CLD

The debut of the reality show "Under One Roof" on UPN has made quite a splash across the Internet reality world. The premise of the show - place five American families in a tropical paradise in a fabulous house, and let them compete to see who gets the deed. Just think about it as Survivor meets Family Feud, without anyone kissing Richard Dawson.

One criticism of the series, however, has been the use of children in the reality genre. Is it good for them to be cooped up with four other families in a highly competitive stressful environment? And how do they handle being on the show, and the instant fame associated with it?

We contacted our Under One Roof source and asked him some of these questions, and got a very strong response. Seems that just this morning he visited with one of the families and had posed some of the very same questions.

As we all know, Under One Roof has completed shooting. The families are at home and have had a chance to sit back and watch the show. They have had time to process what has happened to them without the pressure of the competition looming over them.

Overall, our source tells us, their feedback has been very positive. Both the adults and their children feel that Under One Roof was an important life experience. The children matured and came away with some lessons they will not soon forget - one of the most important being that winning is not always the prize, that many times it is the journey taken.

Talking with the kids, our source found that they felt they'd grown. And in a possible foreshadowing of what we shall see in future episodes, there were several mentions by them of how they had "an epiphany in learning how people can come together and work as a team". It seems to us that not only did the children "survive" being in a reality competition, but have actually come out the better for it.

We are somewhat suprised at the criticism directed toward children participating in this type of show. Kids have been a part of television shows since the beginning - from the Peanut Gallery and Howdy Doody, to the Mickey Mouse Club, to the uncountable Nickelodeon shows that involve juveniles, competition, and more likely than not green slime. Almost all kids these days are exposed to TV, including the reality genre. This time they were involved.

And from it each of the families evolved into a closer family unit. They've learned that if they all pull together they can accomplish extremely difficult tasks. They've gotten to know each other and themselves to a degree not possible in the normal, hectic American lifestyle.

There is no harm in that. In fact the producers of Under One Roof may have hit upon a new form of family therapy that will rival Wilderness Weekends or the fun-filled summer vacation in the family station wagon.

Stay tuned.