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The controversial reality TV show known as ‘Kid Nation’, which borrowed its premise from Lord of the Flies, was cancelled shortly after its 2007 debut. Producers took 40 kids into a makeshift desert town to fend for themselves and create their own society. Was the series an opportunity to discover what kids are capable of? Or simply a ploy for ratings? With access to former ‘Kid Nation’ contestants, their families, and the show’s creators, culture journalist Josh Gwynn uncovers how this cult TV show became a lightning rod for an ongoing debate about the ethics of reality TV. Welcome to Split Screen, an examination of the utterly captivating, sometimes unsettling world of entertainment and pop culture. From reality TV gone awry, to the cult of celebrity, each season of Split Screen takes listeners on an evocative journey inside the world of showbiz. Ex-contestants, producers, and cultural critics uncover complicated truths behind TV’s carefully curated facades, and question what our entertainment reveals about us. Split Screen: sometimes reality is twisted. More episodes are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/p85tr8-d

For celebrities looking for love, regular online dating apps aren’t really an option. That’s why authors, actors and artists are flocking to Bala, the exclusive dating app for the creative elite. Bala is a place for celebrities to feel normal, relax and find their true soulmate. When struggling actor Lizzie Miller gets an invite to try it out, she finds something much more insidious than love.

The app NextDoor creates online communities based on user postal codes. When roleplayer “Connor” stumbles across an imaginary town (with an unassigned postal code), he finds what he’s been missing in real life: a close family that supports and accepts him. But despite the community’s willingness to stay hyper positive, real world disorder creeps in and threatens the boundaries of this fragile, make-believe world.

“Real” patients. “Real” trauma. “Real” therapy. Each week therapist and podcast host Lucetta Davis takes you inside a session with one of her clients. One of them, Roger, just got dumped by his girlfriend – who’s also his boss. He’s tired of being walked all over. In this episode, Roger shares some news with Dr. Davis: he’s signed up for a second therapy podcast – one that also comes with a self-help app.

Ronnie Wells walked away from a very successful voiceover career to create an educational cartoon called Polo The Chicken. Just as his new YouTube channel starts to take off, the alt-right starts to appropriate Polo’s likeness to spread hate. Online activists strike back and Ronnie finds himself a pawn in an all-out meme war.

A celebrity might go on vacation but their social accounts can’t stop posting. Enter: Zoe.

When fitness influencer Gigi leaves for a trip, Zoe is recruited to not just be her social media manager – she’s asked to be a full stand-in for Gigi’s life. Things get complicated when Zoe goes rogue and her client’s ex-boyfriend starts asking questions.