She's baaaaaaaaack. Taylor, that is, or maybe she oughta be called Terror. The tiny, bratty beast again began her tiny, bratty attitude this week by stating flatly that "I think that all ugly animals should die, and pretty animals should live." The producers and editors of Kid Nation must jump for joy when they see footage like this, our budding eugenicist spouting off about respect, death, and, um, not liking when other people tell her what to do.
At least the new council has a punishment in mind: They tell Taylor that if she won't work, she won't get to share in the reward. And what "work" does she shirk this week? Sitting around and learning about Bonanza City from some fake-ass textbooks. That doesn't even require any labor, Taylor! You could've just sat there and pretended to listen!
But of course she didn't, so when challenge time came, she couldn't help out. The kids had to burst balloons with sling shots, knocking out the wrong answer to trivia questions about the town. Apparently, though, the show realized that the fun part of this exercise was watching balloons get popped, because they managed to edit out most of the questions. Anyway, the kids won the famed "big prize," which turned out to be a choice between a library and a kick-ass arcade. For once, they did what they wanted instead of what their parents would've wanted them to: They picked the arcade.
Lots of fun ensues, of course, with stick-in-the-mud Sophia getting upset because the pool table and arcade games are like crack to bored pre-teens. (Blaine can't cook because he's "got money on this game!") Oh, and Taylor isn't allowed in the arcade, which is awesome, but she earns her way in by doing a huge stack of disgusting dishes–assisted by Hunter, who wins the gold star at the end by simply not being selfish. Nice one, Hunter.
Two more weeks to go (which translates to about six days in "real life"), so it's unlikely that anyone's going home. They've only lost three, which is a little disappointing, and also leads to a good question that D.K. posed to Taylor: If you're not here to have fun and keep the town going, why are you here? I was hoping that speech would lead the rest of the town into her shaming Taylor away, but alas, it didn't. Oh well, my bloodlust will never be satisfied.
Grade:B
Stray observations:
— Okay, watching all 13 hours of Kid Nation will be made worth it by the 20 seconds of Jared playing Dance Dance Revolution by himself. I have never seen such compelling television. GIVE THIS KID HIS OWN SHOW.
— Another good Jared moment: Conversing with his fellow nerds about extraterrestrial life. Awesome.
— Jared mixed metaphor, regarding people who don't get an education: "They're gonna be flippin' burgers at the supermarket!"
— Jared, Jared, Jared.
— Oh, and Sophia is going to be "sheriff" next week. That should be fun.