Reality TV Meets Lord of the Flies?

I admit it: I’m a reality TV addict. Survivor … The Apprentice … The Amazing Race … I’ve watched them all (although The Amazing Race stresses me out). So it was only natural that the newcomer this season would pique my interest.

Kid Nation. I’ve heard it described as “Reality TV Meets Lord of the Flies,” but from what I’ve seen so far (and that’s not a lot, because I have to switch back and forth between Kid Nation and America’s Next Top Model, which is Hannah’s favorite), it isn’t quite that dramatic. In fact, like some other reality TV shows, Kid Nation is turning out to be a fairly accurate microcosm of real world society.

Now I realize that the term “reality TV” is an oxymoron. In fact, it’s more like “unreality TV,” because the reality is all in the editing. So to say a television show is a true reflection of society is risky, at best. But I do believe that a group of people, if left to themselves, will create an ordered (if not orderly) social structure, and these kids are no exception. Oh, they’ve had some help from adults, i.e. writers, directors, and producers, who wrote a competition into each episode to determine which groups would be the laborers, cooks, merchants, and upper class for the next week. But I’m getting ahead of myself….

If you haven’t caught Kid Nation yet, the premise is an old west town made up entirely of kids. The tagline is, “40 children, 40 days, no adults — eager to prove they can build a better world for tomorrow.” Here’s the idea, in a nutshell:

“Settling in Bonanza City, New Mexico, once a thriving mining town but now deserted, these kids, ages 8 to 15 and from all walks of life, will build their own new world, pioneer-style. They will confront grown-up issues while coping with the classic childhood emotions of homesickness, peer pressure and the urge to break every rule. Episodes end with a town meeting in which the kids award one child a gold star worth $20,000, all leading to the grand finale, with an unimaginable test, the biggest awards and a special surprise for every child.”

Kid Nation had its fair share of controversy, even before the first episode aired, and of course, the debate only served to further promote the show. Questions arose as to whether these children were abused by virtue of being without adult supervision. But there were adults on-site, and parents signed documents legally allowing their children to participate, so I concluded the only merit in the controversy was some really effective PR.


This week I was able to watch the entire show, uninterrupted by Tyra Banks and her models (Hannah was at the school Homecoming bonfire). The key issue in Bonanza City this week was religion, and it was simply uncanny how like adults these kids were acting, struggling to determine whether faith had a place in their new society.

The question of whether people of different religious backgrounds could worship as a whole was front and center (the answer was no), but ultimately a smaller, interdenominational group came together to pray. Another query that we deal with as adults stumped the children, as well: Why are we afraid to learn about different religions? And I was a little sad to hear some kids, clearly echoing the adults in their lives, say that they knew what they believed, so why did they even need to know about other religions? Some touted the separation of church and state, and it was pointed out, more than once, that entire wars have been fought over religion. I’m sure the children chosen to participate in Kid Nation were picked, in part, because of their diversity. They’re of different ages, races, and yes, religions. There were even kids who seemed to think they knew enough to be sure there is no God. Imagine a child atheist… On the other hand, one child posed what I thought was a pretty profound question: Did God bring them to Kid Nation for a reason?

One of the most surprising moments in the show came when, following the competition, the entire town got to choose between a huge putt-putt golf course, to be constructed in the middle of Bonanza City, or a stash of “religious books.” Amazingly they chose the books, and a group of them actually were filmed pouring over the Bible, the Torah, and other books later in the show. I confess that their choice made me wonder about the authenticity of this program. In fact, my son Ben just walked through the kitchen, and upon hearing what I was writing about announced, “It’s fake.”


Nonetheless, I thought it was an interesting show this week, and I appreciated the religious focus. After all, corporate worship has been the hub around which societies have revolved since the beginning of time. Why should a television community be any different?

Of course, ultimately it all comes down to this:

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. ~ Matthew 22:36-40