Kid Nation - Episode 6

Day 17. The new council walks out to the church to ring the morning bell and read the next installment of the pioneer journal. Taylor, deposed by Zach last episode as leader of the Yellow team, actually gets out of bed. Has she changed her lazy-ass ways? Is she going to get an early start on the day’s work?

As if. Taylor and her supporters (down to 2, Leila and Kelsey, from the 4 she had in last week’s council election) stomp out to the church, Taylor screaming at Zack, “Stop ringing the bell.” Cut to Taylor telling the camera, “I’m getting Zack back for all the pressure he put on me.”

Shots of the town. After two weeks it, in DK’s words, “is like a garbage dump.” And he’s right. Rat infested piles of rotting food lay close by the kitchen, dirty dishes harden on the ground, litter is strewn everywhere.

Back inside the church: the journal advises the council to clean up the “Bonanza City Trash Bin,” which isn’t a bin at all – just the space between the mess hall and whatever building is next door. The council decides they’ll need to get a couple of people from each team to have enough manpower to load the refuse on their two-wheel carts, haul it out of town and bury it. Workhorses Greg, Blain, DK and Michael are obvious choices. You know, while it’s easy to complain about the wildness of young males, society has no qualms about targeting them to do its dirty work, from being garbage men to being soldiers.

Laurel suggests putting Taylor on the garbage detail. The other councilors agree gleefully. At the town meeting the citizens cheers when Taylor and Leila are selected.

The garbage detail assembles at the bin and sets to work. Within minutes Taylor has convinced Leila to run away and hide with her. But something interesting happens: Taylor runs, but Leila walks, head down, slowly, reluctantly. Is Taylor going to eventually isolate herself totally? Might be the only way she’ll be forced into doing some self-examination.

DK gets some more camera time, bemoaning Taylor’s attitude. Is this episode going to be the DK show?

The garbage detail, sans Taylor and Leila, hauls the garbage out of town and starts digging. As a new council member, Guylan wants to impress everybody by really working hard. And WOW! What a twist! Did the producers suck us in or what! Guylan, of the glorious mane of super-curly, shiny, jet-black hair and a face that reminds me of one of my old girl friends, is a BOY!

Guylan is given a shovel and sets to work. Seems nobody knows you use spades, not shovels, to dig hard packed earth. Poor kid can’t do what he thought he could and caves in emotionally.

More of DK, being reasonable and helpful – this time by comforting Guylan.

With the garbage buried, Laurel and DK discover the water tank is empty. The councilors confront Taylor and tell her that as punishment for deserting the garbage detail, she now has to fill the tank. While it is a job that no 10 year old could do alone, Taylor doesn’t even try. She brings back two pales of water, sets them down in the middle of the street, calls Zack to make sure he’s watching, tips the pales over, says, “oops, my bad,” and walks away.

After a commercial it’s back to the councilors confronting Taylor once again. The situation escalates, with Taylor screaming at the others that they are not her parents. The constant confrontations are starting to wear on DK, whose disposition as a natural peacemaker is being sorely tested.

DK gets a large group together and they fill the water tank. It is the DK show, and he’s doing great.

Show down time. A huge frying pan-shaped tank, filled with 1600 gallons of beans and a dozen or so live pigs. Sunken in the pork and beans are tin cans in the team colors. The challenge is to get your cans out of the slop and into garbage cans. If at least 75 cans are gathered in 15 minutes, the town gets the usual choice of a luxury or a necessity prize. Final results; Red – Upper Class, Green – Merchants, Yellow – Cooks, Blue – Laborers. Plus, they collectively get over 75, meaning they win the town prize. The choice: fresh fruits and vegetables or 2 beautiful go-cart size dune buggies.

Once again, the councilors make the decision based on what the town needs – the fruits and vegetables – rather than choosing the fun prize. But, truth be told, this decision was an easier one than some of the previous choices. The kids are vitamin-starved and they go at the fruits and veggies with gusto.

Next morning the teams convene and their leaders divide up their new duties based on the results of the show down. Zack, leader of the Yellows who are once again the cooks, assigns dish duty to Taylor and Leila. And once again, Taylor convinces Leila to desert. DK watches them go, pained.

This time the girls try to do other work (making fruit salad), but Zack isn’t buying it. He lets them know that as long as they refuse to do the work they are assigned, they won’t be getting paid. Laurel tells him, “Good job.”

Another shot of DK trying to get others to help. We get a monologue from him and he is worn out. That night he talks to Zack about how fed up he is and how much fun he’s used to having with his family.

The councilors meet to decide who gets the gold star and are unanimous – it goes to DK.

Town Hall meeting time. The host asks Mike and Taylor what it’s like to not be a councilor. Mike admits he misses the power. Taylor replies, “It’s been a big relief from all the pressure off your chest. It’s like, now I can just work normal like a boy or a girl here.” Much as VPTV dislikes clichés, the phrase “unmitigated gall” seems Taylor made for the occasion. The town laughs in her face. Their frustration comes to a boil when Taylor once again promises to “try” and change. Michael yells, “Don’t try to change – just change.” The yelling gets on DK and he over does the negotiator bit for once, telling the others that trying is all she can do. Hey DK – this whole episode you’ve watched her not try. Wake up there, guy.

When the question, “Does anybody want to go home?” is asked, DK raises his hand. He breaks into tears as he tells the town he can’t take the constant arguing. The town is shocked. Guylan asks to speak to him in private. He convinces DK the town needs him. They return to the meeting and DK announces he’ll give it another shot. Cheers and hugs all around. DK gets the $20,000 star and we’re done for Episode 6.