Reality TV shows are as popular now as they've ever been, ranging from immersive scenarios like Survivor to talent competitions like AGT. Years ago, there was a reality show that applied immense pressure to a group of unsuspecting kids to form their own society without their parents. Called Kid Nation, the series put its 40 young participants through the wringer on camera, and former contestant Daniel Kyri – who now stars on NBC's Chicago Fire as a series regular– was among those who opened up about the experience on Vice TV's Dark Side of Reality TV.
If you missed Kid Nation when it aired back in 2007, the series was set up as a Lord of the Flies 2.0 with a group of 40 kids between the ages of 8 and 15 left to their own devices in the New Mexico desert. Anybody who has read William Golding's Lord of the Flies or watched the film adaptation of the book might have their doubts about the premise right off the bat, and it certainly didn't go well for the children during filming or as the episodes actually aired on CBS for people to watch.
In an exclusive clip (seen above) from the Dark Side of Reality TV episode about Kid Nation that airs on September 17 in the 2024 TV schedule, Daniel Kyri speaks about when he was ready to give up on the competition and go home. That's certainly not all he has to say on the subject, however, as he went on to share with CinemaBlend:
The 15 minutes of fame in the aftermath of the show was really life-altering for me, especially being in a place like Chicago while the show was airing. The experience of walking downtown with my Mom at like 14 and having a mob of kids start pointing and whispering and asking for pictures… that was pretty shocking to me.
Just because 2007 was a time before TikTok and Twitter/X becoming what it is today doesn't mean that Daniel Kyri didn't have to endure the infamy of Kid Nation. Unfortunately for the then-teen, kids weren't the only ones targeting him for criticism during those fifteen minutes of fame. He went on:
Also, I think the general public’s reactions surprised me in a lot of ways. I remember reading stuff online about myself and the other participants. A lot of stuff was really unkind, which was nuts because these were grown adults talking trash about a bunch of kids who may or may not have come off in a less-than-ideal light in the final edits of the show that made it to air.
The "reality" of certain reality shows being skewed due to edits is seen as a problem by fans and competitors in the genre nowadays, nearly twenty years since Kid Nation's thirteen-episode run. In fact, just this year, contestants from Love is Blind started an online petition about the Netflix dating show's edits and a Survivor 46 competitor called the show out. 2007 was just a different time for reality programming, network television, and backlash.
Fortunately for Daniel Kyri, the "life-altering" aftermath of Kid Nation as a teen didn't sour him on the small screen as an adult. He joined the cast of Chicago Fire back in 2018 and has since gone on to not only be credited in more than 100 episodes of that show, but appear in Chicago Med and Chicago P.D. as well. In fact, you can soon find him back in his CFD gear as Darren Ritter with the Season 13 premiere of Chicago Fire on Wednesday, September 25 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
For more of Kyri's story as a Kid Nation contestant (as well as the experiences of other kids chosen for the Lord of the Flies-esque show), tune in to Vice TV on Tuesday, September 17 at 9 p.m. ET for the episode of Dark Side of Reality TV all about that controversial series.
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