In This Section
TV Guide Spotlight
Also on TVGuide.com
|
« Roush Dispatch
Kid Nation Hardly a Bonanza
Jimmy, the youngest Kid Nation participant by Monty Brinton/CBS
Welcome to "Survivor Jr." Or maybe we should call it "Little Brother." Better yet: "Oh Brother." One thing I wouldn't call CBS' Kid Nation is appointment TV. At least not on the basis of the opening episode, which treated me to the sight of a homesick 8-year-old boy having a panic attack. I wanted to give little Jimmy a hug when he snuffled, "I'm only 8. I'm a third-grader. I think I'm too young to be doing this," a sentiment he later clarified by saying, "I want to be older to do this."
You know, Jimmy, when you do get older, as a grown-up you'll probably be the sort of person who has better things to do with his time than go on a reality TV show. If that's the one thing you can take out of your few days in Bonanza City, it will be time well spent. That's more than can be said for those who choose this option on Wednesday nights for the rest of its run. Who knows, maybe the show's early notoriety will make it a hit. I'd like to think we're all too old and wise to be doing this, but who am I fooling?
What are we to make of a show that holds a 10-year-old "pageant queen" named Taylor up for ridicule for sounding like that hapless Miss Teen USA contestant as she states her desire to "make this a better world by bringing world peace to Africa with all the orphans" and declares Iraq "the No. 1 place that needs world peace." Later, she declares, "I’m a beauty queen. I don’t do dishes." Is this meant to be kids-say-the-darndest-things cute? I don’t think so. I think the producers figured we’d get a good laugh out of that. Maybe she’ll get her own YouTube moment out of this. For shame.
Call me cynical, but I see something exploitive in a show that proposes to bring kids together for a greater good, then instructs four arbitrarily chosen leaders to divide them into groups and make them compete for economic and class status, and then inserts a $20,000 gold-star trophy into the mix each episode to ensure that greed will play its part, like on any other reality show, in building this so-called kiddie Utopia.
There are some charming, smart, funny, inspiring children trapped in this insipid show, along with a few apparent borderline bullies and vandals, and maybe as they learn to work and play together, we’ll all learn that kids will be kids and they’re the future and blah-blah-blah. But wait. We already know that. The signs of adults pulling the strings are all over Kid Nation, and that’s something I’d think twice about subjecting actual children to.
Little Jimmy? He's the lucky one. I kid you not.
POLL: Is Kid Nation deserving of all the controversy that preceded its premiere? Vote here.
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Sep 19, 2007 11:36 PM
|
|
One of the teachers at the school where I work asked me to tape it for her because her students want to watch it and compare it with Lord of the Flies. So I taped it and half-watched it. My older son kept watching it instead of the computer, even though he only had a half hour on the computer. He was fascinated. My 13-year-old is watching the tape now. I think it's a superfluous show, but at least it inspired conversation with my sons, so that's one accomplishment.
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 12:32 AM
|
|
As usual Matt, you and I agree. The kids are pretty cool, but the show is pretty dull. I kept thinking that Jimmy was the smartest kid in the bunch for getting out first. I taped the show so I could watch it with my 5 and 7-year-old sons tonight. We'll see if they like it any better. Oh, by the way, did you notice that the show was rated TV-PG? The irony!!!!
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 8:54 AM
|
|
I watched the show last night to see what all the fuss was about and enjoyed the show. I don't care for Mike or Jared but like Sophia, Michael and Greg. I thought most of the boys should have visited a barber before they left home. Maybe since Taylor doesn't do dishes, she can set up a hair salon and make money that way.
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 9:07 AM
|
|
Matt, I'm not sure how lucky Jimmy, or any of those other kids, are. They all had parents that signed them up for this fiasco. What kind of parents are Jimmy's that think its appropriate for their little 8 yo to leave home and fight for existence all for the sake of a few moments of public exposure and and a few bucks?
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 9:31 AM
|
|
My children were fascinated by it. It sparked some great conversations this morning.
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 11:38 AM
|
|
My 14 year old son and I enjoyed watching it together. It really did spark some good conversation which, at his age, is something for a mother to treasure!
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 11:42 AM
|
|
I watched the last half hour and thought, this was such a good idea but they went about it the wrong way. I think the kids should have picked their own leaders and the class system was just plain wrong. It would have been more interesting to let the kids sort it all out. I do believe in rewards so the kids learn: if you work together there will be benefits, but the $20,000 gold star was too much and will cause, I think, jealousy and resentment. But the great thing is kid ARE watching with their parents ... and sparking conversation. I think CBS should consider giving the kids more free will to really govern themselves.
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 12:20 PM
|
I'll watch another week or so. I haven't sorted all my feelings yet. Matt makes some good points, but I want to take this show less seriously, I guess.
I do agree that it's not appointment TV!
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 1:55 PM
|
The only person that got a brain on this show is Jimmy. I am glad that he had sense enough to go home, Shame on CBS. When are parents going to start loving their children instead of letting them grow up to fast and get used by CBS to boost their rating!
--
Edited by BETTYEJ at 09/20/2007 11:17 AM
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 2:16 PM
|
|
Matt, thank you for talking about the kids and what they need as a first priority. You are not being cynical by calling this show exploitive. It is exploitation, as is the Parent/Child version of "Fear Factor" or any other reality show involving children. These shows exploit children because they are not old enough to make the decision to participate for themselves. Even if the parent asked and their child wanted to do it, they aren't mature enough to know the consequences and shouldn't be in the position to decide. And, as opposed to shows in which they are acting (participating in a profession) reality shows make these children vulnerable in a way that is cruel. How can anyone think it is okay to film a nine-year old child under stress and show it to the world?
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 2:34 PM
|
|
The people who go on these so-called reality shows, or in the case of this show it's the parents who put their kids on these types of shows, is because they are aspiring actors (or the parents want their kids to be aspiring actors) and they want the exposure to either help start a career or to further a career. I didn't watch this show, as I flatly refuse to watch any of this drivel, but for people to believe that these contestants, including the kids, don't go on these shows knowing what they are in for is bull. I guarantee you at least one or 2 of these kids will pop up on a scripted show after this one has run it's course (which, for me, can't be quick enough).
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 3:08 PM
|
|
I almost always disagree with Matt's opinions on tv shows and this time is no different. I enjoyed this show. It's fun to watch and I think it will be a good learning experience for the kids. People overreact anytime something involves kids. Kids aren't that fragile.
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 3:14 PM
|
this is like any reality show. they film the heck out of it and then edit it for what they think will get the best response. no one wants to see a bunch of kids doing dishes when it's more entertaining to see one kid refuse and the rest think she's a twit.
and then there's the issues that they flaunted child labor laws by calling the kids contestants and not actors, the abuse allegations with not letting them talk to their parents, putting them in potentially dangerous situations in kitchens and such. oh and my personal fav, the clause in the contract that says if your kid goes slut and sleeps around and gets knocked up and/or an STD, you can't blame the producers or the network.
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 4:03 PM
|
|
I thought it was a sweet show. None of the kids seemed like they didn't want to be there, or that they had been "forced" into it by overbearing parents. And, ironically, the most immature kid on the show is the oldest. The others, Laurel especially, seem incredibly intelligent and put together. The one thing that was off putting was the separation into teams and the announcing that the gold star was worth $20,000, which emphasises the reality-competition idea. But I'm willing to ignore that and keep watching for the social interactions, which honestly are far more interesting. And the kids didn't seem to react negatively towards Sophia for "winning". Honestly, the older-vandal boy (Greg?) was the only one who seemed to grasp the reality aspect. I don't think it was nearly as trashy and exploitive as all of you seem to be jumping all over.
|
|
Sep 20, 2007 5:03 PM
|
|
|
