Buckwild, beer-guzzling reality star Shain Gandee has experienced a reality
check himself this week. Unfortunately it's not a lesson the young man can put
to any good use now, as it also cost him his life.
Sadly, two companions perished alongside the notoriously reckless
21-year-old, in one final act of drunken stupidity that can only be viewed as
the fulfillment of a full-blown death wish or Darwinian destiny.
Gandee, his uncle and a friend are said to have all slowly asphyxiated when
a truck they were ramming across off-road terrain sunk to its doors in a mud
pit, inadvertently blocking the tailpipe and filling the vehicle's passenger
space with deadly carbon monoxide fumes.
The doomed trio had been seen pounding down alcohol in a local bar until
three in the morning before heading off to the backcountry for what would prove
to be their last joyride together.
Obviously, their judgment and reaction time in such a catastrophic event was
gravely impaired through intoxication.
Told you so
Critics have routinely slammed the popular MTV show 'Buckwild' which launched
the now-dead youth to fame by capitalizing on the hipster hick's
drinking and dangerous exploits.
Many have been concerned that the show not only encouraged Gandee and his
friends to engage in a risky lifestyle that included drugs and lawlessness,
but also negatively portrayed citizens of rural West Virginia in general.
The state's democratic senator, Joe Manchin, in fact was so offended by the
series he demanded it be terminated, calling it "repulsive" and a
"travesty" which "plays to ugly, inaccurate stereotypes."
Buckwild's promoters and fans alike shrugged off that criticism though, and
the show's producers were in the process of filming a second season this year
when the totally predictable predictably occurred.
In a sudden and self-conscious move, production and the show itself was then
promptly canceled yesterday on the news that its star cast member had finally
done himself in.
For the record then: mud, booze, carbon monoxide and sheer lunacy is not
entertainment. It's a highly toxic mix.
Don't try this at home
Reporters have been pressing West Virginian authorities for details of the
Gandee crime scene, particularly for descriptions of what condition the bodies were
found in that would so quickly convince investigators no foul play was involved
and that the deaths were indeed due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
But since the coroner just confirmed that's how the men met their demise, then it wouldn't
have posed too big a mystery for first responders either: Swollen tongues, bloodshot
eyes, blue lips, pink frothing, bright red cheeks—asphyxiation by this method
is fairly easy to gauge, even without autopsies.
It would also be relatively fast considering the small enclosure the three
were confined in, and, even sober, they likely wouldn't have been aware that
the truck's cabin was filling up with the killer gas because it has no odor or
taste.
Of course, if they hadn't been so blasted, then they would've realized the
potential hazard existed and merely rolled the windows down to prevent it.
As to which of the deceased men was actually found in the driver's seat. It
was Shain Gandee who commandeered their coffin on wheels.
After two long months, Carl Austin Travis has finally been found. 
