Kid Nation Nation: The Pioneer Podcast
Kid Nation Nation
Pioneers gather round! Welcome to Kid Nation Nation: The Pioneer Podcast—a full recap and interview podcast about one of the most controversial and beloved reality tv shows of all time, the cult classic Kid Nation. With your adult hosts Pablo Goldstein & Stevie Anderson
Pioneer Chat: Daniel "DK" Kyri
Daniel Kyri, best known to Kid Nation fans as DK, joins us on an amazing Pioneer Chat this week! Now a successful actor who stars on NBC’s Chicago Fire, the Chicago native rolls back the clock to discuss his time as a 14 year old in Bonanza City. Daniel dishes about the children’s gospel choir performance that got him cast, what Guylan told him on the night he threatened to leave town, and what REALLY went down with the whole “bleach drinking” incident you’ve probably read about online. Let’s ju
Jul 17, 2020 • 1:03:33
Episode 13: We've All Decided to Go Mad!
All good things must come to an end. And to an end they must come in “We’ve All Decided to Go Mad!” The kids are woken up by a Moses-like image of a burning bush, only its the job board/caste system! And that ain’t the only iconic Bonanza City item going up in flames. This episode has it all. Parents! Pasta! Four gold stars! That’s right, FOUR, and three of them are a lot heavier than usual if you catch my drift. Take a listen and join Pablo and Stevie as they say goodbye to Kid Nation. Your adu
Jul 17, 2020 • 1:07:49
Episode 12: Where's Bonanza, Dude?
In “Where’s Bonanza, Dude,” arguably the most beloved Kid Nation kid finally wins a gold star. But hold up, partner! Before that revelation, this episode is jam packed with some cool ideas that show what a season 2 could’ve been like. Newly elected Sheriff Sophia takes charge of the town and is a big step up from the Town Council. Speaking of the Big Boys, they are sent by the journal out into the wilderness where they meet a Native American tribe who teaches them about leadership. Back in town,
Jul 17, 2020 • 50:57
Episode 11: I Just Like the Recess Part
True Kid Nation heads know that the answer to “Remember the chicken killing episode?” is “Which one?!” In “I Just Like the Recess Part,” the kids of Bonanza City are roped into yet another chicken killing controversy, although this one has a bigger focus on eugenics. After Jonathan Karsh drops a hint about the Showdown being a quiz, the kids (except Taylor) hit the books and we get some of the most adorable scenes yet. This is a jam packed episode featuring Dance Dance Revolution, Taylor doing d
Jul 17, 2020 • 58:56
Episode 10: Let Me Talk!
Fascism comes to Bonanza City in “Let Me Talk,” one of the darker episodes of Kid Nation. Now that Greg and his crew of Big Boys have taken power in Bonanza City, things take a turn as they lead the Nation in a weird game of introductions (despite knowing each other for over a month) with dire consequences for laughing. After Greg and Blaine spend an afternoon catcalling the girls of Bonanza City, Michael realizes he has to take a stand against his fellow council leaders. On the lighter side, we
Jul 17, 2020 • 44:19
Pioneer Chat: Morgan Anita Wood
In this week’s Pioneer Chat, we have one of the green team’s standout kids, MORGAN ANITA WOOD! Now a member of the Los Angeles production of Hamilton, Morgan joined us for an incredible chat about her time as a 12 year old in Bonanza City. Did you know that the show’s producers edited Hunter out of the religion episode in order to give her the gold star? Or that she had a crush on Greg? Or that she went to Jared’s Bar Mitzvah with other members of Kid Nation?! If you’re dying to find out what Ja
Jul 10, 2020 • 54:29
Pioneer Chat: Michelle Kongkasuwan, Story Producer
For this week’s Pioneer Chat, we talked with Executive Producer MICHELLE KONGKASUWAN! Michelle worked in post as a story producer on Kid Nation and we had a blast chatting with her and getting an adult’s perspective of Bonanza City. If you’re a Bonanza nerd, this behind the scenes interview with someone who turned raw footage into television gold is just what you’ve been dying to hear! Your adult hosts are Pablo Goldstein (Vulture) & Stevie Anderson (What's Your Sign?, The Shiterion Collecti
Jul 10, 2020 • 43:09
Episode 9: Not Even Close to Fair
Fans of the 2014 Kevin Costner/Jennifer Garner NFL film “Draft Day,” rejoice! In this week's episode “Not Even Close to Fair,” the Town Council leaders are drafting new kids to join their team. Well, all of them except Laurel, who causes a huge controversy by choosing to keep her team intact. Then we have one of the most arduous showdowns in Kid Nation history featuring wheelbarrows full of rocks. Can little kids get hernias? Were the show’s PAs up all night spray painting rocks? We ponder these
Jul 10, 2020 • 44:03
Episode 8: Starved for Entertainment
It’s the talent show episode!!! In “Starved for Entertainment,” the Town Council tries to raise morale by putting on a show. But first, we meet Natasha and Migle, the “Paris and Nicole of Bonanza City,” and learn, sort of, about a homesick Savannah’s Kentucky Dinner. After a Showdown featuring THE biggest missed prize opportunity in the show’s run, it’s time for the talent show. We got piano performances, a Shakespearean monologue, a drag show, and not one but TWO stand-up performances with stro
Jul 10, 2020 • 46:31
Episode 7: The Root of All Evil
“The Root of All Evil” is all about MONEY. If you love cash, dough, bread, moolah, Benjamins, simoleons, smackers, and guap, then this episode is for you. Controversy arises early in the episode when Divad starts a peach cobbler business using supplies in the town’s pantry. This leads to one of Kid Nation Nation’s biggest arguments as Pablo and Stevie debate whether Divad is a savvy businesswoman or a bloodthirsty capitalist. Meanwhile, Sophia briefly turns into Jigsaw from the Saw movies with y
Jul 10, 2020 • 47:58
Pioneer Chat: Anjay Ajodha
Our latest Pioneer Chat is with the one and only ANJAY AJODHA! The Blue Team leader dishes on how a 12-year-old Eagle Scout and Spelling Bee champ got cast on Kid Nation, why he turned down a chance to be on Survivor, his thoughts on the infamous religion episode, and much more! Did you know that Olivia wrote Anjay an apology letter after Kid Nation aired? You will after listening to this episode! Follow Anjay on Instagram and Twitter. Oh and buy some enterprise cloud software from him...if you'
Jul 3, 2020 • 59:05
Episode 6: Bonanza Is Disgusting!
It’s garbage day in Bonanza City! In “Bonanza is Disgusting,” the stinky kids of Kid Nation clean up their stinky town, which is covered with rotting food and rats that were clearly placed by production. But that’s not the most disgusting part of the episode. In this week’s Showdown, the producers make the kids dive into a giant cast iron pan filled with pigs and gallons of beans. Guess what other wet brown item is in this giant pen full of live pigs? If you want to find out, be like Greg and di
Jul 3, 2020 • 45:01
Episode 5: Viva La Revolución!
We’ve reached “Viva La Revolucion!” or as it’s known to Kid Nation fans: The one where we find out they haven’t brushed their teeth in two weeks. There’s a revolution brewing in Bonanza City… well, not really a revolution. It’s more like electoral politics but revolution sounds much more fun! In this ep, Zach, Guylan, and Olivia make their case to replace Taylor, Mike, and Anjay on the Town Council. We got canvassing, we got electioneering, we got stump speeches! If 2020 ends up being the last p
Jul 3, 2020 • 46:59
Episode 4: Bless Us and Keep Us Safe
It took four episodes but Bonanza City finally got some of that ol’ time religion! In this iconic episode, all HECK breaks loose as the kids debate how religion should factor into the town… or more specifically, WHICH religion should play a role. Pablo, a member of the Jew Crew, and Stevie, an ex-Catholic School Girl, dive deep into their own religious upbringings. And we’re introduced to Cody, a kid who gets a wartime letter from his 11 year old girlfriend that shatters his determination to sta
Jul 3, 2020 • 50:55
Pioneer Chat: Laurel McGoff
The first Pioneer to join us in our chats with the cast and crew of Kid Nation, is the Green Team’s own mighty captain LAUREL MCGOFF! Laurel joins Stevie and Pablo to talk about her time in Bonanza City. The Boston native explains how she got cast on the show, dishes on behind the scenes gossip as a Town Council leader, and lets us know if she’d go back to Bonanza City in an Adult Nation reboot. She also shows off those incredible pipes with a soaring rendition of Amazing Grace. Royalty free mus
Jun 26, 2020 • 42:35
Episode 3: Deal With It!
It’s bedtime for Bonanza City in “Deal With It!.” In this episode, a bedtime is instituted by the Town Council, a decision that has the rowdy kids of Bonanza City, drunk off Bonanza Bombs, ready to mutiny. Things get wild as Cowboy Colton charges a 2,400lb bull and Greg the Big Boy calls someone a bitch. But as the kids bicker over the Showdown prize options of a Microwave + Hot Cocoa vs 40 Pizzas, Mother Nature returns in the form of a tornado. These kids can’t catch a break! Your adult hosts a
Jun 26, 2020 • 50:43
Episode 2: To Kill Or Not To Kill
Pablo and Stevie dive into one of the most controversial episodes of Kid Nation, “To Kill or Not to Kill” AKA the one where they kill chickens. Oh yes, it’s THAT episode. Kid Nation almost collapses when Emilie, leader of Bonanza City’s Animal Liberation Front chapter, tries to save the town’s chickens from being slaughtered by Greg, the town’s Big Boy. But the kids have bigger problems than not starving to death: There’s a sandstorm coming their way and we’re not talking about the hit 1999 tran
Jun 26, 2020 • 56:20