have been a way to put a PSA type spin to it highlighting the dangers of Carbon Monoxide and the risk of poisoning. My heart goes out to the family of this young man. It is never easy to lose a loved one tragically and at such a young age.