Exiled

What’s the Story?

EXILED reintroduces TV viewers to some of the most notorious party throwers featured on the network's infamous My Super Sweet 16. Two years after their big bashes, these kids are still out of control. But this time, their parents lay down the law and give them the ultimate reality check: Each Sweet 16 veteran is sent to a remote location to live with an indigenous tribe for a week. The goal? To teach these entitled kids to appreciate how other people their age live around the world -- and to recognize how good their own lives are.

Is It Any Good?

As these young people struggle through a week without beds, showers, or designer shoes, they do begin to appreciate what they have at home and understand the importance of having a strong work ethic. But, like its parent series, the show still manages to take things to extremes. Rather than having their spoiled kids volunteer for one of the many less-exotic, underserved communities in this country, the parents send their progeny to international locations that most people only dream about visiting. Meanwhile, the various communities that the kids live in -- as well as the jobs they're asked to do -- are often presented as primitive, which reinforces stereotypes about these countries and their people.

On the positive side, these clueless young people do seem to develop some sort of self-awareness after their week in "exile." Some even get embarrassed about their excessive materialism and how they live at home. It's hard to tell whether these revelations lead to life-long transformations, but at least these teens will be able to look back at their experience and remember that there are people out there who aren't as privileged as they are. And those are great lessons for them to learn -- but you can't help but wonder whether their parents will ever catch on that these are the kinds of things they should be teaching their kids at home.