When the news about “Kid Nation” started to come out around its September premiere, one of the items always mentioned was a complaint filed by Janis Miles, a Georgia mother, alleging child abuse on the set of the reality show.
Her daughter Divad was splattered with grease while cooking potatoes. Thanks to the magic of television, America is finally starting to see how this story unfolded and understanding why Janis Miles got so upset. And it had nothing to do with grease splatters.
In the past two episodes, Divad has become a somewhat prominent character. A few of the kids have been ever-present since the show started, but some, like Divad, only pop up when they play a big role in what’s going on that week. I had wondered for a while if we would ever see her because of her mother’s complaints.
When we meet Divad, she’s trying to make money. Not a bad idea because other kids have done it in other episodes, but she’s trying to make money by selling food that is available for free in the town’s kitchen. One of the older girlspoints out that fact to Divad, but she seems unmoved.
And, of course, some of the food she is selling are the potatoes that she was frying up when she got burned. So, theoretically, if Divad hadn’t tried to make money selling food that should have been free, she wouldn’t have been burned.
Then there is the issue of the gold star. Each episode, the town’s leaders vote on one kid to get a solid gold star, which is worth $20,000. Or that’s what they say – I wonder if fluctuating markets will raise or lower the value but that’s another story for another day. Divad really, really, really thinks the council should award the gold star to one particular kid.
Divad.
She has campaigned relentlessly. Yes, campaigned. She made signs, which really didn’t go over well with other kids in town. The reward is supposed to go to the hardest worker or most supportive kid, not the one who promotes themselves.
In one of those interview segments where the kids talk about what’s on their mind, Divad said she’d do anything to help the town. Greg, the oldest and biggest kid there, overheard her and told her she could haul some water if she wanted to help. She told him she wouldn’t do that, she only did things that helped the whole town, which kind of confused Greg since more water would help the whole town.
Anyway, like I said in a previous Kid Nation post, I don’t like bashing kids, but they are products of their environments and Divad and her mother seem to think that they lost out on the $20,000 gold star (I’m sure she never swayed the council) and Janis filed a complaint to try and get back at the producers.
Right or wrong, those producers have the last laugh and are showing us what kind of kid you are raising, Janis. And I think we all agree with the kids who saw right through her act.