The “reality” of Kid Nation? It was filmed half-hour away from a mall.

Published on September 19th, 2007

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.

That’s the hustle from CBS’s PR department. The series debuts tonight.

The reality? I can drive from the biggest mall on the South Side of Santa Fe to the Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch in about a half-hour. Here’s an article about a local mining history buff who did some consulting on the series.

It’s right next door to the Eaves Movie Ranch. You’ve seen a number of movies filmed in these “authentic” locations. Wyatt Earp and Silverado are among my favorite.

Do you think everything you see on YouTube is authentic and unstaged, too.

29 users responded in " The “reality” of Kid Nation? It was filmed half-hour away from a mall. "

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# 1 gquaglia said, on September 19th, 2007 at 7:02 am

Just more, mindless, network TV crap!

# 2 framitz said, on September 19th, 2007 at 7:07 am

Just more unreal reality crap that I will not watch.

The spam special on Court TV last evening was entertaining though.

That is except for the increasing frequency and number of commercials during the show. I never noticed it before, but they had a long bit of content before the first commercial, then the commercials became more and more frequent until the end of the program where the commercial time exceeded the time for the program. 38 minutes for a 60 minute show isn’t that unusual any more I guess.

# 3 Usagi said, on September 19th, 2007 at 7:14 am

*GASP* You mean something on TV isn’t what it appears to be?!?

Oh the humanity!

# 4 GigG said, on September 19th, 2007 at 7:38 am

You ought to read the “Participant Agreement” the kids’ parents have to sign. http://tinyurl.com/2agyhw (SmokingGun).

Here are the fun parts.

“Parents of minors starring in “Kid Nation,” the controversial new CBS reality show, signed away their rights to sue the network and the show’s producers if their child died, was severely injured, or contracted a sexually transmitted disease during the program’s taping.”

# 5 Matthew said, on September 19th, 2007 at 7:41 am

So? Who actually believes that it is a real “Californian gold rush town that has been deserted for a hundred years.” Do you think that the producers are that stupid?

I am awaiting the premier with great expectation.

Matthew

# 6 Gary Shell said, on September 19th, 2007 at 7:48 am

Hello, drive just about any direction from Santa Fe and where will you be? The middle of the desert.

Gary

# 7 mark said, on September 19th, 2007 at 7:50 am

“Do you think that the producers are that stupid?”

Uh, yes.

# 8 MikeN said, on September 19th, 2007 at 8:11 am

Half hour driving is still pretty far away by foot.

# 9 MikeH said, on September 19th, 2007 at 8:15 am

isn’t -everywhere- 30 minutes from a mall?

# 10 The Monster's Lawyer said, on September 19th, 2007 at 8:18 am

This show is a rip-off of the one I was pushing to FOX network.
My reality series had a group of children between 11 and 18 that would run a business in some big city like New York. They would try to compete in the real world of business. I called it “The Lord of The Files”. (insert rim-shot here)

# 11 Mister Mustard said, on September 19th, 2007 at 8:19 am

Oh groovy. Another reality TV show. Just one of the many reasons most people don’t give a fuck about high-definition technology. Who wants to watch a steaming pile of horse shit in high definition?

# 12 Usagi said, on September 19th, 2007 at 8:36 am

It has to be steaming or you wouldn’t watch.

# 13 iGlobalWarmer said, on September 19th, 2007 at 8:54 am

#11 – Like #12 said. You need HD to really see the steam.

They should have helicoptered the the kids out to an abandoned pirate ship in the middle of the Caribbean with some parrots and barrels of rum and filmed how they handled that.

ARrrgghhhhh!!!

# 14 mark said, on September 19th, 2007 at 9:02 am

13. Aye matey, send the laddies and lasses my way, we’ll make regular swabbies of the lot, and keelhaul the rest, Arghhhhh.

# 15 OhForTheLoveOf said, on September 19th, 2007 at 9:26 am

#11 – Just one of the many reasons most people don’t give a fuck about high-definition technology. Who wants to watch a steaming pile of horse shit in high definition?

A family of flies?

You hit the head with a nail there… There is nothing on TV that is improved with higher resolution, and the important channels (C-Span, news networks, and The Daily Show) are not impacted at all by increased resolution. Talking heads are still talking heads no matter how clearly you can see the pours in their skin.

# 16 James Hill said, on September 19th, 2007 at 10:48 am

I hope Gordon Ramsay shits all over these kids in the ratings.

# 17 bobbo said, on September 19th, 2007 at 11:01 am

0-Eideard–I don’t get it. Kids being signed away by their parents to be filmed for our entertainment and the worst you can post is that its half an hour from some mall? What impact does that have on the “reality”/staged nature of the show? Talk about irrelevant.

Not being into hypocritical pseudo snobbery, I’m looking forward to high def nature and science shows, and some of my favorite movies, and if you look at steaming horseshit in SD, I’m sure you will be looking at the same piles in HD.

# 18 OhForTheLoveOf said, on September 19th, 2007 at 11:20 am

#16 – I hope Gordon Ramsay shits all over these kids in the ratings.

I hope to continue going through life with no idea about who Gordon Ramsay is.

# 19 brucemlloyd said, on September 19th, 2007 at 1:18 pm

I’m convinced that no matter where you are in the US, you’re thirty minutes from a shopping mall.

# 20 god said, on September 19th, 2007 at 1:25 pm

#17 – the poopchute populist just discovered that parents exploiting their kids is the single greatest danger of the 21st Century.

Dude, that’s a basic premise of American life – whenever possible. Whether it’s Jody Foster or Brooke Shield or your friendly neighborhood Little League.

# 21 Angel H. Wong said, on September 19th, 2007 at 2:39 pm

Soft porn for pedophiles I say.

Expect a flurry of fanerotica of that show popping in places web sites like the Nifty Archives.

# 22 Mr. Fusion said, on September 19th, 2007 at 3:03 pm

Well, I figure if I ignore it then it will go away.

# 23 Glenn E said, on September 19th, 2007 at 11:08 pm

#11 – I agree with you Mr. Mustard. It confirms my theory of inverse Tv programming. As the visual technology improves, the actual quality of programming degrades. Can you image what it will end up being like when he get 3DTv? Well if the Star Trek TNG prediction about Tv comes true, there would be anymore Tv after the 21th century. I guess because we’ll all have our own holodecks, running Shakespear’s plays, or whatever else isn’t still copyrighted by then.

# 24 joshua said, on September 20th, 2007 at 1:58 am

Since I watch no network t.v……I could care less….what bothers me about this show is what I read on several news sites. This comes very close to violating several laws, child labour among them. I understand that AFTER the show was filmed and New Mexico started getting complaints they changed some laws that would now make the show illegal to produce in that state. The reason for New Mexico being used in the first place was because it didn’t have or had very lax child labour laws and contractual laws(for children) in place.

I’m becoming more and more convinced that this country(and others as well) are already on the down hill side of greatness, quickly heading for disaster. The stupidity and crassness of society here just mind boggling.

# 25 Lauren the Ghoti said, on September 20th, 2007 at 6:12 am

#15 – OFTLO

“There is nothing on TV that is improved with higher resolution…”

I can see you’ve never watched Veronica Mars.

“…and the important channels (C-Span, news networks, and The Daily Show) are not impacted at all by increased resolution.”

Those are new ones on me – what kind of movies do they show? Oh, I got you now – anything not factually informative is unimportant “entertainment”, something smart people have no interest in, right?

You need a little more Felliini and Ridley Scott in your life – and a tad less Brian Lamb…

# 26 James Hill said, on September 20th, 2007 at 7:45 am

#18 – Since you haven’t a clue about anything else, this shouldn’t be too hard for you to accomplish.

# 27 OhForTheLoveOf said, on September 20th, 2007 at 7:51 am

#25 – “You need a little more Felliini and Ridley Scott in your life – and a tad less Brian Lamb…”

You are barking up the wrong tree.

Jean Luc Goddard said, “Cinema is something you look up to and television is something you look down to.”

I took that to heart. Neither Scott nor Fellini have ever shot a frame I haven’t seen, but I see it on the screen or on DVD. TV is crap (except The West Wing, which I have on DVD).

# 28 OhForTheLoveOf said, on September 20th, 2007 at 10:42 am

#26 – With a gaping headwound and two tabs of LSD, I’m still smarter than you…

But now that I’ve wasted my time to learn that Gordon Ramsay is a celebrity chef, I’ll have two less brain cells to cure cancer with. Thanks dude. Cancer victims everywhere are going to curse your name.

# 29 zxevil164 said, on March 19th, 2008 at 10:16 am

ow5kf0 Cool, bro!

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