But I did see the commercial, and that was enough. The quivering child who sobbed that he wasn't old enough to do this made my heart sink.

I don't have kids... never wanted them, never will. But I do have a 7-year-old niece whom I love more than life itself. And I'd chew off my own limbs and feed them to a pack of rabid, starving wolves before I'd see her be put through anything like this show. Children are just not emotionally equipped for it. Geez, anyone who watches "Big Brother" can attest that most *adults* aren't equipped for it, either.

I type poorly.

"...what's the harm with the kids being on tv?"

They are working. They are being exploited by the network, the TV production company, and their parents, all for profit.

Try imagining Hollywood without the California Child Actor's Bill... kids working all hours, with no school, and their money going entirely to their parents, acting as managers. That's exactly what they did to these kids under old New Mexico child labor laws.

This is not camp any more than the Mickey Mouse Club was camp. These are children being money-makers for adults, and being told (along with their parents) that this is summer camp.

I find the entire operation one of near child abuse.

I stopped enjoying it when the 8 year old boy, sobbing so hard he could hardly breathe, said to the kindly older girl, "I think I'm too young to do this."

She was kind, but he wanted to go HOME. When he caved in and walked off with her he looked like a prisoner.

For shame. Nobody cared what he said, and he was right.

Shudder. Kids are cruel, amoral, and selfish little vats of need. Hardly wide-eyed innocents.

That really was priceless. I think I’m going to try that argument at home tonight :)

It seems odd to me that the people who have never seen the show hold such strong opinions. After seeing it myself I have a feeling all the news drama is going to completely die down as the kids seemed happy, excited and perfectly capable. It’s not Lord of the Flies. Not by a long shot.

And it’s totally obvious adults are present – the TV audience is just isn’t seeing it.

I guess I misunderstood then- what did you mean by If you're saying Mexican children are treated like this...well, I'm afraid you're right. ???

with all the pre-series nasty publicity, i, too, was determined NOT to watch yet another reality show, especially one touted to put kids in danger (somewhat).

but when i turned on the tv the other night, it was on CBS and kid nation was just coming on. okay, i said, i'll give it 10 minutes to see what the fuss is all about.

well, i kept watching after the 10 minutes because the children were incredibly engaging and excited by their forthcoming "adventure." it didn't hurt either (very clever, CBS) that commercials were held off until way into the show.

like all reality shows, it's the people i like to watch and the dynamics of the situations presented to them (duh), and this show actually felt a bit fresher than most.

i, too, began to develop favorites - sophia is simply a 30 year old intellectual in the body of a 14 year old. i wish i had her brain, initiative, and forthrightness when i was 14! it will be interesting to see how she continues to develop within the parameters of this show.

i also began to be annoyed by some - mike, one of the council members, for instance, seems to be all about mimicking who and how he thinks a "real man" should act. indeed, contrary to what is posted in this article, the confrontation with the older kid was instigated BY mike. mike was making a mess of trying to take the helm and getting the town meeting in order. the older kid came up to him and said something like "dude, you've got to get this under control."

whereupon small mike lifted his body up to the face of the 15 year old and essentially told him in a nasty gruff way to mind his own business. it was at that point that the argument escalated with neither backing down until the big kid left the room. and it was at that point that, sorry to say, i couldn't take much more of small mike.

OHHHHH, and how could you not have a wry smile on your face when the self-proclaimed "beauty queen" taylor haughtily announced "BEAUTY QUEENS DO NOT DO DISHES!"

okay, CBS, i'm hooked for one more show. but if dick from big brother shows up all bets are off.

---

-----

Cosine5000 asked, "...where did you seething hatrid of youth (life) come from?"

I wasn't the one who compared Mexican children to dogs and cats; micki777 did. She doesn't understand kids or the way people treat animals.

My "hatrid" (whom I thought was the half-giant Harry Potter hung around with) isn't mine, it's that of a popular culture who would create a shark tank and throw unsupervised little kids into it. You've obviously never been a kid or been around kids, and God bless babies like you who were decanted from cloning chambers.

And as for awesome-o, if it wasn't clear, I wasn't commenting on the nature of Mexican children, just about the absolutely wrong-headed micki777 calling Mexican children "cats and dogs" and thinking it a compliment. I wonder if she ever knew of Elmyra, the character from Tiny Toon Adventures who loved and hugged and squeezed fluffy little pets until they died. THAT is the nature of children, and too many "animal lovers." Instead of malaria, she's picked up some bizarre ideas from the water in Mexico, possibly due to her fear of American society.

I don’t watch a lot of TV and I didn’t plan to watch this show – but I was home and it was on and I did. I thought it was really good group dynamics. I loved the way the 4 kids that make up the council choose their respective teammates - they put a lot of thought into keeping friends together even if it meant all the big, troublesome kids were on the same team. Along those lines I’d very much expect that those gold starts get awarded to the other kids they know come from poor families (I believe they made reference to Sophia needed that money more then the other front runner they were considering). These kids really do think of themselves as representing all kids and they seem excited to do it right. I doubt you see the money grab you might see if this show was full of adults.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a reality show and thought I wanted to be on it. Mostly I’m just embarrassed for the people on them and they don't hold my interest. But if I was 9 years old I’d have done everything I could to be on this show. It looks like fun and it reminds me of being a kid.