(S01E05) Is it me or was there really not much to get up in arms about this week on Kid Nation? No killed animals, no steer taunting, no religious rivalry, no bullying. What's this show coming to, eh?Well, there was a smattering of bad behavior, but we're talking kids here. Some of these kids could be teensy adults, y'know. A lot of them certainly are more worldly than I was at their ages. And, the show reminded me that I should really study up on the chronological order of US Presidents. I definitely know the ones in my own lifetime, but I surely would put Taft in the wrong place.
Of course, there's nothing like a good old-fashioned food fight to start off a show! While I was surprised that they didn't show the after the mess clean-up and any accompanying bickering, it set the stage for an Olvia and Anjay showdown. No, not the show's showdown challenge. I'm talking about anti-Anjay sentiment which would play a role later in the show. Another foreshadowing of what to come was the kids brushing their teeth with what looked like Elmer's Glue and their fingers or rags. Ew.
Tonight's adult intervention in the form of a bogus journal from 1885 advised the town council leaders that there should be elections. I'm all for that due to a few reasons. The producers hand selected the current town council members. I personally think that Laurel is the only clear-cut leader of the four. Mike is too hyper and overly emotional or, as the kids would say -- emo. Anjay just isn't much of anything in the way of a leader although he seems like a smart kid. Then there's Taylor. She's adorable in the looks department and seems very smart. But spoiled and lazy leaders tend to have spoiled and lazy followers. Also, I think the kids on the town council deserve a shot at the gold star.Since each district could only vote for change within their own districts, it wasn't a huge free for all with many throwing their hats in the ring. In the green district, the kids are thinking along the same lines as I am -- they decided they want Laurel to remain their leader. But there's unrest and dissatisfaction growing in all three remaining districts.
Since the show can only focus on a small group of the kids each week, we haven't seen much of Guylan from the red district. He wants to go up against Mike. I believe they're about the same age but Guylan doesn't seem as emotional.He's quick to tell us he's been home-schooled and seems like yet another smart kid. I don't think they have any not smart kids on this show. Although he wants to win, he's taking an "I can take it or leave it approach." Mike is worried, very worried. As he should be, I thought.
In the yellow district, Taylor had to face her biggest critic ... Zach. She got with her little girl friends in the district and they made posters signed off with her motto -- deal with it. What is with this kid? Meanwhile, Zach would be a much more logical choice for a leader.
Olivia decided she would go up against Anjay in the blue district. Now, that's more like real politics. Who's the lesser of two evils? Or, more accurately, who's the more of the lesser? I like Olivia, but she has a smugness about her which would make it hard for me to support her. I think Anjay is more personable on the whole, though not a good leader and definitely shaken about the election.
Before they went to their town hall meeting, it was time for a showdown. The challenge was a good one for the kids, tying in with the town election. One at a time, they had to smash piñatas which were seeded with pictures of US Presidents. Once a team gathered seven pictures, the town council leader had to put them in chronological order. In the showdown, I thought we got the best line of the night from Kelsey (Taylor's friend) as she referred to Zach -- "George W. Bush isn't smart at all, but he won two times in a row." Heh. From the mouths of babes!
Yellow won upper class again. Although it doesn't help with Taylor's aversion to work, the kids will eat better with the red district cooking. Green took second place, making them the merchants. I'm so glad they didn't get laborers once again. Blue will be the lower caste ... er, laborers.
I'd like these kids to just go for the fun and silly choice one time! They had a choice between a BBQ party or dental hygiene supplies. The town council chose the latter despite the majority wanting the feast. Nothing against dental hygiene, but if they cut down on the root beer quaffing and candy buying with their wages they might not have as many issues with teeth. I'm just sayin', you know.
In between the showdown and the town council, we saw Taylor's campaign sign created by Kelsey (I think) destroyed by Markelle. I personally thought the pogo-sticking atop it was a nice touch, but it was wrong for him to do it. However, the situation once again put Greg in a better light as he comforted her.
Mike, still not totally sure of Greg and bearing his grudge from the first day, was reluctant to award him the gold star. I was a bit surprised that Taylor didn't say too much in opposition to Zach being awarded it. But in the end, the kids on the council voted for Greg. He was thrilled -- it's the only money he has for college so far. I think the money and his appearance on this show are going to really affect his life in a very positive way.No one gave me a $20,000 gold star or I wouldn't have had to pay back those college loans years ago! Where is MY gold star? This isn't my beautiful car, this isn't my beautiful wife.
Ahem.
In the elections, only Laurel had an easy time of it. Anjay, who worried so much that he was shaking and freaking out a bit, easily won over Olivia 7-3. Like I said, it had to do with likability -- she might be a better leader than him, but he's more personable in the long run.
The real drama came with the red district's vote. Uh-oh. Mike was the only vote for himself. Well, I assume he voted for himself. Guylan carried the rest. As someone cried out, "Ouch!" Mike had been worried, but he had no idea the vote would go down that way. He cried a bit, but gathered himself and recovered.
Then came the moment we all -- or many of us ... okay, I was -- waiting for. Ding dong, the witch is dead! Zach is the new council leader for the yellow district! Well deserved, I say! He shouted, "The reign of Taylor is over! Viva la revolucion!" Now he's beginning to remind me of my college days when we thought we were all revolutionaries. Although this image doesn't show it, Taylor actually took it pretty well. Judging by the promos for next week, she might just remain a problem child. Two of her five girl friends in the district voted for her, so she still has a posse.
Jared didn't get enough air time this week. Yeah, they showed him quite a bit. But the kid has to talk. He's my one-liner king of kids. Fix that next week, CBS.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-17-2007 @ 11:55PM
Joseph Land said...
Zach for President! I loved the promo spot where you hear him say "If you don't do your job you won't get paid" makes me like the kid even more.
I'm loving this show. I don't partake in much reality TV but this one is an exception.
A few things; I think Mike got one more vote besides himself, Olivia could stand to learn from some of the others on losing gracefully, and I'm all for the kids picking the "fun" option one of these days (How much do they use the microwave?) but the dental stuff was a good choice.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the new upgraded council does. Anyone else notice that the other council members all seemed to be rooting for Zach as well?
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10-18-2007 @ 2:49AM
Brent McKee said...
The other Council members hoping for Taylor to lose is the biggest non-surprise of all - they're the ones who have to deal with her close up day after day after day. I really don't care much for Olivia or Anjay, but I really liked Mike. His attitude is a lot more proactive than Guylan's.
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10-18-2007 @ 5:22AM
royce said...
Although I understand why Guylan won over Mike, I was pretty sad for Mike that he got such a crushing defeat. Taylor deserved to be off the council, but she only lost by one vote, Mike only got one vote. I felt bad for him.
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10-18-2007 @ 7:15AM
bob said...
What does the council do? Sure they award the star, and the prize, although Taylor sure seems to get her way on that. Mike wanted the food, smart boy! But I don't see what the council does more than that. Maybe they do more and we don't see it, but it would be nice to see. I'd like to see the council presented with issues, and then make decisions; that would be more real than what we see each week.
I like Mike! I felt bad for him tonight: "What did I do wrong," he sobbed. Mike is emotional, sensitive and passionate; maybe not a great leader, but who is at 11 years old. Now we will see Mike's character as he handles his new situation; he will do fine, work hard, and be the good kid he is.
I miss Michael's speeches, why is he so quiet now? He's one of the few kids I see with a smile, he seems to be having a good time, while the others struggle along. I wonder if Mike and Michael are friends? Mike could use the encouragement Michael gives.
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10-18-2007 @ 7:20PM
Ian said...
Guylan is a BOY? I thought this whole time that he was a she...
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10-18-2007 @ 7:33AM
mrkorb said...
Can you imagine if this was Survivor? Taylor would be throwing down hellfire upon her girlfriends as she ranted about how one of them betrayed her. I'd love to see what kind of tantrums she'll throw in her rebellious teen years.
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10-18-2007 @ 8:24AM
charles said...
I've never watched the show, but I have to ask: why do all the photos make the show look like some 1980s British post-nuclear-apocalypse true-to-life movie?
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10-18-2007 @ 9:38AM
bob said...
Guylan is a boy? I thought Guylan was a girl; that lad needs a decent haircut.
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10-18-2007 @ 10:09AM
KNFan said...
Yes !! "Viva La Revolucion !!" !! Ding - Dong The Witch Is Dead? And all that good stuff. Good show, I thought. Love to see these kids faced with grown up situations and how they "deal with it," as Little Miss Taylor would say. :-) I'm glad the election it went down the way it did. Although I think I would have loved to have seen Anjay maybe being thrown off the council by Michael.
Speaking of Michael, I too wondered about why he wasn't more prominently featured. And why was he the one who didn't vie for a seat on the council. Could it be that he is secretly wanting that gold star and wants to be eligible to win it? If he didn't already. I don't remember.
I mean, if anyone, I thought Michael was the natural politician of the group -- the way he would make earlier speeches about how they all have potential, and how the crowd reacted wildly positive to them.
Oh well. Can't wait to see next week. I love this show !!
-- KNFan
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10-18-2007 @ 10:22AM
RC said...
If I was 9 or 10 I could easily go 40 days without brushing my teeth. I would have picked the meat. But then again I also would have picked pizza over the microwave and golf over books. What is wrong with these kids?
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10-18-2007 @ 10:26AM
bob said...
Michael won a gold star the second show. Michael is an encourager, a peacemaker; he didn't want to run against the green leader. He's one of the few, if only, kid who smiles.
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10-18-2007 @ 10:43AM
Isabelle Carreau said...
I actually clapped when Zach won over Taylor! Yellow District needed someone who would actually lead them and help make the town a better place. The downside to this though is that Zach can't win a gold star now that he is a council member. I wish there a prize for council members since they are not eligible for the gold star plus have to make some though decisions here and there.
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10-18-2007 @ 12:08PM
sherry said...
these kids make a lot of adults look stupid!!! as young as they are they actually try to get along well and when given the opportunity for instant gratification or long term results they make the decision which helps them long term. these days not many adults can make a long term decision, their worried about whats in it for them right now. at first i was apprehensive about this show with the negative publicity but it has turned out to be a great show and something alot of adults as well as kids can learn from.
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10-18-2007 @ 1:28PM
Becky said...
This is a great show and wonderful reviews, Jackie! I agree, Taylor is a beautiful child -- on the outside. She needs to be encouraged to be beautiful -- or at least better looking on the inside. The qualities of a good leader include accepting responsibility and being a good role model for others. Taylor did not exibit those traits. She did not do the job (cook) that she was supposed to do. She refused to do it. Good for Zack for telling her, you don't work, you don't get paid!
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10-18-2007 @ 1:30PM
BC said...
In seeing the previews I assumed everyone would vote, not just in your district. If the whole town had voted on whom the 4 leaders would be then it would have been different election in my opinion.
Taylor needed to replaced and she was. Zach is the better leader of that group. If the whole town had voted this would have been a landslide loss and EVERY KID would have wanted to oppose her. Zach also was the one that told Taylor the order to put the Predisents in that allowed Yellow to win. Of those in Yellow, he is the best one!
Anjay should have lost to anyone and I was surprised he won to be honest. He is not a leader. Olivia is not much better but she would have been a change. If it had been open elections Anjay would have lost easily also in my opinion. Why did Greg not run for the Blue District? He is the hardest worker, and although he is unliked by some because of past actions it seems he has changed -- to me he would have probably won. His own team would know how hard he works and his actions in the bunk house, so he would have probably won over Anjay.
Mike should not have lost based on what the cameras have shown us -- obviously this Gunyan kid is liked by the others or Mike is hated. I agree with Mike in his: "What did I do wrong?" comment. I think Mike should have spoken up to his district that he was over-voted on the BBQ since that was what he wanted (Taylor & Laurel wanted dental hygiene stuff and Anjay never really said anything). That may have saved him. Another thing was that Mike was the one that did the Presidents by himself while one of the kids told him to switch 2 of them but he ignored them -- and he was right. He should have brought up that point also to his voters!
Laurel ran unoppsed, however there are 2 kids in her district that would have probably won if they had been allowed to run in an open electio: Michael and that other girl (name?). Both of them would be better on the council.
The big question: why did we not get a complete change in the teams also along with a change in the council? Personally I would have liked to see an "open" election and a redrafting of the teams, but....
One last question -- can you win 2 stars? (if not then whats to stop someone like Greg from working hard now)? Also can the council members win a star?
I don't know how its doing in the ratings do its an intersting show but I do feel like there are so many kids that I haven't see (like Gunyan) or know anything about.
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10-18-2007 @ 1:59PM
bob said...
I agree with the above; an open election would have been better. Once the caste system is in place it's hard to change. I wish they'd not divided the town into groups, no town is like that. The council does not have to follow the journal, or do they?
Michael is a great kid, but I think he likes his role as supporter. Mike shouts too much although I like him. He cares so much it hurts him I think. Mike? I'm with you here buddy, I don't know what you did wrong, hang in there.
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10-18-2007 @ 3:00PM
Ty said...
I was so happy, I was calling for Taylor AND Mike to be off and I'm glad they are off the council! Taylor was of course garbage, but so was Mike! His bias against Greg was ridiculous, and I'm glad the council gave Greg a gold star.
As to people wondering why Greg didn't run, it might be because he wanted a gold star. Once you are on the council, you can't get a gold star. Greg didn't know he was going to get it this week. In fact although I was hoping for it, I figured that a-hole Mike got his way and someone else ended up with the gold star. (Greg went above and beyond the call of duty when he comforted that one girl who was crying because those other guys ripped up posters).
I think people on the blue team are tired of Anjay, but Olivia is too annoying. Had someone else run, Anjay would have gone down.
But I have to agree, the council's makeup would have changed IF the voting was "city-wide."
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10-18-2007 @ 4:05PM
The Midnight Penguin said...
BC has many of the same questions I had - can you get 2 gold stars? Why weren't the teams reset/where were the open elections?
I'm waiting for the council members to start "trading" their members - I could see Zach going to the other leaders to try to get them to take Taylor off his hands.
I agree with people that Mike cares deeply, but I don't think that justifies leaving him as a leader. I personally would have voted against him myself. I think he was a bit whiny, but it didn't get as much attention because Taylor was a bigger "deal with it" queen. But the point that Mike wouldn't listen to his team and switch the order - regardless of the fact he was right - shows to me that he's not a flexible leader. He seems to me that he's convinced he's right all the time and there's not much room for opposition. He also seems that when he doesn't get what he wants he's the type to just go silent, ignore people, pout in the corner and cry, but in general be a detriment to the group. I can easily see him in a school project being overruled by the rest in his group and then refusing to help out for the rest of the project. I will give him credit for finally giving in and allowing Greg to win the gold star, but the fact that he was bull-headed enough all of the other episodes to refuse Greg his star (the chicken week should have been Greg's) overshadows that.
I haven't seen many other comments, but is everyone else noticing these last few weeks the amount of windburn the kids have? The chapped, bleeding lips? Some of the kids look like they've been beat up! Surely these kids would have vasoline/lip moisturizer provided by the producers. I can see why some claim cruelty, despite the fact that I disagree with them...I know that when I go camping I make sure to bring something for my lips/skin. Who knew New Mexico was going to be so cold!
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10-18-2007 @ 4:17PM
Excelsior said...
On a side-note here, I have an idea. Someone should take a screen capture of the regulars week by week and show the progression of the dirty faces, bruised lips, etc.
It also seems that there is no washing being done with the clothes. That place must smell rancid about now. And then the trailer for next week shows the disgust with the garbage at least. This is how many days in now? 16?
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10-18-2007 @ 8:45PM
H.G. said...
Everyone at my house thought Guylan was a girl too. Yes, he needs a new haircut! I felt sooo bad for Mike. Even if he ended up losing, it was crushing to have it be such a big loss. He's a good kid and I was proud to see him wipe his tears and be big about it handing Guylan the seat. The big moment: a BIG HOORAY for Taylor getting ousted! If I were her parents I'd be so embarrassed to see her behavior! Can you imagine her parents telling their family and friends, her teachers, to watch the show their child is featured on and have her behave that way? I'd be mortified!!!
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