Parent’s on the other hand got to send their kids to the ultimate summer camp for FREE! Do you know how much a summer camp costs? The camp I went to — it’s over 5,000 per summer.

And finally, yes there are reasons CBS choose New Mexico. Obviously they were skirting some labour laws. They should have been far more upfront about their intentions with this show. That in the end, may be their undoing.

And B I’m sorry, but I think its bad parenting to leave your child under the “care” of other kids and camera crews for any amount of time. CBS has essentially admitted that in most states they wouldn’t have been able to get away with this which is why they filmed where they did. I respect your right to make a choice for your child, but check back in with us months and years from now before you claim there have been no damages.

My main concern is the aftermath. TV, especially reality TV likes to paint characters as well, characters. On most reality TV shows there’s the dumb one, the evil one, the lazy one, the leader, the annoying one… etc.. You would hate to see the show portray the kids in a negative light, and have that haunt kids for the rest of their childhood. That said, I have faith that CBS and the producers are not that stupid and will only paint the kids in the most positive of light.

I actually think the concept of the show sounds interesting, and if the kid wants to do it, then it could just be like a really weird summer camp. It’s not ACTUALLY Lord of the Flies, because I very much doubt that the network would let the kids dance around a pig head or crush another kid with a boulder. There ARE still people around to make sure nobody dies.

However, when I read the NYT article about the show (“Kid Nation Parents Gave Show Free Reign) I was both disturbed and amused with the following passage that was apparently in the contract:

“Good TV Inc. and Magic Molehill Productions, retained the rights to the children’s life stories “in perpetuity and throughout the universe.” And that right includes the right to portray the children either accurately or with fictionalization “to achieve a humorous or satirical effect.””

I interpreted this to mean that the company had the right to write about the children at a future date in their life any way they pleased, beyond the life of the show (ie, could portray them when they were teenagers). Am I wrong about this? Do they just retain the right to control/edit the content of the show? Because if they had the right to write/show whatever they wanted about these children throughout these children’s lives, that would be some scary amount of control (and the kids couldn’t even escape it by leaving the planet!)