Kid Nation

Kid Nation
Kid Nation logo
Genre	Reality
Directed by	J. Rupert Thomson
Presented by	Jonathan Karsh
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producer	Tom Forman
Production locations	Bonanza City, New Mexico
Running time	60 minutes (with commercials)
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 19, 2007 – present

Kid Nation is a reality television show hosted by Jonathan Karsh that premiered on the CBS network on September 19, 2007 and airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. The show, featuring 40 children aged 8 to 15, was shot at the Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch, a privately owned town built on the ruins of Bonanza City, New Mexico, eight miles south of Santa Fe, with production beginning on April 1, 2007. In the show, the children try to create a functioning society in the town, including setting up a government system with minimal adult help and supervision. The program was originally scheduled to air in the summer of 2007.

The show stresses the difficulty in creating a viable society. At the end of each episode, an elected council of kids awards the Gold Star, worth $20,000, to a fellow participant. Participants were paid $5,000 for their involvement in the show's taping.

Show description

The first episode of Kid Nation introduced the 40 kids, including the 4 pre-selected town council members, and the group was challenged to create a society for themselves in the abandoned Bonanza City. On the second day at Bonanza City, the council separated the remaining kids into 4 color-coded districts, each led by one of the council members.

The city contains western era buildings such as a chapel, a barn where Town Hall Meetings are held, a grocery store, a dry goods store, and a saloon.

During each episode, the council consults a journal, described as being left by the previous founders of Bonanza City, describing an issue that the current residents may be facing and suggesting ideas for the council to establish rule in regards to this. For example, such topics have included killing chickens for meat and protein, dealing with a curfew to establish law and order in the town, or handling the many religions represented by the kids. The council decides among themselves or with discussions with the rest of the town to decide on the issue, though there is no mandatory requirement for any kid to follow that decision; it is up to the council or other children to determine how to work out or discipline others that do not follow such.

Each episode features a Showdown, a physical and mental challenge among the four districts. If all four teams complete the challenge within a fixed amount of time then one of two special prizes are offered to the entire town. One prize is typically fun or entertaining (such as a working television or a pizza party), while the other prize is vital or utilitarian, such as additional outhouses or religious books. The town council selects which prize the town will receive.

The placement of each district determines their job class for the next 3 days and the salary they receive during that period. The first place district is the upper-class, they receive $1.00 and have no assigned job duties. The second place district becomes the merchants and operate the various stores around town, and receive $0.50 in salary. The third-place team becomes the cooks, responsible for cooking and cleaning the kitchen and dining areas, and earn $0.25. The last place team become the laborers and are tasked with obtaining fresh water from a distant well, laundry, and cleaning the outhouses, and only earn $0.10 in salary. Buffalo nickels, which were used in the United States in the early 1900s, serve as the makeshift nation's currency. While each district is expected to complete the tasks assigned to them, the children are free to avoid such tasks or to assist others in their tasks.

Every third day, at the close of each episode, a town hall meeting is held. The show's host first asks the kids how the town council is performing and allows for a general discussion of town issues. The host then asks if any child wants to voluntarily leave Bonanza City. Finally, the town council awards a Gold Star to one child based on their performance; each Star is worth $20,000, and once awarded, the child is given the opportunity to call home from a special locked building in town.

Episode summaries

Main article: List of Kid Nation episodes

No.	Episode Title	Days	Air Date	Upper-Class	Merchants	Cooks	Laborers	Town Bonus	Gold Star	Exits	Nielsen Ratings
1	"I'm Trying to be a Leader Here!"	1-4	September 19, 2007	Red District	Blue District	Yellow District	Green District	Seven Outhouses	Sophia	Jimmy	5.8/10 HH, 3.0/9 Adults 18-49
2	"To Kill or Not to Kill"	5-7	September 26, 2007	Blue District	Red District	Yellow District	Green District	None (Task Failed)	Michael	None	4.8/8 HH, 2.8/8 Adults 18-49
3	"Deal With It!"	8-10	October 3, 2007	Yellow District	Blue District	Green District	Red District	Microwave and Cocoa	Mallory	None	4.7/8 HH, 2.4/7 Adults 18-49
4	"Bless Us and Keep Us Safe"	11-13	October 10, 2007	Blue District	Red District	Yellow District	Green District	Religious Books	Morgan	Cody	4.3/7 HH, 2.0/6 Adults 18-49
5	"Viva La Revolución!"	14-16	October 17, 2007	Yellow District	Green District	Red District	Blue District	Oral Hygiene Products	Greg	None	4.7/8 HH, 2.4/7 Adults 18-49
6	"Bonanza is Disgusting"	17-19	October 24, 2007	Red District	Green District	Yellow District	Blue District	Fruits & Vegetables	DK	None	5.1/8 HH, 2.5/7 Adults 18-49
7	"The Root Of All Evil"	20-22	October 31, 2007	Blue District	Yellow District	Green District	Red District	New Clothes & Free Laundry	Nathan	None	4.4/8 HH, 2.0/7 Adults 18-49
8	"Starved for Entertainment"	23-25	November 7, 2007	Green District	Blue District	Red District	Yellow District	None (Task Failed)	Kennedy	None	4.5/7 HH, 2.1/6 Adults 18-49
9	"Not Even Close to Fair"	26-28	November 14, 2007	Blue District	Yellow District	Green District	Red District	None (Task Failed)	Blaine	Randi	4.7/8 HH, 2.4/7 Adults 18-49
10	"Let Me Talk!"	29-31	November 21, 2007
11	"I Just Like The Recess Part"	32-34	November 28, 2007

Participants

The participants of Kid Nation consist of 40 kids, whose ages range from 8 to 15. The following table lists each child's district color (including change if applicable), age at the onset of the show, home state, the terms they held in Town Council, the day they received a gold star, when they left Bonanza City and any applicable notes.

		Name	Age	State	Town Council	Gold Star	Exit	Note(s)
B	B	Alex	9	Nevada		41
B	B	Anjay	12	Texas	Day 1 - Present	41
B	Y	Blaine	14	Florida		28Day 28		Changed Districts in episode 9
Y	Y	Brett	11	Minnesota		41
G	G	Campbell	10	Georgia		41
Y	Z	Cody	9	Ohio		41	Day 13
Y	Y	Colton	11	Nevada		41
R	R	Divad	11	Georgia		41
R	R	DK	14	Illinois		19Day 19
R	B	Emilie	9	Nevada		41		Changed Districts in episode 9
G	G	Eric	9	New Jersey		41
B	B	Gianna	10	Illinois		41
B	B	Greg	15	Nevada		16Day 16		Oldest participant
R	R	Guylan	11	Massachusetts	Day 16 - Present	41
G	G	Hunter	12	Georgia		41
R	R	Jared	11	Georgia		41
R	R	Jasmine	11	Georgia		41
G	Z	Jimmy	8	New Hampshire		41	Day 4	Youngest participant
Y	Y	Kelsey	11	Pennsylvania		41
G	G	Kennedy	12	Kentucky		25Day 25
G	G	Laurel	12	Massachusetts	Day 1 - Present	41
Y	Y	Leila	9	North Carolina		41
R	R	Madison	11	Texas		41
R	R	Maggie	14	Minnesota		41
B	B	Mallory	8	Indiana		10Day 10		Celebrated her 9th birthday in episode 3; Olivia's sister
R	R	Markelle	12	Georgia		41
G	G	Michael	14	Washington		07Day 7
B	B	Migle	13	Illinois		41
R	R	Mike	11	Washington	Day 1 - 16	41
G	G	Morgan	12	Indiana		13Day 13
B	B	Natasha	13	Florida		41
B	R	Nathan	11	Illinois		22Day 22		Changed Districts in episode 9
B	B	Olivia	12	Indiana		41		Mallory's sister
Y	Y	Pharaoh	12	Pennsylvania		41
Y	Z	Randi	11	Nevada		41	Day 28
G	G	Savannah	10	Kentucky		41
G	G	Sophia	14	Florida		04Day 4
Y	Y	Sophie	10	Washington		41
Y	Y	Taylor	10	Georgia	Day 1 - 16	41
Y	Y	Zach	10	Florida	Day 16 - Present	41

Reception and Criticism

Initial reception

Ahead of its premiere, the show proved to be the most controversial of the upcoming fall 2007 season, even though the only actual footage seen was a four-minute promo running on televison and the Web. In previewing the series, CBS eschewed television critics, instead holding screenings at schools in at least seven large cities. Variety columnist Brian Lowry wrote that "Kid Nation is only the latest program to use kids as fodder for fun and profit, which doesn't make the trend any less disturbing." William Coleman, a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina, argued that the younger children, ages 8 to 12, might not be able to deal with the stress, yet could be enticed to participate by the potential fame or be pressured to do so by a parent.

Speaking before an audience of television reviewers, producer Tom Forman acknowledged that Kid Nation would inevitably share some elements with William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies, which depicted planewrecked children without adult supervision. But adults were present off-camera during the Kid Nation production, including cameramen, producers, a medic, and a child psychologist, although all interacted with the children as little as possible. Participants also missed a month of school, but Forman suggested that such real-world tasks as preparing a group breakfast, doing hard physical chores like fetching water, and making group decisions constituted an educational experience in its own right. All participants were cleared by a team of psychologists, any child could elect to go home, and some did. Robert Butterworth, a child psychologist in Los Angeles, wondered if comparable professional care was given after the production had wrapped.

Some injuries occurred on the set. Four children needed medical attention after drinking bleach that had been left in an unmarked soda bottle, a girl sprained her arm, becoming one of two children to visit a local emergency room, and 11-year-old Divad Miles was burned when grease splattered onto her face while cooking a meal. Divad's mother, Janis Miles, filed a complaint in June calling for an investigation into "abusive acts to minors and possible violations of child labor laws." The claim was investigated by Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, which found no criminal wrongdoing on the part of the production company. CBS said it stood by the procedures it had in place and its "response to all the minor injuries". The network rejected "irresponsible allegations or any attempts to misrepresent and exaggerate events or spread false claims about what happened."

Los Angeles Times reporter Maria Elena Fernandez interviewed four of the children, who told her they "had to rough it without electricity or running water, sleep on bed rolls on the floor, cook their own meals, clean the town, run businesses, survive on three changes of clothes and set up their own hours and rules". Although three of them said they worked harder than they ever had in their lives, all four said the most challenging aspect was getting used to being filmed constantly. All four said they would happily do it again, although as Fernandez noted, "they haven't seen themselves on TV yet."

Later reactions

After the show's premiere, many television critics wrote negative reviews, with Los Angeles Times critic Robert Lloyd a notable exception. Reviewing the first episode, Washington Post columnist Tom Shales suggested that the show is "not so much an exercise in socialization as the indoctrination of children into a consumer culture". Shales pointed out that the kids' decisions included buying root beer at the saloon with "real money", but not hiring or being hired - as their money was "parceled out to them according to their predetermined stations in life."

By the third show, some advertisers that had shied away from Kid Nation due to its initial controversy had begun to purchase time. The premiere featured just three commercial breaks, with advertising by Maybelline, Sears, Vagisil, and IcyHot. They were joined by General Motors’ OnStar navigation system in the second episode, and, in the third episode, by Denny’s, Subaru, Hyundai, Mazda, McDonald’s, PetSmart, Lysol and T-Mobile: 20 sponsors in all.

Broader legal implications

The Kid Nation production has raised questions about whether reality show participants are more like subjects in a documentary or working actors. The latter are covered by union rules that govern everything from working hours to compensation. This debate over participant status could be seen in an American Federation of Television and Radio Artists investigation over whether its AFTRA National Code of Fair Practices for Network Television Broadcasting was violated. The investigation went forward even though on reality shows, the Network Code generally covers professional performers, but not the participants.

Kid Nation production took place before New Mexico tightened its regulations governing the number and span of hours a child actor can work. The producers had declared the set a summer camp rather than a place of employment, but that loophole has since been closed. State officials and the producers have since openly disagreed as to whether New Mexico's labor laws were followed, and whether inspectors were given proper access to the set. Some parents on hand for the final day of filming accused the producers of feeding children lines, re-casting dialog and repeating scenes, all of which suggested that the children functioned as actors. Producer Tom Forman said that the parents were observing routine "pickups" for scenes that might have been missed because of technical difficulties.

Kid Nation 2

For a potential sequel, Kid Nation 2, candidates were required to submit a written application and a three-minute video. Semi-finalists then had to travel at their own expense to one of 10 regional interviews, with finalists flown to Los Angeles for the final selection. Applications were due October 9th 2007

External links

• Kid Nation at IMDb
• Official Kid Nation Site (CBS)
• Canadian Kid Nation Site (E!)
• Kid Nation participant contract at The Smoking Gun