@DC408dxtr
As we are now deep in the Fall, it feels like Christmas to TV fans. All of our favorite shows have returned for all-new seasons, while new ones are popping up all over the place on broadcast, cable and online. And as you would suspect by my social interactions, I am most excited about season two of Are You The One?, which has joined The Real World and The Challenge as my favorite MTV shows. Through the first four episodes, I've already gotten behind Team 21 in Puerto Rico with aspirations of winning $1 million and landing true love, just as the season 1 cast did earlier this year when they accomplished that goal and saw the only remaining couple get married and having a baby.
But, as I've written so many times, I don't limit my MTV viewing to just that trifecta or the VMA's. Thanks in large part to the fan friendly nature of social media and me having a broad knowledge of the MTV world as someone who's watched the channel loyally for 16 years, I've followed everyone from passionate New Yorkers, Texas bartenders and a cross-country family to aspiring nurses and chefs, and recently to young adults dealing with virginity...and that's only in the past two years alone.
For someone who's used to watching great storytelling and intense competition on that channel I've watched since back in high school, the latest MTV show I'm adding to my collection will allow me the chance to enjoy something that I don't have much of because of the presence of drama on most shows and being engaged by great stories on others. And that would be plenty of opportunities to enjoy a laugh and have lots of fun. Finally, I'll have a chance to let loose a little and chuckle a bit.
For someone who's used to watching great storytelling and intense competition on that channel I've watched since back in high school, the latest MTV show I'm adding to my collection will allow me the chance to enjoy something that I don't have much of because of the presence of drama on most shows and being engaged by great stories on others. And that would be plenty of opportunities to enjoy a laugh and have lots of fun. Finally, I'll have a chance to let loose a little and chuckle a bit.
When it premieres this Thursday - Halloween Eve, Slednecks will become the 17th overall MTV show, the 12th new MTV series and 10th outside the RW/Challenge bubble that I will have followed since I joined twitter two years ago. But for the first time during this stretch, there will be cast members coming to us by way of our country's northernmost state, whose seminal moment came 55 years ago this past January when they were officially granted statehood as the 49th state in the union.
If you dig shows with a group of hard-partying, carefree teens and where fun, not drama, is your cup of tea, then you're likely gonna fall in love with Slednecks. If the promos & footage are any indication, then we are expecting plenty of fun, plenty of laughs, and even some drama as we chill with Jackie, Trevor, Kelly, Sierra, Amber, Zeke, Tosca, Dylan, Big Mike, Hali and Samantha in Alaska. And if you thought that the partying ways of the Jersey Shore cast or the antics of the Buckwild bunch was something else, then wait until you get to see what these have in store for us beginning in a few days. And as they say, "you ain't seen nothing yet."
But before we take a look ahead to the latest to accompany 10 Spot Thursday, let's dive a bit back to the first months of last year, when the buzz of the MTV world was focused in on West Virginia. And had it not been for a tragic accident, then we would've been enjoying the 3rd season of their show right now.
BUCKWILD
When it knew that Jersey Shore was possibly on its last legs, MTV had to make sure to have its audience keep on having fun after Snooki, the Sitch, J-Woww, Pauly, Sam, Ron, Vinny & Deena had left Seaside Heights. Because of the channel's huge national appeal & reach, it has always had shows or seasons based in most locales all over America, as well as cast members from just about everywhere too. But something it hadn't done much is go into small-town America and do a docu-series featuring those who live outside of the big city metropolis and showcase Millennial life in a much different way than what many are used to.
With that in mind, in November 2011 MTV green-lit Buckwild, which, per its presser, "follows the colorful antics of a group of friends just out of high school in rural West Virginia. Whether they're working local jobs, studying in college or just getting by, they share a deep pride in contemporary small-town American life and a passion for living it to the fullest while making up their own rules as they go." And little did we know that, for a short time, this would become the buzz-show of not just MTV, but also all of television.
Airing in early 2013, Buckwild documented the lives of nine friends from West Virginia who are young, carefree and adventurous. Having known each other for years and like in other towns where gossip among residents can become the talk of the town, Shain, Shae, Anna, Joey, Ashley, Cara, Tyler, Katie and Salwa are all bonded by the pride they have of living in small-town America.
In finding new, unique and creative ways to create their own style of fun, they proudly live their lives loud and proud with no strings attached...no restrictions on what they can do. And aside from fun, romance and friendship, there's a bond they all have that stands at their core in having the kind of deep relationship they have with family and friends.
Airing in early 2013, Buckwild documented the lives of nine friends from West Virginia who are young, carefree and adventurous. Having known each other for years and like in other towns where gossip among residents can become the talk of the town, Shain, Shae, Anna, Joey, Ashley, Cara, Tyler, Katie and Salwa are all bonded by the pride they have of living in small-town America.
In finding new, unique and creative ways to create their own style of fun, they proudly live their lives loud and proud with no strings attached...no restrictions on what they can do. And aside from fun, romance and friendship, there's a bond they all have that stands at their core in having the kind of deep relationship they have with family and friends.
The cast included...
- Shain, the people person who everyone knows in Sissonville but as King once missed his own high school prom due to work.
- Shae, the Southern belle who's been chased after by every eligible bachelor in town but somehow the bad boy always ends up with her. A nursing student going to college, Shae's still a country girl.
- Anna, a true wild child who likes spending time with the group though she's from an upscale part of town but also deciding whether to go to work or stay in school, and not afraid to stand up for herself.
- Joey, Shain's best friend since childhood sharing traits in riding bikes and getting bumps & bruises. He's also the one with the Bieber haircut and a laid-back country attitude that can attract the ladies.
- Ashley, the wild & carefree one who's also a tomboy. She likes to get down and dirty than deal with drama, but sometimes start it too. Ash's the most tell it like it is and bravest in the group too.
- Cara, the newcomer from Morgantown and spending her fair share of clubbing & bar-hopping. She came to Sissonville by way of not wanting to deal with drama of an ex living within WVU.
- Tyler, the innocently good looking fella who's broken hearts all over town and working for dad on college break. The guys are on a mission of turning Tyler from pretty boy to country man.
- Katie, a well-rounded college girl who spends free time from school with friends in Sissonville. She's afraid of doing something dangerous, which gets the group to push her to her limits.
- and Salwa, the oldest of the group, recent college grad who lives with mom & dad and always takes advantage of party time when she can. She's also honest and loves to have a good time too.
- Shae, the Southern belle who's been chased after by every eligible bachelor in town but somehow the bad boy always ends up with her. A nursing student going to college, Shae's still a country girl.
- Anna, a true wild child who likes spending time with the group though she's from an upscale part of town but also deciding whether to go to work or stay in school, and not afraid to stand up for herself.
- Joey, Shain's best friend since childhood sharing traits in riding bikes and getting bumps & bruises. He's also the one with the Bieber haircut and a laid-back country attitude that can attract the ladies.
- Ashley, the wild & carefree one who's also a tomboy. She likes to get down and dirty than deal with drama, but sometimes start it too. Ash's the most tell it like it is and bravest in the group too.
- Cara, the newcomer from Morgantown and spending her fair share of clubbing & bar-hopping. She came to Sissonville by way of not wanting to deal with drama of an ex living within WVU.
- Tyler, the innocently good looking fella who's broken hearts all over town and working for dad on college break. The guys are on a mission of turning Tyler from pretty boy to country man.
- Katie, a well-rounded college girl who spends free time from school with friends in Sissonville. She's afraid of doing something dangerous, which gets the group to push her to her limits.
- and Salwa, the oldest of the group, recent college grad who lives with mom & dad and always takes advantage of party time when she can. She's also honest and loves to have a good time too.
During the season, we saw all of them have plenty of fun, such as them going muddling, putting together a pool out of a dump truck, building their own water park, going on a human slingshot, and of course going bull-riding. On the drama front, the girls threw a 1st-episode party to respond to neighbors' noise complaints and led to a fight with a feisty neighbor. There was another fight where an unwanted party guest led Tyler to go after him like a gentleman; a cheating scandal that led to Shae breaking up with her boyfriend and other things. And as far as romance goes, there was Tyler & Cara, Tyler & Katie, Cara & Shain, Cara & her ex-girlfriend, Shae & her ex Jesse J and Shae & Joey.
Of course by now, we should've had possibly a 3rd season of Buckwild airing. But one event put an sudden end to this ride when, on April 1st last year, Shain died after his Ford Bronco crashed and got stuck in the mud while in the wilderness. He and two others died of carbon monoxide poisoning when they couldn't get out of the truck fast enough. It was just after that accident that, in a decision that continues to be disputed even to this day, MTV decided to halt production and cancel the show out of respect for him and his family. Shain was 21 years old.
Having bought the DVD of Buckwild and talking socially with most of the cast during their short but sweet run, I had plenty of laughs with our friends in West Virginia. And of course, I'm one of those people who believed that they deserved more than one season; but then again one of the girls did pop up on Teen Mom over the summer as one of them is friends with one of the ladies.
SLEDNECKS
Now more than a year & a half later, with Buckwild still on our minds, we turn our attention back to the theme of Millennials having fun in a remote part of this broad country of ours, well outside of the hustle and bustle of the big city. But this time, we turn our attention from the Appalachian Mountains and make our way up north to the Last Frontier --- Alaska. And in the spirit of that great cast in WV, awaiting us is a new generation of fun-loving friends sure to make Thursday nights sizzle this fall.
Premiering tomorrow night with a special extended 90-minute premiere (similar to the past three seasons of The Challenge), Slednecks will follow in the playbook of delivering the fun-filled humor MTV viewers have become accustomed to at the end of the week, as well as the wild nature of the great outdoors set by Shain and co. For this new series from the producers of Buckwild, there's a beautiful setting and splendor that's matched by only a handful of places in North America. And for Jackie, Trevor, Kelly, Sierra, Amber, Zeke, Tosca, Dylan, Big Mike, Hali and Samantha, this is their home.
With Alaska's location in the uppermost part of North America and with a much-smaller population but, of course, larger size to that of the lower 48 states, there's a larger playground for the group to enjoy their outdoor activities than in the rugged mountainous terrain of the Appalachians, and of course they've got snow. There's Polar Bear plunges into the icy-cold water, airboating on the ice, parties on the glaciers, wakeboarding on the river and human catapulting, and that's only part of their repertoire. Like their predecessors down in Sissonville, there's lots of laughs of course, but also drama among the group as they pilot their way through the dramatic relationships and friendships during the time of their lives of being young.
When we got our first glimpse of Slednecks on VMA night, many fans were quick to judge this as a Buckwild revival, but I'm not one to judge. Given that my mom & dad went on a cruise to up to Alaska just a few years ago, I'm confident that this new show will carry on that tradition and allow me to enjoy a trip to the Land of the Midnight Sun. And since I'm not into other docu-shows that take place there (i.e. Alaska State Troopers, Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers), this will be my first Alaska-based TV trip up north too, save for when Road Rules II had their final mission there in '96.
For this group, it's slightly larger than the Buckwild bunch; there's 11 castmates - two more than in West Virginia, and they are fun.
- Jackie, an Inupiat Eskimo from a town north of the Arctic Circle, can take pride in her heritage and home state. This includes working in the mines, riding dirt bikes and sharing traditions with friends and family. Per the presser, "her genuine personality is always shining."
- Trevor is the resident jokester who doesn't take anything seriously. He's also refers to himself as a "Fungineer" who finds random junk, builds things out of them and makes something fun of it too. And sharing a trait of not staying out of trouble, he currently works at the airboat shop with...
- Kelly, who also happens to be Trevor's best friend. They help in pushing airboats and snowmobiles to its limit or building new & ridiculous contraptions to keep the group entertained. Like Sammi & Ronnie and Heather & Dustin, he also happens to have an on-again, off-again relationship with...
For this group, it's slightly larger than the Buckwild bunch; there's 11 castmates - two more than in West Virginia, and they are fun.
- Jackie, an Inupiat Eskimo from a town north of the Arctic Circle, can take pride in her heritage and home state. This includes working in the mines, riding dirt bikes and sharing traditions with friends and family. Per the presser, "her genuine personality is always shining."
- Trevor is the resident jokester who doesn't take anything seriously. He's also refers to himself as a "Fungineer" who finds random junk, builds things out of them and makes something fun of it too. And sharing a trait of not staying out of trouble, he currently works at the airboat shop with...
- Kelly, who also happens to be Trevor's best friend. They help in pushing airboats and snowmobiles to its limit or building new & ridiculous contraptions to keep the group entertained. Like Sammi & Ronnie and Heather & Dustin, he also happens to have an on-again, off-again relationship with...
- Sierra, who's flashy, outspoken and where drama always seems to follow her around. She's been in a tumultuous relationship with Kelly for a long time and they just can't seem to escape each other just as he continues to mess things up. She's also someone who can't help but get in anyone's business too.
- Amber is, compared to other Alaskan girls, different: loud, bubbly and feminine. An Anchorage native, she's moved to Wasilla to shack up with Jackie, Zeke & Trevor. Amber is also a voice of reason for the group as a reliable friend and mediating with any conflict that can arise within.
- Zeke is, as his mom calls him, "Adventure Zeke." He's a pure adrenaline enthusiast who can ride and fix just about anything he can get his hand on, spending spare time perfecting tricks on the wake board, ice driving, jumping snow machines and dirt biking. If you love action sports, you'll dig Zeke.
- Tosca is that easygoing "tomboy" who also has a reputation of breaking hearts in Wasilla. A fashionista with tattoos, she's close with her military dad and working to be in a funeral home. She's also the resident skeet shooter in the group who can even outclass most of the guys in town.
- Dylan, aka "El Tornado," is the resident dancer of this group and he also contributes his fair share of laughs. Deep inside his fun, down-to-earth attitude and great moves on the dance floor is that good family guy who supports, with great pride, his mom and siblings.
- Big Mike is what his nickname tells you: he's 6'5" and 300 lbs., and as the presser states, "a big teddy bear with a heart of gold." He takes pride in the 49th state as a 'pure bred Alaskan' and also is a good friend to the girls, he's also the one with that shoulder to lean on.
- Hali is the group's "straight shooter" and, with her honesty & straight-forwardness, isn't afraid to say what's on her mind. As Sierra's BFF, she can't help but get involved in other people's business and usually stirs the pot. If you loved Jamie on Real World Ex-Plosion, you'll love Hali on Slednecks.
- Zeke is, as his mom calls him, "Adventure Zeke." He's a pure adrenaline enthusiast who can ride and fix just about anything he can get his hand on, spending spare time perfecting tricks on the wake board, ice driving, jumping snow machines and dirt biking. If you love action sports, you'll dig Zeke.
- Tosca is that easygoing "tomboy" who also has a reputation of breaking hearts in Wasilla. A fashionista with tattoos, she's close with her military dad and working to be in a funeral home. She's also the resident skeet shooter in the group who can even outclass most of the guys in town.
- Dylan, aka "El Tornado," is the resident dancer of this group and he also contributes his fair share of laughs. Deep inside his fun, down-to-earth attitude and great moves on the dance floor is that good family guy who supports, with great pride, his mom and siblings.
- Big Mike is what his nickname tells you: he's 6'5" and 300 lbs., and as the presser states, "a big teddy bear with a heart of gold." He takes pride in the 49th state as a 'pure bred Alaskan' and also is a good friend to the girls, he's also the one with that shoulder to lean on.
- Hali is the group's "straight shooter" and, with her honesty & straight-forwardness, isn't afraid to say what's on her mind. As Sierra's BFF, she can't help but get involved in other people's business and usually stirs the pot. If you loved Jamie on Real World Ex-Plosion, you'll love Hali on Slednecks.
- And Samantha, who's the youngest member of the group at 19 (everyone else is in their 20s) and still finding her way in the clique, but she's self-confident & craves attention. Close friends with Zeke for some time, she's a part-time house keeper to help with the bills.
And then, there's the town that is both their playground and their home. Wasilla is the 6th largest city in Alaska (Anchorage, state capital of Fairbanks, Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan are larger) with a population of 7,831, and though it's classified in the presser & promos as a rural town, it's part of the larger Anchorage metropolitan area that has nearly 400,000 living within its limits. For many years from 1973 until the town's 2000's expansion, the famed Iditarod Sled Dog Race began there.
And who is Wasilla's most well-known person? It's a big one to say the least: after serving as a part-time sportscaster for NBC affiliate KTUU-TV post-college and then serving on its city council, in 1996 Sarah Palin became the town's mayor for six years before being elected Governor of Alaska, and well before she became known to all of us as Sen. John McCain's vice-presidential running mate in the 2008 election. Of course, we know about daughter Bristol, two-time participant on Dancing with the Stars, but Palin's family also includes husband Todd - a professional snowboarder.
We all know how much we miss watching Buckwild, as well as Jersey Shore too. But if there's a group who can make the end of the work week feel...well, fun, then this is the group who will fill that void very well. Like the 16 other MTV casts I've gotten to know since joining the twitter world two years ago, I've already become good social media friends with the Slednecks clique, with some of the group following me.
And unfortunately, just as it was for Buckwild, there's also been a considerable amount of hate directed towards the cast by twitter users claiming this show is casting a negative light on Alaska just before it premieres tomorrow. For me, as someone who always maintains a positive outlook on things and supports everyone in Team MTV, I've already told the group to not let the negativity get you down and stay positive.
Whether you like the show or not, for me I can't wait for Slednecks to premiere tomorrow night. And after spending a couple years watching plenty of drama, plenty of great stories and all including great people, tomorrow I'll have a chance to do what I haven't done much since the first part of last year: to relax and have lots of laughs. Jackie, Trevor, Kelly, Sierra, Amber, Zeke, Tosca, Dylan, Big Mike, Hali and Samantha...bring on the fun!
Be sure to bookmark DCBLOG as we cover All Things MTV and everything entertainment, sports, pop culture and beyond. Aside from Slednecks, our principal focus right now is on Season 2 of Are You The One? from Puerto Rico. DCB's wall-to-wall coverage includes our signature DC SocialPulse posts offering exclusive blow-by-blow diaries from twitter world of the show's big moments as seen by the season 2 cast, the season 1 originals and fans. And the diary for this week's roller-coaster episode will be posted tomorrow afternoon.
Soon, we'll be kicking off the countdown to Season 30 of The Real World as RW Skeletons takes flight from Chicago with retrospective posts leading up to the Dec. 16 premiere. And if the twitter interaction to this season is good enough, I'll be adding DCSP diaries for Slednecks as well.
And tonight, join me on my dedicated live twitter handle, DCNOW at @DC408DxNow for Game 7 of the World Series as the team of destiny, the Royals, and the team of dynasty, the Giants, play in sports' ultimate scenario: a one-game showdown and a title on the line - it doesn't get any better than that. Of course, live tweets of Slednecks comes your way tomorrow along with AYTO on Monday. And also follow my regular Twitter & Instagram hubs at @DC408Dxtr.
So, once again, we're looking forward to watching Slednecks premiering tomorrow night, and send best wishes and positive vibes to Jackie, Trevor, Kelly, Sierra, Amber, Zeke, Tosca, Dylan, Big Mike, Hali and Samantha. Get some sleep tonight you all, tomorrow will feel like Christmas and hope you're ready the biggest day of your lives. For now, thanks for reading and see you then.
- I AM DC
