CBS's There Goes the Neighborhood

Groundbreaking Social Experiment-Reality Series Debuts August 9, 2009

© Steven Fife

Jul 1, 2009

In There Goes the Neighborhood, eight suburban families who live side-by-side have been confined to their homes, separated from the outside world by a 2000-foot long, 20-foot high concrete wall – guarded by off-duty police officers. It’s a sight that looks more like a maximum-security prison than a suburban neighborhood. The eight families will be trapped there for approximately three weeks, forced to live without all modern conveniences except for lights and air conditioning.

Executive Producer Mike Fleiss (The Bachelor) says the show is “truly a social experiment. We’ve never seen anything like it before.” Another producer, Jay Bienstock (Survivor, The Apprentice) says that the purpose of the show is for individual families to bond since suburban families lead rushed lives and often don’t spend much time together. But it’s not just a bonding experience – there’s also a competition involved: a competition that will leave one family $250,000 richer.

The Game

Details about the competition aspect of the show are being kept heavily guarded, but it is known that, like similar reality competitions such as Survivor and Big Brother, it will feature both reward and elimination challenges. Such challenges may involve elements and props considered essential to suburban life, including lawnmowers and barbecues. Prizes for families who win reward challenges are supposed to improve their lives and their homes.

Each episode, the families will vote one another out of the neighborhood (the evicted family will then have to stay in a local hotel for the remainder of the competition). It is presumed that in the final episode, the six evicted families will return to choose the winning family, although this has not yet been confirmed by the show’s producers.

The Setting

There Goes the Neighborhood is currently being filmed in the Legacy Park neighborhood of Kennesaw, Georgia. The city approved the filming because of the boost it will provide for the local economy. Most of the show’s crew of more than 200 is made up of locals.

Kennesaw is the epitome of suburbia, featuring two-storey, faux brick homes with garages and spacious yards, four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The average home is priced at $250,000. As Bienstock says, Legacy Park could be “Anywhere, USA” and that’s what makes it relatable to the public.

The Cast

It took producers months to find eight families on adjacent properties who were willing to participate in the show. Casting officials went door-to-door in suburban neighborhoods across the country until they found Legacy Park.

The group chosen to compete is extremely diverse – perhaps more so than one would expect in a suburban neighborhood. It includes a single mother, an interracial couple, a lesbian couple, and children of varying ages, some as young as 6. The parents work in relatable jobs, such as sales, repair work, and video production.

These families were also appealing because, unlike many suburban families, they know each other well. Many are original home owners in the decade-old community.

Update (7/28): Click here to meet the eight families competing on There Goes the Neighborhood.

The Reaction

As one might expect, the sudden presence of a major television show in a suburban community has caused more than a few disruptions in this normally peaceful and uneventful setting. One neighborhood resident posted on Access Atlanta that “[t]here has not been one single day there hasn’t been delays getting around [the neighborhood]. We are sick of what they’re trying to put us through.”

Another resident, Anthony LaBorde, said, “I pay $600 a year in HOA [Home Owners’ Association] fees to live in a quiet, kid-friendly neighborhood. It’s been just the opposite of that for a month and a half.” Anonymously, another neighbor expressed similar frustration with the HOA on Access Atlanta: “I also resent the HOA for allowing this with no input from the community members.”

CBS did in fact get permission from the Home Owners’ Association, although, according to Legacy Park Association President Allen Massey, the permission was unnecessary since the show is filming on private property and all eight families consented to it. Furthermore, Kennesaw mayor Mark Matthews is adamant that the worst of the interruptions is over, and that the setup of the wall was far more disruptive than the actual shooting of the show will be.

What Makes “Neighborhood” Unique?

There Goes the Neighborhood is unique in that all the contestants get to remain in their homes during the competition, rather than being in a remote or unfamiliar environment. Also, all the competitors know each other, a marked difference from most reality competitions which involve pitting strangers from different walks of life against each other. Accordingly, perhaps the real drama will take place after the show is finished as the families attempt to return to their normal lives after being voted out by their neighbors, and other residents of the community chastize them for participating in such a disruptive project. Indeed, what CBS has called “the ultimate block party” may turn out to be more of a brawl than a bonding experience.

When to Watch

There Goes the Neighborhood, hosted by former American Idol contestant Matt Rogers, premieres Sunday, August 9th, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. EST on CBS. It will continue to air on Sundays at 9:00 until September 20th, when the show concludes and one family is awarded the $250,000 grand prize.

There Goes The Neighborhood

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