'Party Down South' 2014: "Lil Bit" Quits The Show Over Safety Concerns, Religion
Taylor "Lil Bit" Wright is leaving Party Down South ahead of the series' third season.
As production nears on season three, Wright's co-stars have all signed on to begin filming, but when it comes to moving on with the show's next installment, Wright has other plans.
"[Wright] told producers she's quitting because she fears for her safety with all the craziness that goes on in the house," TMZ reported on Aug. 2. "We're told she also has strong religious beliefs and feels the show undermines her relationship with Jesus."
According to TMZ's sources, all of Wright's co-stars are on board for season three and producers are "furious" about having to replace her. For them, the source claims, it's like having to "find a new Snooki at the height of 'Jersey Shore's' popularity."
As for Wright, she's convinced that producers believe she's holding out for a pay increase, but TMZ has been told that is not the case -- and that Wright wouldn't sign on for season three for $1 million.
In June, the second season of Party Down South debuted on CMT and continued to bring in stellar ratings for the network. In fact, the show has done so well that there have been talks of a possible spinoff -- or spinoffs.
"There are a couple things I like about the ability to develop a franchise like this," CMT executive VP of Development, Jayson Dinsmore, told The Hollywood Reporter in May 2014. "It becomes a farm system to mature characters for the long run. We could have multiple spinoffs and we could also find ourselves in a scenario where we have enough cast members to do something like a challenge series."