Despite how easy our earlier video of last night's eagerly anticipated Kid Nation premiere might have made life in CBS Bonanza City, NM seem, the children's new frontier existence is not all fun and choosing-whether-to-be-passively-entertained- or-poop-before-your-bowels-rupture games. Being separated from one's parents or pageant coaches for the first time can be an emotionally devastating experience that not every grade-school-age society-builder is equipped to handle, as you can clearly see above in the teary eyes of Jimmy and Taylor.

But just as the show's thoughtful producers gave the kids an expedient way to correct their town's artificial outhouse shortage, they also provided the homesick a painless way to opt out of their incredible adventure. Any child wanting to be immediately reunited with his family merely had to raise his hand in front of an assembly of the entire Bonanza community, then answer affirmatively to the following question by host Jonathan Karsh: "Now are you sure you want to go home and risk having your 39 best friends call you a whiny little quitter behind your back, even though right now they're all pretending to understand your decision? 'Yes,' you still want to go, or 'yes,' you want to stay? Did I mention that if you stick around, you might be able to win a solid gold star you can sell to pay for up to one semester at a private university years from now, or to buy 400 X-Box games in a few weeks? I did? What about the pony rides tomorrow, which is supposed to be a big secret? Oh. So you still want to go? OK, then, fucking—oops, language!—fricking go. The Nation will live on without you, I promise you that."