On Tuesday, MTVannounced it is canceling reality show "Buckwild" following the death of the show's 21-year-old star, Shain Gandee.
And now the show's producer J.P. Williams, who also manages eight cast members including Gandee, is livid with the network, telling The Hollywood Reporter:
"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? There's something that smells of s--- here on every level."
While cameras were not following Gandee at the time of his death nine days ago when he was found dead of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning in his truck, the show — known as “the Jersey Shore Of Appalachia” — was midway through filming on the second season.
According to Williams, he was informed Friday that MTV would be moving forward with the series after a temporary pause in production following Gandee's death.
"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," according to THR.
But Williams says that MTV brass followed up with him on Tuesday, saying the network had instead opted to cancel the series.
"Buckwild" had previously been renewed for a second season in February after garnering 2.49 million viewers in its premiere episode in January — over a million viewers more than the 1.375 million who watched the premiere of "Jersey Shore" in 2009.
“There was no explanation,” Williams stated furiously, adding that the "Buckwild" cast had planned to travel to Los Angeles this weekend to attend Sunday's MTV Movie Awards.
While MTV may be cutting ties with "Buckwild," Williams says he will continue shooting the show, even if that means he will have to finance it himself.
My job is to protect these kids,” he tells THR, adding: “This will get ugly.”
Meanwhile, MTV just released a statement of their own, explaining, "given Shain’s tragic passing and essential presence on the show, we felt it was not appropriate to continue without him."
Read the network's full statement below (via Deadline):
After careful consideration, MTV will not be moving forward with season two of “BUCKWILD” in WestVirginia. We love the cast and the show and this was not an easy decision, but given Shain’s tragic passing and essential presence on the show, we felt it was not appropriate to continue without him. Instead, we are working on a meaningful way to pay tribute to his memory on our air and privately.
On Sunday, we will be running a special “BUCKWILD: WV to the NYC,” which was shot before production had begun on season two. With the support of his parents, Dale and Loretta Gandee, we will run the tribute following a day of programming dedicated to Shain in which we will air the entire first season of “BUCKWILD”.
“Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time for our family. We have truly felt all the love and know that Shain is resting peacefully. Shain was an incredible, outgoing, and positive person who was loved by whoever he met. We are honored that we were able to let the world see what a wonderful son we had. He was the best son anyone could ask for. As we look to honor him in our lives every day moving forward, we are happy to share some of his last moments doing what he loved best: having fun and making people laugh,” said Loretta Gandee
SEE ALSO: Carbon monoxide poisoning declared cause of death for young MTV star >
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