Why do moonshiners go on tv

Making moonshine remains illegal in the US federal law states you can produce beer and wine for private consumption without a permit, but not spirits. So how can the stars of Moonshiners break the law on national TV and stay out of jail? Well, according to local law enforcement, it's because Moonshiners is about as real as Teen Wolf.

An exasperated Alcoholic Beverage Control spokeswoman informed the Associated Press that the show only features dramatizations of moonshining, adding that "if illegal activity was actually taking place, the Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement would have taken action. Their finest work is unquestionably King of Thrones , a show that can only be described as " Pimp My Ride for toilets.

Unfortunately, Magilla's shows have been repeatedly accused of misleading viewers. For example, an episode of Lakefront Bargain Hunt depicts an interior decorator named Robin Corbeil choosing between three different houses. In reality, Corbeil bought the "winning" home almost two years before the show taped. The same thing happens on Beachfront Bargain Hunt , with the bonus that producers often temporarily decorate the houses before featuring them on the show. The show Southie Rules was widely panned for being obviously scripted, while the less said about Long Island Medium , the better.

In other words, Magilla may not be the gold standard for keeping the "reality" in reality TV, or even the cubic zirconium standard. The first season of Moonshiners featured special agent Jesse Tate of the Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Bureau, although attentive viewers noted that he never interacted with the titular moonshiners, or gave any indication he was aware of that aspect of the show.

Sure enough, the furious Bureau later claimed the producers had lied about the kind of program they were making. In a statement, the Bureau insisted that it had "agreed to participate in an informative piece that documents the history of moonshine and moonshine investigations in Virginia. Jesse Tate, for reasons so obvious we'd be insulting your intelligence if we mentioned them here, did not reappear in season 2. When it comes to depicting real crimes, reality show producers have to walk a fine line.

Under US law, witnesses to a crime aren't actually obligated to stop it from happening. However, if a show deliberately puts people at risk, then it could be liable to legal action.

One man settled out of court after he was hit in the face with a shoe during a fight on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. His lawyer claimed that the fight was staged, and that the producers should have taken precautions to ensure bystanders weren't maimed by flying stilettos.

The show, which follows a group of individuals in the deep woods of Appalachia who go to extreme lengths to manufacture craft whiskey, is technically capturing an illegal activity and broadcasting it to millions of people — which has people wondering how the stars haven't been caught by police yet. If these guys are scared to get arrested why would you go on a TV reality show. Kind of. Yes, cameras are capturing moonshiners, but it's not as illegal as you think. Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control spokeswoman Kathleen Shaw responded to concern from residents about the illegal production of alcohol, and reassured everyone that the state has the situation under control by hinting the show is not as authentic as it seems.

Also, it is totally possible for the cast to obtain permits to manufacture their product — like star Tim Smith did. He now sells his "Climax" brand moonshine in stores nationwide. If you ask Tim and Steven Ray Tickle from the series, it's all about not getting caught. After viewers kept asking why the state was allowing a crime to take place, Virginia said that the show was not actually portraying illegal moonshine, but was actually just a dramatization.

Cast members of the show continue to say the opposite, though. Tim learned that quickly once viewers realized what he did during the day. Most people think of firemen as upstanding members of society, so some viewers had issues with Tim going from one on-the-level job to operating something that was potentially harmful. Viewers who have been with the show since the first season probably remember the occasional clip of Popcorn Sutton. Sutton was one of the most famous moonshiners, so famous, in fact, that he even had a few documentaries made about him.

One of them won an Emmy. Sutton was lucky enough to mostly evade the law for decades, until he told an undercover officer that he had over nine hundred gallons of illegal moonshine that he was ready to sell. He was charged with illegally distilling spirits shocker and possession of a handgun as a felon.

Sutton pled guilty and was sentenced to eighteen months in prison the following January. As long-time viewers of the show know, Tim no longer has to hide his moonshining. He is now proudly able to sell his moonshine legally, which he helps will aid him in his effort to preserve the traditions and culture surrounding moonshine.

As Tim was starting up his distillery, rumors flew that the Virginia ABC almost denied him a license to produce moonshine legally. Stephen Tickle, a fan favorite on the show, also admitted that he considered going into politics -- long before Donald Trump ever threw his hat into the ring for president. Back in , Tickle said in an interview with a local paper that he was considering running for a state office in southern Virginia.

He realized that the show was giving him a larger platform and wanted to use that to make a positive change. This was a pretty honorable goal. He never did get around to it, though, since there were a variety of things that got in his way.

More on that later. The report says that he drove his vehicle into a crowd, after which the officer made him take a field sobriety test His attorney was able to help him walk away with just a fine and court costs.

Before he was a moonshiner, Josh Owens used to be a professional motorbike and motocross racer. He still rides his motorcycle on the show with his dog, Cutie Pie. Viewers might like Cutie Pie better than they like Josh, honestly. He still loves motorcycles, and he was coming back from a motorcycle rally last August when he discovered that his trailer had caught on fire.

The producers had the same thought, so the show was actually supposed to be about legal moonshine production.