Reality TV Tragedies: The Saddest and Most Shocking Deaths
Fans grow to know and love reality TV stars as real people, not as characters — which makes the loss hit even harder.
In recent years, stars from The Deadliest Catch, The Real World, Survivor, The Real Housewives, Buckwild, and The Bachelorette have died suddenly and tragically.
In some cases, the production of the show is massively impacted. In April 2013, MTV hit pause on the production of Buckwild, a reality series that followed nine young adults in West Virginia, after the death of star Shain Gandee.
The reality star, along with his uncle and friend, were found dead after an off-roading accident. Gandee was 21 years old. According to the West Virginia Sheriff’s Department, the group died of carbon monoxide poisoning when the vehicle got stuck in the mud.
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The show was canceled one week following the death, and the first part of season 2 was never aired.
Scroll through the gallery below for more heartbreaking reality TV tragedies:
Married at First Sight New Zealand star Andrew Jury Death
Married at First Sight New Zealand star Andrew Jury died while awaiting charges in jail. He was 33.
Jury, who appeared on MAFS New Zealand in 2017, was found dead at Auckland, New Zealand’s Mt. Eden Corrections Facility on June 27, 2024, just hours before he was scheduled to appear in court on charges including “assault with intent to injure, willful damage and possession of an offensive weapon,” according to Deadline. No cause of death has been revealed.
Jury’s father, Ron, told the New Zealand Herald that his son was “struggling” in jail after his April 2 arrest.
The 16 and Pregnant alum died in February 2024 after an ATV accident. He was 20.
His mom, Mary Hobbs, confirmed his death to The Sun.
She revealed she “was with him” when the ATV accident occurred, saying that it crushed his skull and led to his death.
“He was just moving [the ATV] from one parking spot to the next for me, so I could back into park,” she told the outlet. “He pulled [in] front of me to park the ATV and the ground gave way from all the rain and mud.”
After the ATV flipped over and fell on her son, Hobbs said she “ran to neighbors trying to get someone to help me get the ATV off of him. No one answered. I ran back to him. By that time, I realized he wasn’t alive anymore.”
My 600 Lb Life Star Larry Mr Buttermilk Biscuits Myers Jr Dead Days After 49th Birthday
Larry ‘Mr. Buttermilk Biscuits’ Myers Jr.
The My 600-Lb. Life star, who appeared on a 2022 episode, died in June 2023 at age 49.
‘Girls Incarcerated’ Star Aubrey Wilson Dies at Age 22 After Struggle With Substance Abuse
Aubrey Wilson
The Indiana native, who appeared on season 1 of Netflix’s Girls Incarcerated, died on September 30, 2022, at age 22. Her grandmother Robin Waters confirmed the news 10 days after her death, telling In Touch in a statement: “We are devastated. I am a private person, but this is a little different. I want all the people who loved her to find some comfort in the fact that she is at peace. And maybe it could help someone else who is in that position.” Waters noted that her granddaughter’s cause of death was believed to be a fentanyl or heroin overdose.
‘My 600-Lb. Life’ Star Gina Krasley Dead at 30
The My 600-Lb. Life star, who appeared on a 2020 episode, died at her New Jersey home in August 2021 at age 30. “TLC was deeply saddened by the loss of Gina Krasley, who shared her weight-loss journey on My 600lb Life,” the network tweeted at the time. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this difficult time.”
