Shain Gandee Fired From Sanitation Job; Recently Got A Cell Phone & Joined Twitter
January 8, 2013 by Hollywoodite
Shain Gandee is one of the stand outs of Buckwild after its first and second episodes that premiered to 2.4 million and 2.5 million viewers respectively. He has an accent so thick it needs subtitles in places and he’s got nicknames like “Gandee Candy” and “Redneck Macgyver.”
According to several reports, the show was filmed between April 2012 and May 2012 although re-shoots dragged on for weeks thereafter. Gandee was reportedly fired from his sanitation job before Buckwild even started filming, but he’s portrayed as “slinging trash” on the show anyway because it fits the “redneck” archetype.
The Charleston Gazette spoke to South Charleston Mayor Frank Mullens, who said Gandee’s termination from the city’s public works department was not related to Buckwild.
Mullens declined to elaborate on why the 21-year-old was fired, saying only “He was dismissed for violating the personnel policy.”
The Charleston Daily Mail spoke to the South Charleston director of public works, Gerald Burgy.
Burgy estimated that Gandee, who was a “good kid” and a ”laborer with the city’s refuse department,” was fired from his job in “November 2011″ after “about two years” in their employ because “He (Gandee) voided the personnel policy.” Burgy wouldn’t say what policy violation got Gandee fired. Although Burgy did praise his Gandee, saying: “He was a hardworking kid that came to work every day. He was a fun-loving kid… It’s never easy to let anyone go.”
Burgy explains further, MTV asked him to sign a release allowing them to film the city’s garbage trucks but he declined. The trucks were on a public road and were filmed by MTV anyway. About which Burgy only found out by watching the premiere.
Gandee makes a point of mentioning his “job” as a garbage collector on the show. Which is probably why less than 10 minutes ago Gandee tweeted “slinging trash is rough”… even though the Charleston Gazette and the Charleston Daily Mail both reported his firing hours ago and even though he was reportedly fired from his job in 2011.
Speaking of which, he’s one of the last cast members to join Twitter (he appears to have sisters on Twitter already).
Also in the first episode, Gandee talks about not having Facebook and “none of that Internet stuff” despite being on MySpace as recently as 2012. Gandee’s Twitter bio says: “They call me Gandee Candy Tune into MTV Thursdays 10/9c #Buckwild. I recently got a cellphone!! So i now have a Twatter” and he shared these photos.
