The show hasn't even debuted yet, but there's already controversy (though we thought one might be coming).
A parent of one of the kids on the new CBS Survivor/Lord of the Flies reality show Kid Nation has filed a complaint with New Mexico officials saying that the kids on the show were neglected. She says that one girl had her face burned by hot grease (she was cooking) and that other kids needed medical help after accidentally drinking bleach.
Most of the kids and parents have said great things about the show since filming ended, but a couple of parents and kids are saying they wouldn't do it again and it was a lot of work.
In case you haven't heard, Kid Nation is about 40 kids who are left alone in a deserted New Mexico town (actually old movie sets) to see if they can join together and create a society from scratch. It premieres September 19 at 8pm.












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-18-2007 @ 2:31PM
tippy said...
If these parents and kids felt it was neglect and abuse and too much work, then why didn't they go home! From everything I read and have seen, all the kid had to do was raise their hand and leave. Something must have made them want to stay.
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8-18-2007 @ 3:44PM
Greg said...
Tippy
That issue is beside the point. Cbs had doctors on there. They should of sent him/her when the child got burned. They should of sent each kid to the hospital to have them checked out if they did drink bleach. Drinking bleach is harmful regardless of your age. I do not know how you can accidentally drink bleach. Bleach can cause death. Kids can not judge what is abuse and what is not abuse. They are to young or at least some are.
I think this is a bad show and should not be aired.
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8-18-2007 @ 3:47PM
lucyfan62 said...
Hmmmmm, what could have made them want to stay on a primetime TV reality show? Exposure? Money? Naahhhh. Oh wait, maybe it was exposure and money and the potential for long-term income based on appearing on a reality show. The people complaining obviously weren't the winners of the competition.
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8-18-2007 @ 4:14PM
shannon said...
In today's generation of video games and television I'm happy to see kids doing hard work. A little hard work never hurt anybody, and if these kids are complaining about it, then they probably needed it. Nobody forced these kids to sign up for this, so quit your complaining and be happy about this opportunity to experience something new.
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8-18-2007 @ 5:02PM
tippy said...
Greg,
I can assure that these kids were seen by the doctor immediatley upon each case. The mother was called and chose not to do anything then so why now? And I would have to agree with lucyfan62 on feeling that the parent of the girl that got burned is upset and going after CBS because she must not have won anything.
As far as the bleach, I have watched the news where children, unknowingly, drink chemicals in their own homes because a parent didn't put it out of reach. Is that abuse? No. Accidents happen in kids homes everyday, they happen at school, at parks, in sports, just about everywhere.
You think it should not be aired but I think it should. There are so many worse shows out there than this that exploit so much more than this.
To Shannon, you said it. My family can't wait for this show and hope that our kids can learn something from it.
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8-19-2007 @ 5:46PM
Gilbert0 said...
I just won't watch this show. I think its wrong to profit from these kids regardless if they knew what was in for them. I doubt it - judging from dumb adult reactions in past reality shows. Even shows like Survivor, where there have been a dozen seasons, show people who did not know what they were in for.
The season hasn't aired - how do we know that no one quit or went to the hospital or worse! It's not a good sign that a mother has already filled a complaint.
I think CBS has really jeoprodized their #1 staning this season. I'm not sure that any of their new shows will be hits and could likely draw audiences away.
If Kid Nation becomes controversally bad - And Viva Stupidy fails - CBS will no longer be the most watched network. And NBC is poised to gained. I'd be scared if I were Monvees.
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8-19-2007 @ 9:32PM
Denise said...
This show is like no other, to leave kids as the age of 8-15. No matter what, I just don't think that this show will last for the season. Who want's to watch children fend for themselves. Even the young ones. I think this show will wind up as Pirate Master, the sank with the ship. This show will blow away in the wind, as ghost town do.
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8-20-2007 @ 3:22PM
Irene Curiel said...
well money sure brings the parents out of the wood works huh? I mean the kids probably really enjoyed themselves but were scared of the hard work that it takes , But as usual the parents were not pleased.
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8-20-2007 @ 5:45PM
Brooks Williams said...
Isn't the point of the show to let kids try to make a community of their own by themselves? It's kind of stupid to complain about something that was stated in the premise.
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8-21-2007 @ 1:47AM
Linda said...
I CANNOT wait for this show to start!!!! My son (15yo) sent in his application and video for Kid Nation 2 in July and has already been contacted by the assistant casting director!! From the 4 minutes of video I have seen the "work" these children did was nothing more than what is done on a working farm every day. We laughed hysterically when one young participant said, "I'm a princess I don't do dishes!" UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!! No wonder our society's work ethic is going down the drain. People baby their children, give them whatever they want, do everything for them and then release them into society totally unprepared for the "real world" - NOW THAT'S CHILD ABUSE!!!!
My son is praying he is chosen so he can show the nation that there are kids who know what it takes to live on their own and be role model and helper for those who struggle.
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8-27-2007 @ 7:52PM
AngieSue said...
I have questions rather than comments. My primary question concerns the Contract (all 22 pages) that the parents of the minors signed. There seems to be an element of unconscionability throughout this contract. Did these people have the ability to understand the substance and/or obvious unilateral terms to this contract? Also, can this be a contract of adhesion, due to the unequal bargaining power between the parties? It just seems outrageous that a parent would accept these terms for a paltry $5,000, however, be willing to pay out $5 million for specified breaches. Did any of the parents have their own counsel, prior to signing the document?
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8-27-2007 @ 8:59PM
Lisa Curtis said...
I COMPLETELY agree with Irene. I am 29, grew up with horses, goats, ducks, etc. and I mucked out barnes, lunged the horses, trained them and I am still living. Survival of the fittest is what the world is about. Get a grip all you whining parents out there. Like I tell my daughter: What you want and what you're gonna get are two different things.
By the way, I got my first horse when I was 9 and my parents said "If you want one, you are gonna take care of it." And they meant EVERY word.
Life is work: Get used to it.
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8-27-2007 @ 10:09PM
amy said...
oookay, im a kid, and honestly, i wish our nation asked kids to do more work. we're all lazy and fat now, i have noproblem getting up and actually doing something with life. i wish i was on that show.
all the kids and parents had to sign forms too, to let them go on the show. so saying something went wrong is just cruel. i don't understand all this controversy!
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9-20-2007 @ 12:48AM
Luke said...
i watched the first episode and I am so glad those kids opted for the Outhouses as their town prize... Maybe those kids learned something afterall.
I did start to wonder, is it such a good idea to segregate kids by class/caste ie laborers, merchants, upperclass, and by color, blue group red group. I started to wonder how long it will take before one group starts to believe it is better than another group?
I suppose its an attempt to get kids to realize class issues in society?
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9-20-2007 @ 10:41AM
Gram said...
The frontal brain lobes of children, under the ages eighteen to twenty-one, are not developed; that's why children need continuous and ongoing parenting. Children simply do not have the global view of reality that fully developed frontal brain lobes provide. If children were adults with undeveloped brain frontal lobes, they would need to live in either nursing homes or group homes with adult supervision. The lack of good science and basic knowledge of the development of the brains of children, that this show displays, deeply saddens me. Whoever created this show's concept views children as very young, inexperienced, small adults with their frontal brain lobes fully developed. Lack of knowledge of the true science and basic development of children generally results in various degrees of abuse or neglect of them. I hope this show is not watched as protest against the blatant exploitation, at best, of children; not to mention the obvious and blatant abuse of their limitations.
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9-20-2007 @ 10:42AM
Cricket said...
Just watched the show last night with my hubby ~ LOVED IT!!!! Sorry, but it is NOT abuse. Many of the grown adults today (myself included) endured much more when we were growing up. This was a fantastic show / idea. We all could learn a lot more from those children. It was obvious that the kids chosen were all very intelligent kids - they were carefully chosen, and were allowed to leave anytime they wanted. No matter what problems some of them had getting along with one another, they were right there to support each other when one of them got homesick and didn't think they could make it through the 40 days. I'm sure there were MANY adults and professionals supervising in the background and ready to step in at any given time should an emergency arise. Yes, the kids stumbled a bit in the first week or so and had to rough it until they got the hang of cooking and self-dicipline - but isn't that what life is about? I found the show to be endearing and I would be proud to be the parent of any one of them.
Viewers MUST keep in mind - The children were allowed to go home any time - they were not made to stay if they didn't want to. Please give the show a chance. Kudos to little Jimmy who realized that this just wasn't his thing at this time. And Kudos to all the children for rallying around him to support him in his decision. No matter what the reasons were for the parents who signed their children up for this show - the children in the end will take with them many of life's lessons. Lessons that many American adults today have yet to learn. My daughter is all grown up now, but she's a well adjusted 25 yr old who has a good job and just bought her first home. She knows the value of a dollar because she's been working since she was 15 yrs. old. When she was 8 yrs. old, she set up her own business making bracelets and sold them in the neighborhood to buy the things she wanted. C'mon people, lighten up a little.
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9-20-2007 @ 10:50AM
Cheyenne said...
I watched this show last night athrough
I agree that kids need to work more
I digree with this show.These children
could easyly be hurt as I noticed the
younger ones own the right to cook .
That stove dosn't look to safe.They could
burn down the hole place and everyone
with them.If kids were meant to have their
own nation they weren't live with adults to
look after them.I think most of these parents
are after fame and money and are using their
kids to get it.
Their is no way I want to be away from child
for fourty days and have no contract with them.
These kids are being put at rish so the american
public can has something to watch on their T.V.
It's not worth it if you ask me.
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9-20-2007 @ 10:52AM
melanie bouton said...
I do think this is rough on the kids especially the very young ones however I also think that our children in our country are too soft and too coddled and not much demand is made upon them. I think this is a terrific program and perhaps this will give many kids watching a sence of value and incentive. I do want to also say that If there are no adults around then who is doing the filming? What about that man who also keeps coming back?
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9-20-2007 @ 11:47AM
Shannon said...
While showing kids doing hard work is a good thing, it is never a good thing to show kids that have no guidance. As we can see from the current media frenzy, what happens to kids with little or no guidance. As a mom, I know that it takes many years to raise children and as an adult they will make decisions that we hope will be the best. But to have a show that gives the appearance (because we know that there was much parental involvement because that would be illegal if not) it sends the wrong message that children are like or comparable to adults. The reality of it all is that all we see on television is make believe and that is what we as a society should try to teach our kids and focus on good values and morals
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9-20-2007 @ 2:08PM
Nancy said...
Lets see now....it just wouldn't be America if SOMEONE didn't sue someone regarding an issue on the show. As a parent, I am sure there were a pile of forms and contracts to be signed. If you as the parent were SO concerned about your child potentially being hurt, then you shouldn't have let your child go on the show.
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