Reality Roll Call

(by Deb Porter-Jones) 

Today’s lesson is entitled, “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste.”

Tonight’s episode opens with the Town Council bringing some mail from home for our little Taylor (what a stubborn child she is; if she doesn’t slow down and listen, she may end up like Brittany).  Taylor promises to do some work around the town if they let her read her mail from home.  The Council adds a condition: if she reneges on her agreement, she forfeits this week’s challenge award is for the town.  Of course, Taylor agrees, and then Taylor reneges (so typically Taylor!). 

The kids are given the option to read some books for this week’s challenge.  Of course, Taylor’s not interested (“I hate to read!” she exclaims in that familiar, spoiled little Texas drawl of hers).  Several of the children actually enjoy learning about the history of Bonanza City, but these aren’t your average children.

(by Deb Porter-Jones)

Kid Nation is under new management!

This episode presents a totally new Town Council.  In a surprising upset, Greg is voted rep for the Blue District, replacing Anjay (who seems relieved about this turn of events).  Laurel is having difficulty adjusting to civilian life when she is replaced by Michael ( or Plato, as I call him: pearls of wisdom spring forth from this kid; it’s quite amazing).  Blaine is voted rep for the Yellow District, replacing Zach.  DK skates in because Guylan has informed the Red District that he no longer wants the seat. 

Bonanza City is then given communication training.  DK lectures everyone on the importance of coming together as a town.  Then all anarchy breaks loose!

(by Deb Porter-Jones)

Our newest episode begins with a recap from last week, which reminds us that the children of Bonanza City held a talent show in an effort to lift spirits. The Gold Star winner was an obscure, yet thoughtful child named Kennedy, the fourth Green District member to receive a Gold Star. This fact kinda swells the heads of the Green District members.

This week the town journal was consulted, and the previous Bonanza City’s comments suggest that the town was in need of some shaking up. It was decided that, for the good of the town, the districts should be redesigned. Some teams were largely made up of smaller children, leaving the team vulnerable in more physical challenges. Some teams lacked more of the intellectual children, and others consisted of a team full of slackers. The council was charged with trying to redesign the districts in an effort to create better balance, which, on its face, sounded to me like a pretty good idea.

Only one thing would make Kid Nation truly deserving of all the controversial media coverage it got this summer. If this was actually next weeks episode.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfVOVYG7rIo]

Way better than Kid Nation:

Fresh on the heels of their reality show “Kid Nation,” in which children are sent to perform hard labor on a ranch with no adult supervision, CBS announced today that it was readying a new reality show in which children are sent to the federal detention camp at Guantanamo.

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When it comes to the CBS show, Kid Nation I wish I could turn back the hands of time so that it was last week again. Or last month. Or even five minutes before I watched Kid Nation and realized that the controversy was more entertaining than the actual show. And they were going to cancel Jericho for this?

Here is the big problem, before we get into how the show looked more like it would fit in with Nickelodeon’s Saturday schedule instead of CBS’s Wednesday night lead, and the biggest danger they appeared to be in was soiling themselves when they only had one outhouse, these are kids. Kids do not make good adult entertainment and all the publicity, negative or otherwise doesn’t change the fact. Remember American Juniors? I rest my case.