Reports that “Alaskan Bush People” has been renewed and that the Brown family will return to television for a season 6 in November have many fans excited and critics looking forward to being able to scrutinize something. While fans and critics might disagree about the Brown family and how their life in the Alaskan wilderness is being represented on television, supporters and opponents of “Alaskan Bush People” agree that "Discovery Channel" needs to do something for viewers – not rob them of their money.
The new scandal
In contrast to the scandal surrounding Billy Brown and his sons deceiving the state of Alaska about being full-time residents and receiving money for Alaska’s oil pipeline, the Brown family has not done anything to prompt fans to send money to them.
Neither Billy Brown, his wife Ami, nor their seven children have asked any fans for money.
As evident on numerous social media sites, the Brown children – including Matt Brown, Joshua “Bam Bam” Brown (who just turned 32), Bear, 28, Gabe 25, Noah, 23, Snowbird, 21, and 12-year-old daughter Rain – love their fans and are more than happy to share what is going on in their lives apart from the reality television show. From Matt Brown’s heartbreaking decision to face his drinking problem to Joshua’s exciting trip to New York City, social media sites are filled with photos of the Brown kids posing with fans.
However, "Discovery Channel’s" description of the Brown family on the “Alaskan Bush People” main Facebook page and its television show info section is misleading viewers.
“Deep in the Alaskan wilderness lives a newly discovered family who was born and raised wild.”
As reported by "Movie News Guide," kindhearted fans of the Brown family allegedly living in poverty in the Alaskan wilderness love the family so much that they are sending money to them.
What’s fake and what’s real about the Brown family?
Yes, Matt Brown and Joshua Brown grew up in the Alaskan wilderness after their family moved from Texas to Alaska. Matt, then 3, and Joshua, then 1, grew up away from most of civilization while their parents, Billy and Ami Brown, tried to make a living in the Alaskan outback.
Billy Brown, the family’s patriarch, actually grew up in an affluent family in Texas until his parents and his sister died in a private plane crash. Orphaned at the age of 16, Billy later tried to make a living as a plumber in Texas, but after meeting Ami and finding out that a nine to five job wasn’t quite his nature, the young family took off to Alaska.
Billy, Ami, and their two young sons struggled to survive in the Alaskan wilderness.“After we realized we weren't going to die, we fell in love with everything," wrote Billy about his early years in the Alaskan outback. The Brown family’s love for Alaska’s amazing bush life and the love and support among the family members is all too real – and fans can feel that reality.
Do fans need to support the Brown family?
"Discovery Channe"l approached Billy Brown about turning his family’s Alaskan wilderness life into a reality television show after Billy had self-published his book “One Wave at a Time” in 2007. The Brown family’s reality television show about their life in the Alaskan outback began airing in 2014 and it has captured the love of millions of viewers from around the world.
Of course, in keeping with the show’s theme of the Brown family’s survival in the Alaskan wilderness, the network does not want to promote that Billy Brown has an estimated worth of $500,000 and that his children are well compensated for appearing on a reality television.
Those kindhearted fans sending money to the Alaskan bush family feel that they are making a difference in a poor family’s life.
However, more informed fans and critics agree that "Discovery Channel" should take action and reveal a bit more about the truth behind the Brown family -- no matter how heartbreaking that reality might be.
