Reality TV goes too far with 'Kid Nation'

By Stephanie Mislevy, Staff Writer

September 27, 2007 | 1:07 a.m.

Picture it: Bonanza City, N.M. The year is 1885, and the mining city is in full swing. But the charming little city can't quite make the cut and is left abandoned. Now, more than 100 years later, 40 children are taking over with CBS' "Kid Nation."

On Wednesday, Sept. 19, television's newest reality TV series premiered on CBS, and viewers watched as 40 children, ranging in age from 8 to 15, climbed off a big yellow school bus and stepped into the middle of nowhere.

The premise is quite simple. For 40 days, 40 children will inhabit this ghost town. The children will have to set up a life of their own, led by a "council" of four (made up of a boy scout, a pageant queen, a spelling bee champion and a "student leader," all ages 10 to 12).

They'll cook, clean, run stores and a soda saloon, do physical work and even milk goats and collect eggs. From buffalo nickel currency to a lack of indoor plumbing, there's nothing modern about this place. The children are split into four teams, and each child will be forced to learn how to live and work with their teammates, taking responsibility for his or her own well being and the common good of the group. They'll even compete in challenges boasting rewards such as more Port-a-Potties for the town, a big relief from the single bathroom that all 40 children share at the start.

Each episode is brought to an end with a town meeting run by host Jonathan Karsh. At these meetings, the "council" chooses a member of the town who has worked especially hard throughout the previous week. This child receives a shiny gold star trophy, worth $20,000, and a call home to share the news with Mom and Dad.

In a ridiculous combination of "Real World" meets "Survivor" meets "Sesame Street," reality TV is once again breaking down the building blocks of wholesome family television as we know it, and this time it's skipping the teenage target and heading straight for the kids.

Although "Kid Nation" is advertised as a show for the whole family, parents would do well to steer their children away. The commercials may seem heartwarming. Kids are cute, right? Right, and it is this inescapable cuteness that quickly takes the show, even after only one episode, from heartwarming to heartbreaking.

More than a few of the children were in tears after the first day. There were fights between the older and younger kids. The younger children were deprived of food because the older ones took too much, and the food that was eaten was barely edible, as it was prepared by 12-year-old children. The work was hard, and one little boy even said through tears that he'd had "the worst day in three years!"

At each town meeting, the children are given the opportunity to go home, and just one episode into the season, 8-year-old Jimmy has already made that choice.

If you're looking for something to bring a tear to your eye or maybe another reason to be critical of all those responsible for the future of today's youth, then be sure to check out "Kid Nation" every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBS. Otherwise, reality TV addicts, stick with "America's Next Top Model" and "Real World." (At least they're inappropriate in a good way.)