A Bold New Stage for Democracy: NCDD’s A House Divided Combats Polarization Through Reality TV

Roshan Bliss, NCDD’s Director of Democracy Innovations, is taking on political polarization in a bold new way through reality TV. His project, A House Divided, brings together politically diverse Americans to live under one roof and take part in a Citizens’ Jury process. Throughout the show, they must deliberate on local policy issues, complete challenges that test their beliefs, and work together to reach consensus, culminating in a high-stakes pitch to state leaders and a live audience for a cash prize.
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The show is designed to be both entertaining and transformative, showcasing real conflict, compromise, and growth. By blending political deliberation with the appeal of reality television, A House Divided aims to normalize civil political discussion and increase public engagement. Ultimately, it’s about showing viewers that it’s possible and powerful to understand those who think differently. Read more in the blog post below!

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Reality television has been a key tool in capturing the attention of millions of Americans each day. Not only is it captivating, but it is a highly influential resource in today's digital age, bringing important and decisive topics to the forefront of pop culture, online discourse, and everyday discussions. Media in itself has changed the way we as human beings live our daily lives, so what if we used it to better our government and politics overall?

A House Divided

A House Divided is a high-production reality TV show where ten to fifteen average Americans with different political views and vastly different backgrounds are brought together to participate in a professionally facilitated Citizens’ Jury process. In this process, they will be challenged to arrive at a consensus decision about how to address a local public policy issue that reflects the nation’s broader political tangles in their battleground district, then present their recommendation in a high-stakes pitch session to their state governor and a panel of key local and state leaders from the public and private sectors. 

The character-driven show depicts the personal transformations that these ordinary Americans go through in the process of democratic deliberation. Potential strong personalities, conflicts that participants will incur, and compromises participants will have to make, will hook viewers. Along with this, A House Divided offers viewers the opportunity to learn about and engage with local government leaders and subject-matter experts connected to the district and policy issues featured in each season. This in itself can not only aid in the fight against polarization, but also increase political participation through the elimination of the common excuse, "I just don't know enough about politics!"

​Participants will not only partake in a Citizens’ Jury process, they will also complete challenges that test their political beliefs and force them to cooperate with others that may hold opposing beliefs. To make things even more interesting, participants will be required to live under the same lavish roof. Finally, they will have to present their final verdict to a panel of judges and a live audience, with a large cash prize on the line.

Why Deliberation is Needed

Deliberation is a crucial aspect of both A House Divided and politics in general. Having participants deliberate formally and informally on divisive topics teaches both cast and viewers the much-needed skills of listening, respect, conversation, and being open to compromise that our current polarized country severely lacks. 

​Pushing political deliberation into reality television's mainstream field will help normalize talking politics. Instead of politics being the one thing your mom encourages you not to bring up at Thanksgiving with that one uncle, it can transform into an everyday topic that Americans can respectfully engage with in an educated manner.

Important Notes

The most important aspect of A House Divided is the range of political orientations the show will feature, which is also one of the most challenging facets of the show. The goal is to get Americans comfortable with the fact that others may have different views from them. To erase the anger that can sprout from seeing or interacting with someone who has opposing views, and turn that emotion into something productive; A House Divided can also aid in the normalization of understanding where others are coming from while at the same time giving participants and viewers the chance to hear other perspectives and experiences that could potentially transform their views.

​The reality is that most Americans interact in silos in which they are comfortable, they surround themselves with others who are the same rather than different, and do not give themselves the chance to hear other views because of the uncomfortable feelings and tension it all can bring. The digital age we are in heavily aids in this. A House Divided will work to fix this, and hopefully show the benefits of a process like a Citizens’ Jury and deliberative democracy in breaking the chains of political polarization. ​

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Ready to see what genuine dialogue across differences looks like? A House Divided transforms political tension into understanding and engagement. The project itself is backed by a powerful coalition of leading organizations in democracy work, including NCDD, Bridge Alliance, Mediators Foundation, Omni-Win Project, Good Conflict, and Stanford's Deliberative Democracy Lab. 

For more information about the show, the coalition, and the anticipated social impact, contact Roshan Bliss, Director of Democracy Innovations with the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, at [email protected].