Is Moonshiners fake? Discovery show has viewers confused on Twitter Wed 17 March 2021 01:10 Helen Williams
Jackson Reed
Published Apr 06, 2026
Is Moonshiners fake? The Discovery show follows the lives of people who make moonshine for a living across the USA. By the looks of Twitter, many Moonshiners viewers are asking questions about the show, the reality of it is just one of them!
Set in the Appalachian Mountains, the moonshiners continue the 200-year-old tradition of making moonshine which has been passed down through generations. Across Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, the show features a wide variety of cast members who all share the same passion.
Is Moonshiners fake?
Moonshiners is a ‘docudrama’ produced by Magilla Entertainment. The entertainment company also brings shows such as Long Island Medium and Beachfront Bargain Hunt to our screens.
The subject of whether the show is real or fake has often been Tweeted about, with many viewers concerned over the premise of the programme.
The fact that the show is based on the production of moonshine has had many viewers asking whether it is actually illegal, therefore making the show seem ‘fake’.
According to Grunge.com: “Magilla may not be the gold standard for keeping the “reality” in reality TV, or even the cubic zirconium standard.“
As with many reality TV shows, the people are all real but the scenes are most likely planned.
@itsgonnabe_okai #moonshiners yes. Staged. Scripted. Edited! Fake
— Terry Schmidt (@Teampenner125) February 28, 2014
How does Moonshiners get away with being on TV?
The ‘legal or illegal’ argument surrounding Moonshiners has caused many viewers to ask how the programme can be aired on TV.
The series portrays the cast as ‘law evading’ liquor producers. However, as per Life and Style Mag: “Tim and Tickle are licensed distillers”.
In terms of the legality of their alcohol creating profession, Tickle said to Life and Style Mag: “It’s non-taxed; that’s pretty much the only reason it’s illegal.”
The backwoods meet the bayou when Louisiana master distiller Richard joins Tickle and the Laws to make a strawberry mango shine!
Catch a new episode of #Moonshiners now on discovery+, or tune in later tonight at 8p. #discoveryplus
— Moonshiners (@MoonshinersTV) March 2, 2021
Did Digger from Moonshiners get busted?
Many viewers of Moonshiners end up getting invested in the show due to the suggested risk that’s involved in creating the liquor.
However, there’s no real fear surrounding the production of moonshine because US law enforcement would have to catch the cast members in the act of making moonshine. Given that they make the alcohol in the Appalachian Mountains and the programme airs months after the liquor has been produced, there’s little that the police could do about the Moonshiners’ activities. The main cast members are also licensed to produce alcohol.
In 2021, cast member Digger had viewers wondering whether he’d ever been arrested for moonshining. However, as per Distractify, that doesn’t look to have been the case: There is no proof that Digger has ever been arrested in relation to moonshining“. Digger is also a co-owner of Sugarland’s Distilling Company.
Is this all just staged.. 📺 #moonshiners
— Sarah Eckert (@Sarahecks) February 28, 2014
WATCH MOONSHINERS ON DISCOVERY EVERY TUESDAY AT 9 PM
