Will Discovery Channel Cancel Storm Chasers Show? 1.30.2012

The overly dramatic storm chasing series may have finally worn out its welcome. Several sources have suggested that the show will not continue filming this year. We have some more information on why the show may have been cancelled. Don't worry, it may be back with some changes, and if not on Discovery, possibly somewhere else? Be sure to also check out our weather section for the latest severe weather information, great for storm chasers, and concerned homeowners.

Storm Chasers originally started on Discovery Channel in late 2007 centered around the idea of filming a few people who spend May and June storm chasing. Most notably, there were a few main personalities the show ended up focusing on including Joshua Wurman, a science researcher dealing with mobile Doppler weather radar, Sean Casey, an IMAX film maker, and Reed Timmer, a graduate student who was studying meteorology while following his hobby of storm chasing. Viewers took note as the show followed these three people on their quest to find tornadoes. Since beginning, the show picked up a following, especially amongst people that find storm chasing to be exciting to watch in high definition. But why would the show get cancelled? Note that the crew also had issues with each other that even the producers couldn't dismiss including production decisions.

At some points, the show became confusing with an evident conflict between the scientists and amateurs. Supposedly, the scientists were in it to conduct legitimate research and were obviously higher trained and more knowledgeable on meteorology, especially at the graduate collegiate level. While viewers saw Wurman discussing his research, they also saw Casey fighting to get the best video of a tornado at any cost. It's interesting to see how long the show lasted given the two obviously contrasting goals of the participants. The conflict just added to the drama.

Some fans of the show ended up taking sides. One group of people hated Casey since "he's only in it for the money and getting a tornado on video, acting disrespectful, and not regarding others." At the same time, another group hated Josh, even calling him childish at some points. The discussion is running wild on forums all over the internet. Even the Discovery Forums [example thread] are full of dislike for Casey.

Overly Dramatic Series
Search the forums online and you will see people point out the over-the-top dramatic theme the show took. One particular personality that emphasized ridiculous drama, and is well known for over-the-top reactions is Reed Timmer. Viewers can find his videos all over the internet where he screams and yells, some would say a totally unnecessary addition to the show. It did make for good television since the show tried to capture the crew being dramatic whether it was screaming, yelling, or in conflict with each other.

Negative Publicity
The show not only made drama, but raised some serious storm chasing issues. First, the show with the behavior of Timmer, seemed to spotlight all storm chasers as thrill-crazed overly dramatic people. In fact, since 2007, there has been a huge explosion of amateur storm chasers who have seriously impacted travel in many Midwest states. The popularity of storm chasing can be seen each season with crowds of people grabbing video cameras, piling in cars, and causing huge traffic jams wherever they gather. This was not a major issue in the 1990's as the hobby and scientific storm chasing communities didn't have as much media attention back then. Today, anyone with a camera who is in a car during a tornado is called a storm chaser by the media. Unfortunately, the personalities shown on the Discovery series have received negative publicity all over the internet from questionable driving techniques, blocking roadways, speeding, not wearing seatbelts, to just about everything else.

There have been videos on YouTube showing personalities essentially disrespecting people and property after they experienced a disaster. Regardless of where one stand's on these issues, when people are raised to the level of being on a television show, they really have to be on their best behavior because (unfortunately) the media and average viewer really get their impressions from this exposure.

Science Community Concerns
The academic community had mixed reactions to the show. Approaching the storm chasing idea from a scholarly direction, storm chasing is a good activity for meteorologists because it allows them to interact directly with the atmosphere using tools in the field, observing, and actually witnessing atmospheric activity, rather than just seeing it on video or in pictures. There has been some concern over Wurman's research and whether there has been any recent tangible progress scientifically, specifically in the past ten years. Tangible has a diverse definition depending on which graduate-level meteorologist you speak to on the matter. The question is constantly asked if the cost of fuel, equipment, and personnel is worth the outcome. You can find people on both sides of the issue, but the question has not been clearly answered as to whether the ongoing research has resulting in anything significant.

That brings one to the question of cost. Operating a series that is mobile is especially expensive. It would be proper to note that gas prices continue to only increase which means a bigger budget for the years to come. In fact, gas prices can cripple an operation as we've learned many businesses have scaled back or gone bankrupt all together just because of rising fuel prices. This could have been another reason the show may have been considered for cancellation.

Future Shows
There's some good news for storm chasing fans. Don't worry about shows, because the internet is full of sources to watch storm chasers. From live storm chasing videos, to blogs, and even private storm chasing shows, there's always a place to get your fix. Maybe another network will start a similar show.

What do you think?

Stay tuned to StormSector.com for more science and technology content. *Article written by StormSector staff. Please see our press information section for interview requests. Unauthorized use or broadcast of this content is prohibited.

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