Some of the best shows on TV come from the Discovery and History Channels. We’re talking about Pawn Stars, Naked and Afraid, American Pickers, Alaskan Bush People, Monster Garage, and Swamp People, to name a few. And while these reality TV shows have captivated our attention, you won’t believe some of the scandals revolving around their cast and crew.
Image by Leftfield/History Channel/Kobal/Shutterstock (5883729n); Screenshot from "Eaten Alive"
Not only are the scandals shocking, but they’ve resulted in cancelations and cast changes. You won’t believe these secrets from some of your favorite shows!
Alaskan Bush People Don’t Live in Alaska
Alaskan Bush People is entertaining, but after following the Brown family for years, fans started wondering whether the show was real or scripted. This was heightened after Bam Bam and Billy pled guilty to charges of second-degree falsification for claiming to be residents of Alaska, even though they were living elsewhere in 2015.
Screenshot from "Alaskan Bush People"
As an incentive to stay in Alaska, full-time residents are given money from the Alaskan Permanent Fund Division. They were sentenced to a month in jail and they had to pay thousands in fines and restitution, according to Juneau Empire.
Richard Didn’t Have a License to Sell Guns
When a series centers around a family of gun makers who run the Gunspoke Guns and the patriarch of the family, Richard Wyatt, doesn’t actually have a permit to sell guns, it’s not a good thing. But in this case, it came out after the show was canceled.
Screenshot from "American Guns"
In 2012, Wyatt lost his Federal Firearms License due to breaching federal regulations and laws, but he continued selling firearms by conspiring with other gun dealers. To keep his business going, he had customers buy them at Gunspoke and then pick up their weapons at other stores, as The Denver Post reported.
Richard Wyatt Didn’t Report $1.1 Million in Income
And that’s not the only legal trouble American Guns’ Richard Wyatt has been in. In 2017, the Discovery Channel reality TV star was convicted by a federal jury on 10 felony counts related to conspiracy, fraud, and tax evasion.
Screenshot from Denver 7News
According to The Denver Post, Wyatt was sentenced to 78 months in prison for conspiracy, dealing firearms without a license, and failing to report $1.1 million in income to the IRS.
“American Guns” Had Criminal Clients
If illegally selling guns and tax evasions wasn’t enough, American Guns was also under fire for contributing to the sale of stolen firearms. During the finale of the first season, a man named Wylie Newton had a stolen 1849 .44-caliber Colt Dragoon appraised on the show that was worth $40,000.
Screenshot from "American Guns"
It turns out the gun was stolen from a gun museum in New Mexico, as Fox31 Denver reported! Newton almost got away with it, until the man who the gun was stolen from was watching TV, recognized the firearm, and contacted the police.
Hayden Family Was Arrested
Another show that revolves around a family selling firearms, Sons of Guns abruptly came to an end in 2014 after charges were brought against Will Hayden. But that wasn’t the only arrest in the family—after the show was canceled, charges were filed against Stephanie Hayden-Ford and Kris Ford.
Image via Imgur
US Weekly claimed, the Sons of Guns stars were arrested for allegedly hitting Hayden’s 9-year-old son. Ford was accused of striking the boy and Hayden was taken into custody for being present during the incident.
“Sons of Guns” Producers Caused Security Scare
Not long after the show’s first season premiered, two members of the Sons of Guns production team caused a security scare at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after parking a rental truck loaded with pyrotechnics and firearms outside one of the terminals and leaving it unattended.
Screenshot from "Sons of Guns"
As NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported, they were searching for a third member of their group. Who leaves a truck loaded with explosives and guns unattended outside of an airport? Of course, authorities got involved.