The Kids Are Alright

I've not written about Kid Nation until now because I'm still a bit on the fence.

First, Hollywood was all against it. That made me like it straight away. Hollywood doesn't like reality programming because the writers don't care for a tv genre that's making them obsolete.

Second, I'm generally in favor of any show that starts with the premise of stranding 40 kids in the Middle Of Nowhere, New Mexico. I wanted a consult though because I've been keeping a list for some kids in my neighborhood who they should have taken. Come back to us Uncle Shelby.

Third, when parents are up in a hizzy about what happened to their wannabe actor/children/mealtickets, you've got to like that as well.

I'm still holding out hopes that some one's head is going to wind up on a stake. Hope I didn't ruin anything for anyone there.

But the show really doesn't have that much action. Sure they manufacture conflict just like every show. There are wacky challenges that make the kids do crazy stunts. Is every reality show just a bigger version of Super Sloppy Double Dare?

And it's not really reality. Reality is reality. TV isn't reality by any stretch of the imagination. The big kids pick on the littler kids. Anyone with an older sibling could have predicted that. They have a cash award each show that everyone sucks up to win. Who saw sucking up coming? Some kids are lazy. Some kids seem very mature.

They claim there are no adults. Unless you count that lame host who keeps ringing bells and handing out instructions and tasks. Don't hassle me, man! And you know there are about a zillion adults in the form of PA's and Cameramen and Medical Staff and Craft Services and a phalanx of attorneys. So there's very little chance that a true kid riot and insurrection will break out. They've got at least a skeleton of a town with bathrooms and a kitchen and the like. It's not like their going to be called upon to do any power supply repair.

But I'm hoping for something like the final parade scene in Animal House or the ESPN Y2K test commercial.

So I'll probably just get a Season Pass for this until Celebrity Medical Exams or Parrot Trooper comes on. After that it'll just slowly expire in my to do list....