Parents' Guide to Summer Camp

TV USA Reality TV 2013
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Common Sense Media Review

Melissa Camacho By Melissa Camacho , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

Competition includes innuendo and manipulative behavior.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 13+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

From the creators of Big Brother comes SUMMER CAMP, a reality series featuring grownups who are reliving their youth while trying to win a quarter of a million dollars. Show host and former American Idol finalist Matt Rogers is the camp director for a team of men and a team of women at the lakeside campsite. In-between camp activities like socials and playing pranks on each other, the teams compete in a series of challenges, or "color wars," for immunity. The losing team of each challenge must banish two of its own to the opposite team's camp, and wait for them to vote on who is going to be sent home. At the end of camp, the remaining members of the winning team split the $250,000 prize.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

From the manipulative blonde to the geeky underdog, Summer Camp contains all the characters one would expect from a reality show. It also contains lots of voyeuristic moments, as each person attempts to find ways to stay in the game or romantically pair up with another contestant.

Some folks may like watching people compete in canoe competitions or toilet paper each other's cabins. But aside from the refreshing lakeside camp setting, this series doesn't offer anything particularly new.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about reality shows. Why are these shows so popular? Do you think the people on these shows act the way they do for entertainment purposes, or are they showing their true colors in front of the camera? Are viewers supposed to learn lessons based on their behavior?

TV Details

  • Premiere date : July 11, 2013
  • Cast : Matthew Rogers
  • Network : USA
  • Genre : Reality TV
  • TV rating : TV-PG
  • Last updated : October 18, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

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