Approximately 40 finalists (the final number of which will be determined by Producer) will be selected as contestants to participate in this program. Filming is presently scheduled to occur sometime between October - December 2007 at a location to be announced.

Prizing:
Each episode ends 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.

lildago - I thought I'd read it somewhere.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/televis... nation_N.htm (link not working)


Quote:
For CBS reality show Kid Nation, the controversy may have been too big and the ratings too small.

Kid Nation (tonight, 8 ET/PT) asked 40 youths to build their own society in a New Mexico ghost town. But the show faced heavy criticism before it was broadcast, fueled by allegations that the show didn't properly care for the children, ages 8 to 15. (The New Mexico attorney general isn't pursuing an inquiry.)

Controversy faded once Kid Nation aired, but the reality series hasn't mustered much buzz or viewership, placing third in its time slot with 7.7 million viewers.

Tonight's season finale will try to go out with more of a bang, offering gold stars worth $50,000 each to three of the young "pioneers" and promising "one last heart-wrenching surprise."

CBS hasn't decided whether to renew the show, but Horizon Media analyst Brad Adgate doesn't think chances are good unless a prolonged writers' strike increases demand for more unscripted shows.

Kid Nation was hurt by the early controversy, says executive producer Tom Forman, who is casting for a possible second edition. "It's not the kind of buzz you want to launch with."

Once Nation premiered, Forman says it attracted a dedicated following among young viewers and families. "I'm very proud of this show and very proud of the kids," he says. "It's a family show. At the end of the day, it makes you feel very good."

CBS alternative-programming chief Ghen Maynard acknowledges the ratings difficulty but says Nation met the network's content goal: "to do shows that touch people are (are) about something. I thought the storytelling was terrific and the casting was fantastic."

Randi Buchanan, 12, of Sparks, Nev., left early because she was homesick. She calls Nation "a great experience" and wishes she had stayed the full 40 days.

"It was a great challenge — and hard," she says, recalling tasks that included cooking, cleaning, washing dishes and doing laundry. "It teaches people it's not all about sleeping and being lazy. You've got to work."


Kid Nation Makes Little Racket, After All - TV Decoder - Media & Television - New York Times Blog


Quote:
CBS’s controversial reality series “Kid Nation” went out with a whimper on Wednesday, with a fourth-place finish in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic.

The finale averaged a 2.2 rating and a 6 share in the 18-to-49 demographic, but garnered enough viewers (7.4 million) for a second-place finish among total viewers.

A 2.2 demographic rating was just about average for the series, which premiered amid a scandal in September but quickly lost momentum. The series dispatched 40 children to the New Mexico desert to build a community without adult supervision (except for the show producers of course). Before the series debuted, concerns were raised about child-labor issues, although New Mexico did not pursue charges in the matter.

“Kid Nation” dispatched 40 children to the New Mexico desert to build a community without adult supervision. (CBS)Advertisers were initially wary of the reality show, but quickly warmed to the concept, even as ratings slipped, Edward Wyatt reported in October.

Tom Forman, the executive producer, believes the program was hurt by the early controversy. “It’s not the kind of buzz you want to launch with,” he told USA Today earlier this week.

CBS hasn’t said whether Wednesday’s “Kid Nation” was the season finale or the series finale. There is a chance — perhaps just a slim chance — that the series could return for a second season.

In September, Bill Carter reported that CBS had “already held some casting sessions for new children.” But any plans for a second season “could be complicated by a new wrinkle: CBS cannot be sure it will be able to find a state whose laws will accommodate the show’s format,” he noted.