• Split Screen: Kid Nation

  • By: CBC
  • Podcast

Split Screen: Kid Nation By cover art

Split Screen: Kid Nation

By: CBC
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  • Summary

  • 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.

    Copyright © CBC 2024
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Episodes
  • Split Screen: Kid Nation | Trailer

    Split Screen: Kid Nation | Trailer
    Apr 4 2024

    What happens when 40 kids, ages 8 to 15, spend 40 days without parents in the desert? Split Screen: Kid Nation explores the aftermath of the 2007 reality show Kid Nation. Coming April 17, 2024, wherever you get your podcasts.
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    2 mins
  • Episode 1: Dropped in the Desert

    Episode 1: Dropped in the Desert
    Apr 17 2024

    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.
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    36 mins
  • Episode 2: Kid Casting

    Episode 2: Kid Casting
    Apr 24 2024

    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.
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    35 mins
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