This is a list of episodes for the CBS reality television show Kid Nation.
Episodes
"I'm Trying to be a Leader Here!" # Title 1 "I'm Trying to be a Leader Here!" (Days 1-4) Description Forty kids from across America arrive in Bonanza City for 40 days and are immediately struck by the lack of comforts in their new home. Friendships emerge and teamwork ensues, issues arise and the first Town Council convenes. The first Gold Star, worth $20,000 (), is awarded on the series premiere. Showdown The districts had one hour to fill three large bottles with their own district-colored water by carrying oil gushers to certain spouts on the ground. All four teams completed the task in the allotted time. The Town Council chose seven more outhouses over an old fashioned television. Gold Star Sophia: The Town Council recognized Sophia's work ethic in the kitchen. It was a fairly easy decision for the Council, despite Sophia's voicing of complaints over what she saw as problems in the kitchen. Exits Jimmy: Being the youngest contestant, Jimmy became homesick and decided to leave Bonanza, even though Cody, Laurel, and Campbell tried to convince him to stay. His decision came after three days of debate over his abilities versus what was expected of him.
"To Kill or Not to Kill" # Title 2 "To Kill or Not to Kill" (Days 5-7) Description Bonanza City deals with its first crisis as temperatures plunge and the water supply freezes. As the town debates whether or not to kill chickens for protein, a group of kids protests by locking the chickens—and themselves—in the coop but they kill 2 chickens. The Town Council find themselves in a tense stalemate as they debate between two possible recipients for the Gold Star. Showdown The kids had to build a pipeline between an active water pump and a water wheel with various obstacles put in their way. Green was the only team that didn't finish in the 1 hour time limit, and the reward which was either a giant water slide or conveniently placed water pumps designed not to freeze was not awarded. Gold Star Michael: Michael won the Gold Star because of his caring behavior toward others and generous spirit. Michael was chosen over the other leading contender Greg, who Mike suspected was motivated only by the prize money and not by any viable qualities or contributions to the town. Exits No exits. Emilie considered leaving after the town killed the chickens and because she felt homesick and an outsider, but decided to stick it out because she wanted to be a "tough cowgirl".
"Deal with It!" # Title 3 "Deal with It!" (Days 8-10) Description Prosperity leads to trouble when the Kids spend their newly earned buffalo nickels on sweets and party the night away, unable to easily awake for work the next morning. The Council institutes a little law and order when they set a town curfew to curb the Kids' partying. Showdown The districts had 5 minutes to find three ace cards attached to certain sheep in a corral, and all four teams completed the task within that time. The Town Council chose a microwave with a barrel of cocoa over 40 hot pizzas, leading to anger from the residents who wanted pizza. However, it was later accepted that having a microwave was better than pizzas. Gold Star Mallory: Mallory won the Gold Star for her overall contributions to Bonanza City. Her hard work as a merchant and her constant optimistic attitude were praised by the Town Council, who also chose to give the star to Mallory for her birthday. Laurel in particular felt that the contributions from the town's younger kids had been overshadowed during the first seven days, and giving the Gold Star to Mallory was a way to rectify this. Mallory won out over contenders Morgan and Greg, who Taylor campaigned hard for. Exits No exits. Both Cody and Mallory had expressed homesickness and wanted to go home, but both decided to stay as Cody didn't want to leave his friends and Mallory had Olivia to stick up to her.
"Bless Us and Keep Us Safe" # Title 4 "Bless Us and Keep Us Safe" (Days 11-13) Description Religious and political strife come to Bonanza City when the Council dictates that all of the Kids attend a religious group service. When no one apart from the Council Leaders turns up to the service, the Council Leaders are left disappointed. As Kids of different faiths bicker with each other, it seems as though the town might fracture until Morgan unites the arguing groups by holding a relaxed town bonfire where Kids of different faiths bond together in common prayer. Showdown The pioneers had 30 minutes to build a puzzle in the shape of a steeple onto a frame using squared-off pieces, then crank the puzzle to lift it upright. When all four teams finished in time, The Town Council decided to let the rest of the town vote on the reward, as they were worried that the town would be upset with the council's decision. The town chose a collection of holy books over a nine-hole miniature golf course. Gold Star Morgan: Morgan won the Gold Star over contenders Greg and Zach for her friendliness and her successful, no-pressure establishment of a prayer time. Zach's nomination was rejected by a jealous Taylor, as Zach received praise for his hard work. Greg also had his nomination dismissed by Mike, who still did not believe Greg had become a positive presence in the town. Exits Cody: Sad and homesick, Cody missed his loved ones including his girlfriend, Ashley in Ohio and decided to leave. His friends, especially Campbell, were very upset following his departure.
"Viva La Revolución!" # Title 5 "Viva La Revolución!" (Days 14-16) Description It's time for Bonanza City to hold its first Town Council elections. Mike and Taylor struggle with the political process as eager kids vie for their Council seats. When political mudslinging escalates as Markelle rips Taylor's campaign posters in half, young Leila winds up in tears, and it's Greg that comforts her. Showdown The kids had 30 minutes to find seven pictures of US presidents and put them in chronological order. One at a time they would race into a field of piñatas and break one open to see if there was a picture inside it. If they found one, they would race back to give it to their council leader. If not, another person in the district would repeat the process. After seven pictures were found and put in order, the Council Leaders had to run up to a bell and ring it. The green team finished a split second before the yellow team, but they had their pictures in the wrong order. This allowed the yellow team to become the upper class for the second time. Laurel's green team managed to come in second for the first time. As a reward, the Town Council chose toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash and floss over a party that would have included ribs, chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs. While many of the kids were upset with this choice, the Council realized the toothbrushes were something they all needed especially the kids with braces. Gold Star Greg: Greg was finally given the gold star for being a hard worker around Bonanza City, changing his typically negative attitude, and being a positive influence on the younger members. Taylor described him as an "older brother" to the little kids. Exits No exits. Elections On Day 16, Bonanza City held their first Town Council elections. Each district had an opportunity to choose one member to run against their existing council leader. Everyone was allowed to vote only for their own district. Green District – Laurel (unopposed) Even though many on the green team have great leadership skills, no one was unhappy with the way Laurel had been running their district. Still, she was somewhat surprised when she found out no one would be running against her. Blue District - Anjay (7) defeated Olivia (3) Olivia was defeated, earning only her own vote, a vote from her sister, Mallory, and one vote from Gianna, another district member. Red District - Guylan (9) defeated Mike (1) Mike lost in a landslide defeat; he was the only one who voted for himself. At first, while the votes were being read, everyone was laughing in shocked disbelief. But then, after he picked himself up and stepped down, the whole district tried to comfort him. Yellow District - Zach (5) defeated Taylor (4) As there are 5 girls in the yellow district, Taylor was confident that she had all their votes. It turned out Zach was able to persuade Randi to vote for him by suggesting that it might be best for everyone if someone else had a turn at being council leader. In addition, Markelle takes down Taylor's campaign posters to sabotage the district's efforts to keep Taylor in office.
"Bonanza Is Disgusting!" # Title 6 "Bonanza Is Disgusting!" (Days 17-19) Description While the new Town Council struggles to find a solution for Bonanza City's growing trash problem they also have to deal with Taylor now that she's been voted out of power. DK continues to work hard to build a Kid Nation, but he's growing tired of all of the petty squabbling and is seriously considering going home. Showdown The kids had 15 minutes to locate colored tin cans representative of their district in a large enclosure filled ankle-high with 1600 gallons of beans (as to hide the cans from direct view), and with 30 pigs wallowing in the enclosure. Only one kid from each district was allowed in at a time and they couldn't return until they found a can. The team that found the most cans in 15 minutes was awarded the upper class, and so forth for the other job classes. If all four districts accumulated at least 75 cans, they would be rewarded with either a choice of all the fresh fruits and vegetables they could eat or two dune buggies and an unlimited supply of gasoline to operate them. The goal was met, and the council selected the fruits and vegetables for the town given that their diets had consisted mostly of bland starches and canned goods. Gold Star DK: DK was shown to be hard working around Bonanza and had always helped to break up and manage altercations between the other kids, and the choice was unanimous among the four council members. Exits No exits. Taylor wanted to leave due to the pressure the council was giving her while DK initially accepted the offer to leave, citing stress from the emotional environment around town. Guylan, both out of friendship and concern that DK would miss out on the gold star, was able to talk to DK and encouraged him to stay.
"The Root of All Evil"