After years of successful ratings, it looks like fans are finally taking flight from "Duck Dynasty"; the show's Season 5 finale drew 6 million viewers, a 2.4 million drop from the Season 4 finale. With a steady decline since Season 3, the controversial show will need to improve ratings next season to avoid getting canceled.

It's hard to say exactly why viewers have abandoned the show, but there is at least one easy target to blame for the program's lower ratings: patriarch Phil Robertson's homophobic statements in a GQ magazine interview. Diehard fans of the show even boycotted the A&E network when the father figure of the family was temporarily casted out of the reality TV show. Of course, "Duck Dynasty's" lower ratings could simply be due to a natural fade in interest from its audience.

The success of the "Duck Dynasty" is also declining in other ways. The Inquisitr reports that a Michigan utility "Duck Dynasty" contest was canceled. Soon after, a scheduled "Duck Dynasty" live show was also canceled due to poor ticket sales.

Even if the show's ratings drop is related to the controversial statements made by Phil, the family has made no effort to apologize, and is even working with former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow on various Christian ministries.

Although the show has seen some downs this past year, it's unlikely that it will get canceled any time soon. Even with the steady drop in ratings, "Duck Dynasty" still continues to be the number one cable TV show across all major demographics. The show is even reportedly more popular than "American Idol."

Only time will tell what will happen to "Duck Dynasty" in the long run, but for now one thing's for sure: for better or for worse, the show continues to be one of television's most talked about shows.

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