{"id":626,"date":"2014-09-08T06:35:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-08T06:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/peanutsandpopcorn\/?p=626"},"modified":"2014-09-08T06:35:00","modified_gmt":"2014-09-08T06:35:00","slug":"one-persons-utopia-is-anothers-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/peanutsandpopcorn\/2014\/09\/one-persons-utopia-is-anothers-hell.html","title":{"rendered":"One Person\u2019s \u2018UTOPIA\u2019 is Another\u2019s Hell"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/a>
The “Utopians” enter the compound. (FOX)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

FOX is leading the way for fall TV with UTOPIA<\/em><\/a> which premiered Sunday, and if you missed it, just know that it was a doozy. The show is everything that Survivor <\/em>and Big Brother<\/em> wish they were. It\u2019s not a game show, it\u2019s a social experiment. Fifteen people have chosen to live in a commune of sorts for one year. There will be no winner as there is no prize. UTOPIA is based on the hit Dutch television series of the same name which asks the question: \u201cIf you could restart the world, what would you do differently?\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cUtopians,\u201d as they call themselves, start out with a meager amount of their own possessions. In addition, they are given a barn, two cows, a bunch of chickens, water and some alcohol. That is about it. They will be given a set amount of money to spend with the outside world, but it very limited so they have to choose wisely. There are no rules at the start. The group decides who, if anyone will be in charge and what rules will be followed.<\/p>\n

The TV crew has set up 126 remote cameras all over the five acres of land dedicated for the experiment. The cameras will never shut off and a real time feed is being aired over the internet even as you read this. In fact, this unique \u201cfamily\u201d is already into day 10 of the experiment in real life.<\/p>\n

Why would these people choose to do this? Well, each of them appear to be strong-willed, each with their own idea on what would make for a perfect utopia. They also seem to have something to prove. Do you really need to be a scientist to see how this is going to work out?<\/p>\n

The people living this exclusive lifestyle are:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n