MTV
August “Gussie” Busch is one of the seven children starring on new MTV reality show Busch Family Brewed that will follow the exploits of one of America’s richest families — the Busch family of Anheuser-Busch fame. William K. “Billy” Busch Sr.’s oldest daughter, Scarlett, from a previous relationship will likely not b on the show, but his other seven children will be, including Gussie, the middle child in the family.
Ahead of the premiere on Thursday, March 5, here’s what you need to know about this self-proclaimed “ladies man.”
1. Gussie Is Named After Some Beer-Brewing Bigwigs
The Anheuser-Busch brewery was founded in 1852 by Gussie’s great-great-grandfather Adolphus Busch. His son would be the first August Busch, followed by August “Gussie” Jr., who is Gussie’s grandfather. Gussie’s Uncle August was the third August and his cousin August was the fourth. Gussie, 24, is the fifth August Busch.
The family is worth a reported $13.4 billion as of 2016, making them the 18th richest family in America, according to Forbes.
In addition to the brewing company and its many subsidiaries, the Busch family also started Busch Entertainment Inc. (now called SeaWorld Parks Entertainment). The inaugural park was Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, and the company would go on to open Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Antonio, Texas, and San Diego, California, and Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Closed locations include Busch Gardens parks in Pasadena and Los Angeles, California, and in Houston, Texas, and a SeaWorld park in Aurora, Ohio.
The family also owned the St. Louis Cardinals baseball franchise from 1953 to 1996.
2. Gussie’s Parents Met While Training Animals
William K. “Billy” Busch is the eighth of August Anheuser “Gussie” Busch Jr.’s 11 children from four different marriages.
Billy Sr. grew up working on his family’s 700-acre estate called Grant’s Farm, which features hundreds of animals on a wildlife preserve. According to Ladue News, in 1987, Billy was training two elephants named Bud and Mickey and noticed a woman training the monkeys. Her name was Christi and several years later, they would be married.
Billy and Christi have seven children, of which Gussie is the middle child. The kids range in age from 28 to 13. The adult children have all been involved in their father’s brewing company, the William K. Busch Brewing Co., which produced Kraftig lager from 2011 to 2019, when it shut down.
“It’s really a family beer business; I have my family who’s all-in with me,” Busch told Ladue News. “They love it, and if we can make a go of this, we can keep that Busch brewing tradition alive. It’s been well worth the effort and everything that it has cost.”
In 2016, Billy purchased Grant’s Farm from the family trust for $26 million, vowing to keep it as a free tourist attraction, according to the Denver Post. And according to Gussie’s Instagram, Bud the elephant died in 2018.
3. He Played College Football for Alabama and Now Plays Polo
After graduating from Priory High School in St. Louis, Gussie walked on at the University of Alabama football program as a linebacker. The Tuscaloosa News reported in 2015 that he had scholarship offers from Southern Illinois and Ohio University, but he wanted to pursue a bigger football program. He then got “preferred non-scholarship player” offers from Alabama and Ole Miss and chose to Roll Tide.
He didn’t see any action during his freshman or sophomore seasons, however, so he transferred to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, because his parents have insisted that he get a degree, despite their family’s wealth. He graduated from SMU with a degree in Sports Management in 2018.
Gussie has also been an avid polo player since the age of 12, following in the footsteps of his father, who was also an accomplished polo player. In April 2019, Gussie took home a league tournament trophy for the World Polo League in Florida. Busch was named the Most Valuable Player after scoring eight goals, including seven penalty shots, according to the Grand Champions Polo Club site.
3. He’s an Avid Hunter, Fisherman and Trump Supporter
Looking at Gussie’s Instagram, it’s easy to see what his hobbies and interests entail. In November 2019, he went big-game hunting in Argentina. Gussie posted a photo of himself with a dead blackbuck antelope captioned, “Took the week off polo to do some amazing hunting on the open plains of Argentina. What a trip!”
Back in July 2017, he and his older brother, Billy Jr., took a photo of themselves in front of the Trump Tower in Chicago with the caption, “Great weekend #MAGA.”
And in December 2019, he and his brother went deepsea fishing in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, tagging Donald Trump Jr. in their photos. Busch also posted a photo from the trip of himself driving a speedboat naked, writing, “Setting sail into 2020 and giving you the first full moon of the year.”
5. Gussie is the Family ‘Ladies Man’
In the Busch Family Brewed previews, Gussie refers to himself as a “ladies man” and his entire family agrees he’s the family member most like to date your best friend.
“Gussie is a partier, definitely more like his dad. He just likes to have fun and party, but he’s just a fun boy,” says mom Christi, with dad Billy Sr. adding, “He loves a party. He’s out there with his buddies and friends and hangin’ out and just having a good time.”
But his mom does also acknowledge that Gussie can be loud and obnoxious and always “wants all the attention.”
Finally, according to his four sisters, Gussie is the most likely not to flush the toilet.
“Gussie 100 percent is the one that is most likely to not flush the toilet, it’s disgusting. He really needs to fix that problem of his,” says Maddie. Sister Haley adds, “Gussie is really really gross like that, I don’t know why he doesn’t want to flush the toilet.”
His mom and sister Abbey then out him as posting photos of his poop to social media.
“He doesn’t flush the toilet. He leaves it there, he takes pictures of it, he puts it on SnapChat,” says Christi. Fingers crossed that gets included in the new show.
The Busch Family Brewed airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
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Gussie Busch: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know