'Siesta Key' Coming Back After Horrifying Shark Dragging Scandal
Jan. 11 2018, Updated 7:37 p.m. ET
Siesta Key is coming back for a second season following a scandal where a friend of one of the cast members, Alex Kompothecras, was filmed dragging a shark to its death. Click through for details about how they're moving on from the controversy.
“It’s unfortunate that we got dragged into that situation, but we move forward,” cast member Brandon Gomes told People. “That’s nothing that’s on our mind right now. We had nothing to do with that.”
Last August, the Siesta Key premiere party was cancelled because Alex had received death threats.
Alex has said that he was "embarrassed" by some photos of him disrespecting wildlife, for instance in one image he's force-feeding a fish beer, but that he wasn't involved with the shark video. “I’ve made my share of bad decisions and I feel horrible, but all I can say is that I would not make those decisions again. I was being stupid, but I’ve grown from that," he said. "It’s an eye-opener for me because it’s made me think long and hard about things I’ve done, and I’ve learned from that. This has all been a shocking experience.”
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“I’ve been getting DMs from people telling me they hope all of us commit suicide,” Gomes told People in August. “I’ve known Alex for almost half my life and it’s totally unfair that he’s being slammed for something he had nothing to do it.”
As the cast looks forward to season 2, they're going to be extra careful on social media. “We don’t want to offend anyone, we watch what we say," cast member Juliette Porter said. "People get offended easily these days, so you have to watch what you say all the time.”
What do you think about the shark video scandal? Let us know in the comments.