Before he was a star on Chicago Fire, actor Daniel Kyri had a harrowing experience on the 2007 CBS reality show Kid Nation, where he accidentally consumed bleach. The series, which placed 40 children in a ghost town in New Mexico to create their own society, faced backlash even before it aired, but Kyri’s story adds a new level of shock to its troubled legacy.
The Bleach Incident: A Horrifying Mistake
In a recent episode of Vice’s Dark Side of Reality TV, Kyri shared the unsettling moment when he drank bleach on set. The incident happened when the then-14-year-old actor, known as “DK” on the show, mistook a faintly yellow liquid for something drinkable. Describing his initial reaction, Kyri said, “It’s giving citrus. It’s giving lemon. Like, it’s giving fresh.” He took several gulps before the burning sensation and fumes hit him. “The fumes choke off your oxygen, so you can’t breathe,” he explained. It was only after another child sniffed the bottle that they realized it contained bleach.
Kyri immediately sought help from the on-set paramedics. His ordeal is just one of many unsettling stories from the series, where children were often left unsupervised and exposed to dangerous conditions.
The Producers’ Defense and Parent Reactions
The controversial incident was not an isolated case on Kid Nation. Another former cast member, Olivia Cloer, recounted her shock at discovering the crew had left bleach in a bottle without proper labeling. “Who leaves bleach in a bottle that looks like something you’d drink? Around children? What are you doing?” she said.
Producer Emily Sinclair offered a different perspective, claiming that only a small amount of bleach mixed with water was involved and that the children were never in serious danger. However, her account didn’t alleviate concerns from the parents, many of whom were appalled when they reunited with their children after the filming ended.
Ron Cloer, the father of Olivia, shared his disbelief upon seeing the conditions. “We were shocked. Mallory’s face was dirty, her hair was all knotted, and the kitchen was filled with filthy dishes,” he said. The parents had expected a supervised camp experience, but what they witnessed instead was chaos and neglect.
Living Conditions on “Kid Nation”: A Real-Life “Lord of the Flies”
The premise of Kid Nation was to see how children would manage without adults, but the reality was far more distressing. The kids lived in squalid conditions without adequate food or beds, and bullying was rampant. Anjay Ajodha, another former participant, recalled the stunned looks on parents’ faces when they saw the rough environment their kids had endured for 40 days. “They’re just like, ‘This doesn’t seem right. A lot of these children don’t have beds,’” he said.
One of the most troubling incidents involved Jimmy Flynn, the youngest cast member at just 8 years old. He described being lassoed around the neck and dragged by another child, an experience that left him feeling deeply unsafe. “One of the other kids had to come over and help me. They were like, ‘Oh my God, are you okay?’” Flynn shared.
A Parent’s Perspective: “We Didn’t Sign Up for This”
Olivia Cloer’s mother, a social worker, was particularly alarmed by what she witnessed. Her job involves protecting children, and she quickly realized the kids on Kid Nation had been put in risky situations without proper oversight. “She couldn’t believe it,” Ron Cloer said. “She recognized what kids in crisis look like, and that’s what she saw.”
Producer Sinclair, however, defended the show’s concept, saying, “It never felt inhumane or cruel.” But many parents and participants disagreed, feeling that the experience bordered on exploitation for the sake of dramatic TV.
The Dark Legacy of “Kid Nation”
The bleach-drinking incident is just one example of the risky environment created by the producers of Kid Nation. The show’s attempt to replicate a “real-life version of Lord of the Flies” resulted in disturbing consequences that still haunt its former cast members.
The Dark Side of Reality TV series, airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Vice, dives deeper into the hidden, often shocking realities behind popular TV shows, with upcoming episodes set to explore Joe Millionaire and The Surreal Life.
