Last but not least: "Kid Nation" sucks

 In the USA, TV viewers are largely critical of a controversial reality show called "Kid Nation". In the series, 40 children aged between 8 and 15 live for 40 days without parents or teachers in a ghost town in the US state of New Mexico. What actually sounds like a child's dream - no nagging moms and dads, no school - is rather difficult for some. "I think I'm dying here because there's nothing at all," complained eight-year-old Jimmy in the first episode. The camera watched him as he lay on the floor crying from homesickness. In the end, Jimmy decided to leave the project. The other children continued with the sometimes hard work - from building wells to cleaning toilets. In the run-up to the show, critics had accused the producing broadcaster CBS of exploiting children and violating the protection of minors. The TV critics are not enthusiastic for other reasons: the show is simply boring. "Watching the show was as much fun as looking after tired children who have eaten too many sweets," said The Boston Globe newspaper after the launch on Wednesday evening. The show seemed like a real world monitored by invisible adults, said the New York Times. The children would probably be better off at scout camp than being burnt out in a Big Brother format in the desert.