It’s the new fall show that’s created the most controversy, with lots of child psychologists and other experts being quizzed by newspaper reporters about whether it was a good idea for CBS to put 40 kids into a New Mexico ghost town (actually a movie set) to create their own community and make their own rules. Come September 19th, viewers will be able to see how it all worked out. CBS has stood by the show all along, insisting that there were plenty of adults on the sidelines, including the camera crews, to ensure that no one got hurt. Unlike most reality shows, participants didn’t get voted off. But there were prizes, with one kid being voted by the others as the winner of the Gold Star in a town meeting at the end of each episode. That Gold Star, by the way, is worth 20K in real currency.
The questions posed by CBS: "In the end, will these kids prove to adults everywhere – and their own parents – that they have the vision to create a better world than the pioneers who came before them? And just as importantly, will they come together as a cohesive unit, or will they abandon all responsibility and succumb to the childhood temptations that lead to round-the-clock chaos?"
