Though the cast of CMT's Party Down South has been largely unwelcome in Athens, Ga. while they film their second season, it could be too late for city residents to get the cast evicted.

Athens Mayor 'Terribly Disappointed' Show is Filming There?

According to Red and Black.com, the growing film scene in the city keeps the cast there despite the negative image many feel they are portraying. The city is considered a "Camera-Ready Community," meaning it is usually welcoming to camera and production crews, and imposing new restrictions to kick out the cast of CMT's reality show could have a negative impact when future projects consider filming in the city.

The show was initially supposed to film its second season in Pensacola, Fla., but met a strong resistance from the community.

'Party Down South' Cast Being Kicked Out of Bars?

The cast has been receiving an unfavorable welcome thus far, and despite being in Athens to party and drink in front of the cameras, they have been finding themselves kicked out of several bars before they can even begin filming.

"They were actually really nice," Trevor Whiteman, the assistant manager of the Boars Head Lounge said April 10. "They were just looking for people to be friendly with them. A lot of people don't like them, so they were getting kicked out of a lot of different bars before they could even get in them. So they were just happy to be here, and they spent a lot of money, so there was that."

While at the Boar's Head, Whiteman said, the cast got so drunk that the women on the show had to be carried out by CMT bouncers.

"Every girl that's on the show was carried out by a bouncer, unconscious. They were out, laying in a booth, asleep," Whiteman said.

The show has been decried by the city's mayor, who expressed disappointment that CMT was filming the series there.

"I'm terribly disappointed that this is being filmed in our community," Mayor Nancy Denson said earlier in April. "There's so much promise in that (TV) technology...(but) we've sunk to the lowest level. It makes me worry about our society."

Though the city of Athens is worried about what rejecting the show could do to the film business, rejecting the show has appeared beneficial to Pensacola, which has seen its filming business boom ever since.

The premise of season one saw eight young Southerners moving into a Murrells Inlet, S.C. vacation home to party and live together for one summer. It stars 31-year-old Josh Murray from Louise, Miss., 28-year-old Lyle Boudreaux from Lafayette, La., 33-year-old Ryan 'Daddy' Richards from Orange Beach, Ala., 26-year-old Walt Windham from Frankfort, Ky., 21-year-old Lauren Wright from Pineville, La,., 24-year-old Mattie Breaux from Gheens, La., 23-year-old Taylor 'Lil Bit' Wright from Rockingham, N.C., and 25-year-old Tiffany Heinen from Eunice, La.

Season 2 begins airing Thursday, June 5, and a special preview of the new season will air right after the CMT Music Awards on June 4.

Tags
Party Down South, CMT, Reality TV