Partying until dawn, dancing with very little clothes on, indulging in mud baths and angering politicians. These activities are reality for the teenagers featured on MTV’s “Buckwild.”
Millions of viewers consider the show’s rural West Virginia lifestyle a source of humorous entertainment. One of the group’s favorite activities, called Muddin’, involves driving through the muddy woods at high speeds in their pickup trucks. Often, the show depicts the young adults consuming alcohol, and one of the cast members was recently charged with a DUI.
The reality show became all too real when Shain Gandee, a notorious “Buckwild” cast member, was pronounced dead with two others in a pickup truck last Monday, April 1. Along with two other men in the mud-stained vehicle, it was initially unclear of the cause of death, besides the fact that the truck was submerged in a mud hole. Based on the content of the show, many speculated that alcohol was involved in the crash. The most recent release states that carbon monoxide poison was what ultimately killed the three men.
This generation that frequently lives on the edge by partaking in “YOLO”-worthy activities rarely thinks about what happens when that one life actually comes to an end. Perhaps this is a rude awakening for the “Buckwild” teens who may now understand the horrific consequences of their actions. Despite criticism for being too wild, it is obvious that Shain Gandee died doing what he loved.
Gandee, arguably the most charismatic character on