Kid Nation is an American reality television show hosted by Jonathan Karsh that premiered on the CBS network on September 19, 2007 created by Tom Forman Productions and Endemol USA. The program was originally scheduled to air in mid-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.
On May 14, 2008, CBS officially canceled the series after one season.
In 2020, the series generated a renewed interest with mixed reviews as many YouTube members independently reviewed, discussed, and commented on each of the thirteen original episodes. It has since become a cult TV series. In addition, many former members of the show gave interviews and commentary of their own during that time.
Synopsis
The show, featuring 40 children and adolescents aged 8 to 15, was filmed on location at the Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch, a privately owned town built on the ruins of Bonanza City, New Mexico, 13 miles south of Santa Fe.
The show stresses the difficulty in creating a viable society. While each child received $5,000 for their involvement, Gold Stars valued at $20,000 and $50,000 were awarded to select outstanding participants as decided by the elected Town Council.
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. Adults were present off-camera during 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 physical chores like fetching water, and making group decisions constituted an educational experience in its own right. Forman said that all participants were cleared by a team of psychologists and any child could choose to go home during any of the periodical town meetings, which three did.
Episodes
These gold stars were worth $50,000 and were awarded at the final town hall meeting.
Participants
The participants of Kid Nation consist of 40 kids, whose ages ranged 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.
Original district
Final district color or black, with N/A (Not Applicable) if participant left the show These gold stars were worth $50,000 () and were awarded at the final town hall meeting.
Reception
Pre-premiere
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 television 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.
Los Angeles Times reporter Maria Elena Fernandez interviewed four of the children, who told her they had worked harder than they ever had in their lives but would willingly repeat the experience. They said the most challenging aspect was getting used to being filmed constantly.
Post-premiere
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 episode, some advertisers that had shied away from Kid Nation due to its initial controversy had begun to purchase time.