We introduce the concept of 'Kid Nation' through the lens of its controversial reception, including a campaign to have the show banned before it even aired. But how bad was it? We hear from one of the parents about their hopes for the show, and their daughter’s auditions and first few days. We’re left wondering: what have these kids signed up for? 
 For early access to Split Screen: Kid Nation episodes and to listen ad-free, subscribe to CBC's Stories channel here.

Episode 1: Dropped in the Desert

The controversial reality TV show known as ‘Kid Nation’, which borrowed its premise from Lord of the Flies, was cancelled shortly after its 2007 debut. Producers took 40 kids into a makeshift desert town to fend for themselves and create their own society. Was the series an opportunity to discover what kids are capable of? Or simply a ploy for ratings? 
 With access to former ‘Kid Nation’ contestants, their families, and the show’s creators, culture journalist Josh Gwynn uncovers how this cult TV show became a lightning rod for an ongoing debate about the ethics of reality TV. 
 Welcome to Split Screen, an examination of the utterly captivating, sometimes unsettling world of entertainment and pop culture. From reality TV gone awry, to the cult of celebrity, each season of Split Screen takes listeners on an evocative journey inside the world of showbiz. Ex-contestants, producers, and cultural critics uncover complicated truths behind TV’s carefully curated facades, and question what our entertainment reveals about us. Split Screen: sometimes reality is twisted.&nbsp;

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Negative portrayals left kids like Olivia traumatized whereas others, like Laurel and Anjay look back with fondness. How did being on the show affect the trajectory of the pioneers? And why does Kid Nation continue to strike a cultural chord?  
 For ad-free listening to Split Screen: Kid Nation episodes, subscribe to CBC's Stories channel here.

Episode 6: Reality Bites

After the chaos of the first few weeks life in Bonanza City stabilizes – but that doesn’t make for great TV. The former pioneers say that as the show wore on, the drama became more contrived, with plot-lines that saw kids portrayed as gambling addicts and anarchists, looting the town stores. It leaves us wondering whether Kid Nation could ever have lived up to its utopian premise? How do the former pioneers feel about it now? 
 For early access to Split Screen: Kid Nation episodes and to listen ad-free, subscribe to CBC's Stories channel here.

Episode 5: Anarch-Kids

The producers prompt the kids to confront adult themes, with a joint religious service and town hall elections. Through the introduction of politics and religion, we see how Kid Nation is a microcosm of the real world in 2007, where the shadow of 9/11 and the War on Terror looms large. 
 For early access to Split Screen: Kid Nation episodes and to listen ad-free, subscribe to CBC's Stories channel here.

Episode 4: Little People, Big Ideas

The kids are forced to navigate social hierarchies as producers introduce class, competition and warped financial incentives. Every few days, a team competition sorts the kids into four social classes: upper class, merchant, cooks and labourers. We ask what these themes reveal about America’s values and prejudices. 
 For early access to Split Screen: Kid Nation episodes and to listen ad-free, subscribe to CBC's Stories channel here.

Episode 3: Class War

Every reality show has a villain. In Kid Nation, that role was assigned to 15-year-old Greg Pheasant. Through multiple perspectives on Greg’s bullying, we explore whether kids were cast to perform predetermined roles. It raises questions about the different levels of agency these kids had in what was a high-pressure and high-stakes situation. 
 For early access to Split Screen: Kid Nation episodes and to listen ad-free, subscribe to CBC's Stories channel here.

Episode 1: Dropped in the Desert

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