Is 'Buckwild' Really Coming Back?

After the tragic accidental death of cast member Shain Gandee, MTV cancelled Buckwild, the reality show about rowdy, West Virginia teens. It sounded like the show was gone for good, but now it seems it might be returning. Don't worry! It's in a different state, so it's totally cool. According to TMZ, a new season of Buckwild is being filmed in Alaska. Reportedly, sources say that the show has been shooting for about a month in Wasilla, Alaska. TMZ says, "the concept is the same as before — lots of hooking up and fights — but with some insane new stunts." MTV has no information about a second season of Buckwild on their website and didn't give a comment to TMZ, so take this information with a grain of salt.

As for the original series, MTV cancelled Buckwild after Gandee died of carbon monoxide poisoning last year. A second season with the original cast was in the middle of filming. A statement the network issued at the time read,

After careful consideration, MTV will not be moving forward with season two of Buckwild in West Virginia. 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.

The cancellation turned into a battle with the show's producer, J.P. Williams who attempted to shop the show around to other networks. His efforts were halted by MTV which controls the rights to the show. Williams said of the network, "MTV is the most hypocritical network out there. [Network execs] Van and Susanne can keep promoting pre-martial sex and promoting leaving the baby after you have it [on Teen Mom]. I'm so glad they have found their moral bar."

If MTV really is continuing with Buckwild in Alaska, it would make sense that they would keep the rights to the show and not allow it to be aired elsewhere. It also would make the line in MTV's statement "not be moving forward with season two of Buckwild in West Virginia" important because perhaps they were making a conscious effort to point out that it wouldn't be in West Virginia, but could be filmed elsewhere. Buckwild returning would definitely be a controversial decision, but controversy is not something that MTV shies away from as they have made clear with many of their other shows.

Image: MTV