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‘Alaskan Bush People’ Canceled? Season 5 Fate Questioned After Billy Brown’s Sentencing

By Effie Orfanides
Published on: 01:41 PST, Jan 14, 2016

Will Alaskan Bush People be canceled?

The popular show’s fate is being questioned after a few of its cast members were sentenced to jail after agreeing to a plea deal in a fraud case. According to Radar Online, Billy Brown and his second oldest son, Joshua “Bam Bam” Brown, 31, will be spending 30 days behind bars after they both pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.

While some suspected the Discovery Channel would can the show, its popularity apparently outweighs the Browns’ legal issues, and execs have decided to keep the series on the air.

“The series will be returning,” said a spokesperson for Discovery, giving few details about what will come next.

Alaskan Bush People star Billy Brown, 63, has spoken out about his jail sentence. According to ABC News, Billy and Joshua Brown both pleaded guilty to “lying and applying for funds they weren’t qualified for.” Below is what Brown had to say about the consequences he is facing (the Brown family will also be required to pay $21,000 in restitution).

“Alaska’s dividend program has specific requirements for the length of time in the state, and the reasons for being out of Alaska. Because of the way we live our lives and the way we often unconventionally travel, I didn’t keep good track of our movements. I accept full responsibility for filing for benefits without confirming that we met the requirements. We are committed to living in Alaska for the long term and we respect the state’s rules. I thought it best to settle to put this behind us.”

Alaskan Bush People is a reality-documentary series that follows the lives of Billy Brown, his wife Ami, and their seven grown children, who live day to day being segregated from the rest of the world. According to IMDb, Billy Brown is a “naturalist” and an “adventurer” who prides himself (and his family) for being “self-sufficient against all odds.” Their story is actually quite interesting.

The Brown’s explore the land they live on, making do with very little, and are just fine living a very basic life — at one (and at peace) with nature.

“They refer to themselves as a ‘wolf pack’ and, perhaps due to isolation, have their own accent and dialect. The Browns live in the Copper River Valley, where temperatures can drop to 60 degrees below zero, and the family recently relocated and built a cabin there because, they say, their former home of many years was seized and burned down for being in the wrong location on public land.”

As you can probably imagine, many people are simply fascinated by the show, which makes other shows (like Duck Dynasty, for example) seem boring. The Browns spend most of the year in isolation and rarely communicate with people in the “outside world.” Their lives, though strange to many, are simple, making those who live in a technology-driven environment curious. It is an easy show to become addicted to because of how drastic the Browns’ lifestyles are.

Alaskan Bush People Season 5 has not received a release date, and it is unclear if the show has already started filming at this time. Since Billy and Josh will only be in jail for 30 days, filming likely won’t even be affected.

Do you watch Alaskan Bush People? Do you think Discovery should have canceled the show after Billy and Josh Brown’s jail sentencing? Are you surprised that Billy and Josh got in such trouble given the nature of their lifestyles?

[Image via the Discovery Channel]

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