Did You Watch Kid Nation?

I'll admit it, CBS had me hooked on "Kid Nation".... for about a half hour. But when the four kid leaders found the history book advising them to divide into four teams by color, and turned into "Survivor" with a "showdown" (reward competition), I lost interest. Suddenly this wasn't about kids genuinely deciding to set up an orderly society on their own... It was just another reality competition show.

In the beginning, I had my doubts. I didn't like the fact that the TV producers -- not the kids -- picked the four leaders. (The kids couldn't elect four of their own?) But I was willing to see how the adventure unfolded. I was OK until they pulled out the blue, red, yellow and green bandannas.

I know the CBS producers will find some very compelling stories in the kids, like Jimmy, the 8-year-old who went home to New Hampshire, or Taylor, the "beauty queen" who doesn't do dishes. But I'm turned off by the heavy hand producers have in creating this "reality" -- what appears to be electric lights in the bunkhouse... a TV?... drinking root beer in shot glasses.... down to the the color-coded chairs for the four leaders at the town meeting... And I swear I saw baked beans on the dinner plates, when all they showed were kids struggling to make macaroni....

Next week I'll be watching Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton on Fox's "Back to You." I'll put "Kid Nation" on the DVR, but to me it's not Must See TV this fall.

Did you watch? Will you watch again?