Monday, Dec. 10, 2012

Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is asking MTV to cancel its upcoming reality show, Buckwild, which many are describing as Jersey Shore in West Virginia. In fact, Buckwild will debut in Jersey Shore's old time slot on January 3rd, with the adventures of Snooki, Situation, and the rest of the Shore gang ending its run after six seasons. Buckwild is set in the state capital of Charleston and nearby Sissonville, and is described on MTV's website as, quote, "an authentic comedic series following an outrageous group of childhood friends from the rural foothills of West Virginia."

The criticism is based on trailers and sneak peeks, which show the cast doing things like mud wrestling, swimming in the bed of a dump truck and shooting at a melon. In a letter to MTV, Manchin, who's also a former governor of the state, asks that they reconsider airing the show, writing, "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." He said the show, quote, "plays to ugly, inaccurate stereotypes about the people of West Virginia." Manchin is unlikely to have much success, however. Jersey Shore drew similar criticism from Italian-American groups before it aired and after its debut, and from others as its run continued, including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who said it, quote, "does nothing more than perpetuate misconceptions about the state and its citizens."