After a Tragic Accident, MTV's 'Buckwild' Was Canceled and Fans Were Heartbroken

There was only one season, but Buckwild left a lasting impact on reality television history forever. It was a wild show that took place in West Virginia, following a crew of young adults and their lives in rural Charleston.

The show featured 12 episodes and two television specials, but it was a short and sweet run. Although Season 2 was announced, it had to be scrapped not long after. What happened to Buckwild? Keep reading for all of the details.

While the show was pretty successful, unexpected circumstances shut it down. In April 2013, one of the stars, Shain Gandee, died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

In a statement to CNN, MTV said, “We are shocked and saddened by the terrible news about Shain Gandee, and those involved in this tragic incident. We are waiting for more information but at this time, our main concern is for the Gandee family and their friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Shain had a magnetic personality, with a passion for life that touched everyone he met and we will miss him dearly.”

The death was ruled to be an accident and the result of a mishap with a vehicle that Shain and his friends were in. Officials “received word of a disabled vehicle in a wooded area” and found the individuals dead upon arrival. The vehicle was stuck in the mud, which covered the muffler.

The cast was heartbroken. “This is the emptiest I’ve ever felt. Please pray for Dale and Loretta [Gandee’s parents]," Cara Parrish tweeted. Ashley Whitt added, “RIP Shain Gandee You were the most amazing person I’ve ever known. I know you will be watching over …”

When it comes to the final conversation about the show, MTV never released any information. It's hard to say if the cast members preferred to step away or the network as a whole thought it would be best.

Regardless, Shain's lively personality and life adventures are forever cemented in television history to be remembered by loved ones and fans. After the show was canceled, MTV did try to make a spin-off of the show that didn't include anyone from the original cast.

Slednecks was introduced which had the same vibe as Buckwild. The main difference, besides a new group of young adults, was that they lived in Alaska. The show aimed to capitalize on the same sort of drama and energy that drew fans in to begin with, but it didn't last long.

Nothing would be able to recreate the crazy, fun moments of Buckwild, even if MTV wanted to try as hard as possible. Eventually, the company moved on from the idea and focused on new productions. After all, they had plenty of other ways to emulate drama-filled lifestyles.

Thankfully, it's still possible to binge your old favorite show. Fans can watch the first episode for free on MTV's site, but they'll need to sign in to Paramount+ if they want to watch further.

Like most MTV shows, there also often reruns airing on the network's channel. Of course, that requires fans to still be living in the cable television days.