Summary

• Discovery Channel's Moonshiners offers a look into the lives of illegal moonshiners in various states.
• There have been encounters with law enforcement on the show, adding real tension to the scenes.
• Some controversy surrounds the show's authenticity, with questions about staged scenes and legality.

Discovery Channel has a docudrama that follows people producing moonshine in the Appalachian Mountains, but is Moonshiners real? Fans of the docudrama on Discovery Channel have a question about their honesty, wondering if the Brown family really lived all the time in the Alaskan bush and if the struggles of the Gold Rush crew were staged or really happened. When it comes to Moonshiners, it is even harder to believe in many cases. The show premiered in 2011 and follows the lives of people in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, as they produce moonshine.

What really makes this hard to believe is that, throughout most of the series, these people conducted their business illegally. While the main focus was bringing viewers into the lives of the moonshiners operating their distilleries, the fact it was against the law made many people wonder how Discovery Channel was able to tell this story without law enforcement closing in. Shows like Alaskan Bush People have people trying to disprove the lives that the stars live. Meanwhile, Moonshiners doubters question the entire legality of the reality television show.

Law Enforcement Threatened Tim Off-Camera

The Cops Entered Tim's Home To Question Him

The show wants viewers to feel like they’re getting a real look into the experience of illegal moonshiners.

Discovery Channel wants Moonshiners viewers to feel like they’re getting a real look into the experience of illegal moonshiners. Occasionally, the personalities on the show are stopped by law enforcement while cameras are rolling. They are almost always allowed to walk away without an arrest, but it provides a good moment of tension during the show. However, not every law enforcement interaction is caught by the Moonshiners cameras.

In some Moonshiners bonus footage, Tim Smith admits that police officers tried to confront him about the show one evening when he was home. They brought stills from the show to "prove" that he’d been moonshining illegally. Tim remained calm, though. He said he invited them to come into his house and sit down since he was about to have dinner. Tim went on to say that the police had come to his house many times looking for moonshine but never found evidence, which is why he was never arrested (via Bourbon Blog).

Special Agent Jesse Tate Was Misled About The Show

He Didn't Know They'd Be Making Moonshine

Special Agent Jesse Tate is one of the familiar faces from season one of Moonshiners. He worked for the Virginia ABC Bureau and appeared regularly throughout the first season. However, what makes Tate so interesting is that he never interacts with moonshiners like Tim and Tickle, two of the main characters in the series. It turns out that Tate was misled about the nature of the show. He had no idea that it was going to be depicting moonshine manufacturing or distribution.

The Bureau had thought Discovery Channel was making a show about the history of moonshine. The state of Virginia was not happy when the first season of Moonshiners aired on television. "Virginia ABC agreed to participate in an informative piece that documents the history of moonshine and moonshine investigations in Virginia," said Virginia ABC spokeswoman Kathleen Shaw in a statement (via The Christian Post). They didn't know it would depict people actually moonshining illegally. Tate never appeared on the show again.

Virginia Authorities Condemned The Show As Fake

The Crew Believes The State Is Just Mad

In the same press release where they claimed to be misled about the nature of the show, Virginia authorities slammed Discovery for airing a false, misleading show (via Fox News). After viewers kept asking why the state allowed the criminal activities to continue, Virginia said the show was not actually portraying illegal moonshining operations but was actually just a dramatization. They asked Discovery Channel to add a disclaimer, but their request was “overlooked.”

They claim that the state is just mad that they haven’t been able to catch them.

Cast members of the show continue to say the opposite, though. They claim that the state is just mad that they haven’t been able to catch them. Since agents would have to catch the cast in the act of producing illegal moonshine to have a case -- which they haven’t yet -- they could keep making the show. Tim said, "You must be witnessed and physical samples of the product you’re producing has to be taken and analyzed." The cast tells law enforcement they are distilling water, and with no evidence, there can be no arrests.

Tim’s Day Job As A Fire Chief Caused Problems

Some Fans Believed He Shouldn't Have His Two Jobs

Once someone signs onto a reality TV show, they invite a certain amount of scrutiny into their life. Tim learned that quickly once viewers realized what he was doing during the day as illegal moonshining wasn’t the only source of income for Tim. When he wasn’t evading police offers to run secret stills, he worked as a Fire Chief of the Climax Volunteer Fire Department in Virginia.

Most people think of firefighters as upstanding members of society, so some viewers had issues with Tim going from an on-the-level job to operating something that was potentially harmful. For the most part, though, his audience doesn’t seem to care what he does during the day as long as he keeps promoting the TV show. Tim has also paid back his legal profession, creating his Fire 32 Moonshine as a tribute to firefighters across the country, and he also travels and visits many stations throughout the year (via FSF).

Popcorn Sutton Was Arrested In 2008

He Was Sentenced To 18 Months

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 and was so famous, that he even had a few documentaries made about him. These include Hillbilly: The Real Story (2007) and Popcorn Sutton: A Hell of a Life (2014). Hillbilly: The Real Story went on to win a 2009 Southeast Emmy Award. Sutton was lucky enough to mostly evade the law for decades during his moonshining career.

His luck came to an end when he told an undercover officer that he had over 900 gallons of illegal moonshine that he was ready to sell. They weren’t about to let that stand, of course, and ATF officers raided his property in March. He was charged with illegally distilling spirits and possession of a handgun as a felon. Sutton pled guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison the following January.

Virginia Denied Tim A Legal Moonshine License

Things Are Now Free For Him To Sell His Moonshine

Tim no longer has to hide his moonshining.

Tim no longer has to hide his moonshining. He is now proudly able to sell his moonshine legally, which he hopes will aid him in his effort to preserve the traditions and culture surrounding moonshine. Climax moonshine is produced in Virginia, but it very nearly wasn’t. As Tim was starting up his distillery, rumors flew that the Virginia ABC almost denied him a license to produce moonshine legally. Whether they were angry that he’d evaded punishment for so long for "shining" illegally, or if they just didn’t think he had what it took remains unknown.

However, whatever the issue was, it’s been resolved since fans can now order Tim’s moonshine online on the ABC website. In an interview, Smith said that he found it a challenge to get his license, saying, "It’s kind of hard to tell someone that you’re an illegal moonshiner trying to start a legal business.. 'if you’re brewing something illegal now, then you’re probably doing something illegal later, so we’re not too fond of that idea" (via Fox News).

Tickle Had Political Aspirations

He Wanted To Run For Congress

The president isn’t the only reality TV star who had his eye on politics. Steven Tickle, a fan favorite on the show, also admitted that he considered going into politics. In 2012, there was a promo for Moonshiners where Tickle "ran for president," but this turned out to be a lot closer to the truth than the show's fans might have believed. Tickle said that he wanted to run for Congress in southern Virginia (via Washington Examiner). This was at the same time that his spinoff Tickle began filming for Discovery.

"I’m pretty serious about it because I’d like to take my status of what I’ve become on TV and be able to do some good with it. And that would be a place where I could do good with it, you know, look out for the man who I know who he is and he knows who I am."

Tickle also said that he would work hard to pass legislation to legalize moonshine across the nation. However, 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.

Chico Was Allegedly Arrested For A DUI

He Managed To Get Off With Just A Fine

Popcorn Sutton wasn’t the only member of Moonshiners who had issues with the law for something other than the illegal moonshining the group is so notorious for. In 2015, Chico was allegedly arrested for a DUI in Knott County (via Troublesome Creek Times). The report says that he drove his vehicle into a crowd, after which the officer made him take a field sobriety test...which he failed. No one was hurt, but the officer still said that Chico shouldn’t have been driving and ordered him to appear in court.

Unlike Popcorn Sutton, though, Chico didn’t get any jail time. His attorney was able to help him walk away with just a fine and court costs. According to his attorney, Chico was selling memorabilia from his SUV at the Fall Horse Trail Ride. He was moving his vehicle into position to sell his memorabilia when the police officer approached him and demanded a sobriety test. "He loves the people of Knott County and he didn’t want to cause any negative publicity," his attorney said about the incident.

Maybe the charm that’s helped Chico get so far also helped him out in court?

Josh Owens Lost His Trailer In A Fire

His Fans Raised Money To Help Him

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. Many viewers admitted they loved Cutie Pie as much as the human members of the show. Josh was coming back from a motorcycle rally last August when he discovered that his trailer had caught on fire. Josh described the event on his Facebook page.

"I am truly exhausted. It was very emotional time watching the trailer burn and not being able to stop it. The most important thing is that my crew , myself and others around were not hurt. The items that were lost in the fire are all replaceable."

It didn’t look like he’d be able to recover the trailer or any of his belongings, and his truck was damaged as well. Investigators weren’t sure what had caused the fire. What is really impressive is that Josh learned fans were trying to raise money to help him, and he rejected all financial help from the fans. He also warned people to beware of scams asking for money, because he won't do that to his fans.

The Show Was Supposed To Be About Legal Moonshine

Things Changed Because It Would've Been Too Boring

There’s one question that almost everyone has after watching an episode of the Discovery Channel reality show: Is Moonshiners real, and why are they not arrested? It seems like if you’re being filmed making illegal moonshine, they would probably get in trouble for it. The producers had the same thought, so the show was supposed to be about legal moonshine production. It seemed too risky to make a show about illegal moonshine production and not get everyone involved in trouble.

The original pitch to the network was about legal distilleries that exist. There was just one problem -- they realized it was going to be boring. There was no way that they would have gotten the viewership numbers that they do now. Adding Tim, who takes the cameras into the woods and offers an inside look at something previously hidden, really took the show to the next level. Through the years, as moonshining has become more and more legal, the show has slowly morphed into its originally planned theme.

Moonshiners’ Production Company Is Known For Creating Deceptive Content

It Makes It Hard To Believe In Moonshiners

Some people still aren’t convinced when asked if Moonshiners is real. If they pay attention to the production credits, the production company might be one reason why. Moonshiners is produced by Magilla Entertainment, a company based in New York. They’re responsible for several popular reality TV shows currently dominating the airwaves -- but they’re also behind a lot of deceptive “scripted reality” shows.

Moonshiners is produced by Magilla Entertainment, a company based in New York.

Many fans accuse Long Island Medium of being fake. Magilla also produces things like Lakefront Bargain Hunt, where some participants actually bought their home years before the show was taped, and Southie Rules, about a multi-generational family located in South Boston, was clearly scripted "reality TV" and only lasted 11 episodes as a result. Other reality TV shows under the umbrella are American Spirit, Jailhouse Redemption, and I Love A Mama's Boy. With those credits, many people remain suspicious of Moonshiners.

Tickle Has Been Arrested At Least Three Times

His Charges Include Public Intoxication, Possession Of A Handgun & More

Tickle hasn’t been able to catch a break.

Tickle hasn’t just been arrested once, but at least three times (via Chatham Star-Tribute). First, he was arrested for public intoxication, then he was arrested for possession of a sawed-off handgun, which a police officer found in the front seat of his car. After that, he was arrested again for probation violation, after he admitted to drug use. Tickle’s probation officer testified that she issued a major violation report for failure to abstain from the use of illegal drugs. The judge revoked his original three-year sentence for the shotgun and made him serve five months of active time.

After his five months were up, he received 12 months of probation and had to remain on "good behavior" for the next five years. Tickle said he had relapsed because his father had fallen ill and had a short time to live. He admitted that when he got out, he would keep working to help others and try to lead by example.

Tim Experienced His First Raid At Five Years Old

He Got An Early Look At Law Enforcement Crackdowns

Although he’s been lucky enough to keep his criminal record clean, star Tim Smith is no stranger to law enforcement crackdowns, either. He learned the consequences of being caught early. He experienced his first raid at five years old when police officers were investigating his father. Smith explained in an interview that when the police showed up, he had to try and hide the illegal moonshine from the authorities.

"I was about five-years-old when my dad first got raided... I was running around, trying to hide the moonshine myself, before the agents came into the room where we had the moonshine stored. It was my first raid, in which my dad was arrested in possession of moonshine."

That’s a lot of responsibility to place on a five-year-old, and it left a big enough impression on him that he still talks about it to this day. Since that time, Tim said he was always trying to go straight and find a way to make moonshine legally. However, as Moonshiners shows, that was easier said than done and he spent most of his life hiding things from law enforcement agencies. "That’s the way the mystery of moonshining is. Nobody knows what’s going on, we just know something is going on."

His dad must have taught him well, though, since he managed to avoid the police long enough to eventually become a legal moonshiner.

Sutton Ended His Life Before The Show Premiered

He Took His Own Life Before The Show Premiered

Popcorn Sutton never did serve the months in prison that he was sentenced to for illegally distilling spirits and possession of a handgun as a felon. Casual viewers may not have realized that he died by suicide years before Moonshiners ever premiered. The clips the show uses are from an obscure documentary filmed in 2002 that cemented his place as a bootlegging legend. Sutton wasn’t willing to serve time in jail. Instead of reporting for his eighteen-month prison sentence, he died by suicide via carbon monoxide poisoning just days before his sentence was supposed to begin.

His daughter told his wife that he had said in advance that he would rather die. While some people object to the show using Sutton’s likeness when he obviously wasn’t around to give permission, others think that it’s only right for him to be included since he was such a big figure in the moonshining community. If anything, the show treated Sutton and his legacy with respect.

Discovery Won’t Say Whether The Show Is True Or Not

The Mystery Is Part Of The Fun

Is Moonshiners real or is some of it staged for the cameras? Discovery Channel refuses to reveal its secrets. Fans who are curious about what they’ve just watched might scan the credits for a small-print disclaimer admitting that everything is not as it seems. They wouldn’t find anything, though. However, there is one thing that might be a hint. Discovery Channel lists the show as a docudrama, which means it is not a pure documentary, and it does use dramatization to tell its story. Even so, Discovery refuses to put a disclaimer in the credits.

The cast isn’t about to say anything, either -- mostly because they can’t. They’re contractually obligated under non-disclosure agreements not to get specific about what is or isn’t true on the show. They’ll talk about how Moonshiners could be getting away with showing illegal activity, or say that they’re all illegal moonshiners in real life, but don’t outright confirm or deny that some scenes might be staged.