By Jennifer Larson

Being that tonight is Halloween, I was more interested in seeing kids dressed up as their favorite super-heroes than as gold miners, but that’s what I get for getting addicted to the trials and travails of a bunch of children from across the country. Be that as it may, I did get to see a spooky gold mine treasure chest search, as well as some frightful behavior, so I guess I can’t complain too much. What surprised me the most – although knowing human behavior it really shouldn’t have – was the fact that capitalism is alive and well in Bonanza City. It appears funds are running low for some inhabitants of our favorite ghost town, which has led to some of the kids deciding to sell products on the street.

Personally, I think it’s rather ingenious – If not a little disconcerting - of these little tycoons to come up with the idea. However, I’m not for bribery, which is what a few of the towns folk are accusing one of their compatriots of. It seems as if there are those who feel as if bribery is being used to gain support to get a gold star. Wow, this episode does not shed a good light on the power of money and what it does to people who lust after it. Remember, that gold star is worth $20,000. That’s enough for at least one semester at a good college. Ok, maybe that would cover a year of tuition and books, but there is always that pesky need we have for food and shelter to contend with, which jacks up the cost quit a bit. Needless to say, every kid there could use a little extra spending money, so the competition for the gold is getting pretty serious.


Here’s the problem with the hawkers on the street; they are taking food from the kitchen, which is stuff the kids are supposed to get for free, and selling it below the cost of the treats from the town store. Again, it’s ingenious, but a bit unfair. But, that’s the American way, so I guess these kids are learning well. But here’s the part I enjoyed the most, after complaining about how unfair it was for them to do that, one of the other kids decided there needed to be more competition, and vowed to start up a snack stand of his own. That being said, I’m beginning to feel a bit manipulated. My gut tells me there’s more than just a little interaction with the adults behind the scenes, especially when this week’s advice from the earlier settlers of Bonanza City had to do with the haves and have nots of the town. I guess I just have to remember there is really no such thing as a reality show, proven by the fact that they are now being sold as unscripted. Of course, unscripted could be left up to interpretation.

Meanwhile, the town-council members are out on an adventure of their own. Being the only kids in town privy to the town’s book of history, they were sent on a chase for a pot of gold. After finding the treasure chest, they discovered 370 buffalo nickels, which they agreed was best spent on some entertainment for the town. It couldn’t have come at a better time because these poor kids were beginning to fight just to have something to do. And, as usual, the leader of the fighting pack is Greg. Or as I like to call him, the town bully. I guess winning the gold star meant he could go back to being the overpowering, disruptive teenager he really is. But all that fighting had to be put on hold in order to pull together for the weekly competition.

Money, pride and privilege are up for grabs again, and nobody wants to end up doing the hardest work for the least amount of money. Tonight’s competition had the kids on a race to find the golden egg, or rather eggs because whichever team got the most won, and the one consensus was that nobody wanted to see the yellow district win the cooking duties again, including the yellow team. Once again, the kids won the group prize, which was a choice between a coin-operated washer and dryer and a new outfit along with a scrubbing board to wash their clothes on. You would think this would be an easy decision, but twenty cents a load is a lot of money for the kids making merchant level cash. Once again these kids went with the practical choice and took the new outfits. After that it was time for another town meeting.


This week’s gold star nomination was tougher than usual. After poling the rest of the town, it came down to two boys. One of which has been working like a little soldier from the very beginning, and the other who stepped it up after realizing there was money to gain from it. Ultimately, the coveted gold star went to the one who earned it from day one, Nathan, who spends his time cleaning and washing while everyone else is enjoying their ghost town experience. With that, another week at Bonanza City has come to a close. I can’t wait to see what new controversy the adults behind the scenes stir up for next week.