Does 'Pequeños Gigantes' Push Its Kids Too Hard?

By Michael Lopez

Week after week, Latin American audiences are enthralled with the pint-sized stars of Pequeños Gigantes, produced by Televisa. Its wide array of niños dance, sing, and show off their adorable good looks to cheering crowds. But could the producers be pushing the little ones too hard? That's one of the questions that many sites have been raising in recent weeks.

One big issue on everyone's mind is how much the Pequeños kids get paid. Though no actual sums have been revealed, there are rumors that the wages are extremely slim. Producer Rubén Galindo was quick to fire back on that argument.

"Los niños no saben exactamente cuánto cobran. Hablen con los papás, quienes creo que no tienen queja alguna, puesto que están aquí muy contentos,” Galindo said. “Como todos los 'realities' de competencia hay una dieta que les permite estar cómodamente viviendo en México y sin ningún problema para que no se preocupen de cómo se están ganando la vida en el momento"

Money aside, another big issue concerning the young cast are the hours that they have to put in. While most kids are in school or doing homework, the Pequeños stars are rehearsing, acting for the camera, and sitting in makeup chairs.

Rubén made a point to address that issue too, saying that all of the niños have tutors and stay educated on the proper school subjects. He also said that the stars get several days of rest each week and are never overworked. Perhaps we'll know the real truth in about 15 years, when the kids are old enough to write some tell-all books.

Do you think that the Pequeños Gigantes kids are overworked? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Chisme, Pequeños Gigantes, Ruben Galindo, Television