MTV has decided to stop filming its reality show Buckwild after Shain Gandee was found dead in his truck with his uncle and another man in a mud pit close to his West Virginia home.
A close friend of Shain Gandee’s found the bodies of the Buckwild castmember, his uncle David Gandee, 48, and Donald Robert Myers, 27, after they had left a bar in Sissonville at about 3am on Sunday morning.
Shain Gandee’s Ford Bronco was found more than a day later, partially submerged in deep mud off a dirt road, about a mile away from the reality star’s home.
Shooting for the second season of Buckwild had begun prior to the accident.
It is believed that the three men died of carbon monoxide poisoning, but autopsy results are pending.
Now struck with funeral costs, Shain Gandee’s family has organized a fundraiser to cover burial expenses.
According to TMZ , his cousin Ashley is putting together an off-road trucking event to raise money for the Gandee family.
After news of his death yesterday, Gandee’s fellow castmates wrote Twitter tributes to their friend, while some of the Jersey Shore stars also used the social networking site to share their condolences.
Cara Parrish, Shain Gandee’s love interest on Buckwild, tweeted: “This is the emptiest I’ve ever felt. Please pray for [Shain Gandee’s parents] Dale and Loretta.”
Jenny “JWOWW” Farley posted: “That’s awful that shain passed… He was just a baby.”
The cause of death is not yet known, although no foul play is suspected.
Sourced told TMZ that carbon monoxide poisoning is being explored as a possible cause of death.
If the truck’s exhaust pipe had been blocked by mud, the deadly gas may have seeped into the vehicle.
Buckwild, in which Shain is nicknamed Gandee Candy, has been dubbed the “Redneck Jersey Shore”.
The reality show follows Shain Gandee, 21, and eight other young adults in Virginia, all of whom love small-town American life.
Shain Gandee in particular shunned cell phones and social media, and was happiest when he was hunting and four-wheeling, according to the West Virginia Gazette.
The star’s father told Buckwild producers that his son “died doing what he loved”, according to ABC News.
