Executive producer John Stevens claims the new reality series is 'not like looking at a train wreck,' after Senator Joe Manchin III urged MTV to scrap the show.
- Dec 8, 2012
AceShowbiz - "Buckwild" executive producer John Stevens has spoken up in defense of the show after it was criticized by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin III. To Entertainment Weekly, he claims that the program depicts the youths in West Virginia in a very positive way and that viewers will "watch the show and wish they could be them."
"It's not like looking at a train wreck," Stevens insists. "That's not what it is. That's the part I'm really excited about. There is a certain coolness to it. It's different than a lot of the stuff that has been produced. I think it's going to get people talking and it might change people's perspectives. These kids are totally wild and carefree. It will be very refreshing to the MTV audience."
Explaining what differs "Buckwild" from other TV shows, Stevens dishes, "These kids aren't hooked into the internet. They don't do Facebook. Shane [a cast member] doesn't even have a cell phone. The parents have to go find in the woods when I call to find him. He's usually out there on his ATV and motorcycle. That's their idea of fun. That's what so refreshing."
He further claims, "These guys don't have the crap in daily life that convolutes their lives. They ride motorcycles. They jump in a lake. One kid said, 'We don't have a roller coaster,' so he jumps in a front loader and his friend swings him 20 feet up in the air for thrills."
Earlier, Senator Joe Manchin III sent a letter to MTV, urging the network "put a stop to" the show which he called "travesty" after seeing the preview. "As a U.S. Senator, I am repulsed at this business venture, where some Americans are making money off of the poor decisions of our youth," he allegedly wrote in the letter. "I cannot imagine that anyone who loves this country would feel proud profiting off of 'Buckwild'."
He went on accusing, "Instead of showcasing the beauty of our people and our state, you preyed on young people, coaxed them into displaying shameful behavior - and now you are profiting from it. That is just wrong."
"Buckwild" is described as an authentic comedic series following a group of nine young, carefree and adventurous friends living in West Virginia who love to dodge grown-up responsibilities and always live life with the carefree motto, "whatever happens, happens." It is slated for a January 3, 2013 premiere on MTV.
Considering the controversy it has already sparked, the show is poised to be the next "Jersey Shore".
