Amish in the City
Encyclopedia
Amish in the City is an American
reality
television
series by Stick Figure Productions (the same production company behind the documentary Devil's Playground) and UPN
. The plot revolved around five Amish
teenagers experiencing "Modern" (non-Amish) culture by living in a house with six mainstream American teenagers.
The show assumes and promotes the disputed view that the practice of allowing Amish teenagers to enjoy freedom from the Amish religious code is a normal part of the Rumspringa
("running around") period before they decide whether to join the Amish church. Typically, nearly 90% of teenagers will end their Rumspringa with the choice to be baptized as Amish, however at the conclusion of the show it was unclear which of the teenagers chose not to return to the Amish church and which went back to the Amish way of life. Many accuse the show of giving the participants an unrealistic view of "Modern" culture, and of showing the behavior of the unadjusted Amish like a "spectator sport" for mainstream American viewers. The producers have stated they plan to follow the original series with updates on the current status of the cast, especially since their decisions at the end of the series may still be changed in favor of traditional Amish life.
The concept was initially denounced by some for appearing to capitalize upon popular stereotypes about the Amish; later critical reviews were more positive.
The series was later aired in the UK on LivingTV2
and Trouble, in New Zealand
on TV2
, in Denmark
on Kanal 5
and in Sweden
on Kanal 5
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series by Stick Figure Productions (the same production company behind the documentary Devil's Playground) and UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
. The plot revolved around five Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
teenagers experiencing "Modern" (non-Amish) culture by living in a house with six mainstream American teenagers.
The show assumes and promotes the disputed view that the practice of allowing Amish teenagers to enjoy freedom from the Amish religious code is a normal part of the Rumspringa
Rumspringa
Rumspringa Pronounced A- generally refers to a period of adolescence for some members of the Amish, a subsect of the Anabaptist Christian movement, that begins around the...
("running around") period before they decide whether to join the Amish church. Typically, nearly 90% of teenagers will end their Rumspringa with the choice to be baptized as Amish, however at the conclusion of the show it was unclear which of the teenagers chose not to return to the Amish church and which went back to the Amish way of life. Many accuse the show of giving the participants an unrealistic view of "Modern" culture, and of showing the behavior of the unadjusted Amish like a "spectator sport" for mainstream American viewers. The producers have stated they plan to follow the original series with updates on the current status of the cast, especially since their decisions at the end of the series may still be changed in favor of traditional Amish life.
The concept was initially denounced by some for appearing to capitalize upon popular stereotypes about the Amish; later critical reviews were more positive.
The series was later aired in the UK on LivingTV2
LIVINGtv
Sky Living is a UK television channel owned by British Sky Broadcasting, who purchased the Living TV Group group in 2010. Originally launched as UK Living in 1993, the channel changed its name to Living TV in 1997 and then to Living in 2007. On 1 February 2011 Living changed its name to Sky Living...
and Trouble, in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on TV2
TV 2 (New Zealand)
TV2 is a national television network in New Zealand, which is owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster TVNZ. It targets a younger audience than its sister network, TV One...
, in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
on Kanal 5
Kanal 5 (Denmark)
Kanal 5 is a Danish subscription television channel operated by ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG.The station is broadcast to Denmark by satellite from London, showing mainly films, US drama shows and sports....
and in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
on Kanal 5
Kanal 5 (Sweden)
Kanal 5 is a Swedish commercial television channel established in 1989. It is owned by the media corporation ProSiebenSat.1 Media.After a troublesome 1990s, Kanal 5 launched new strategies in the early 2000s that established it as a popular entertainment channel targeting young people...
.
Cast
| Cast | Other |
|---|---|
| Ariel | Not Amish |
| Jonas | Has not gone back to the Amish, got his GED on the show and enrolled in college. Later appeared on MTV's True Life True Life True Life is a documentary series running on MTV since 1998. Each episode follows a particular topic, such as heroin addiction as in the first episode, "Fatal Dose." The show is created by following a series of subjects by a camera crew through a certain part of their lives.-Topics covered:True... in an episode titled "I'm Ex-Amish" |
| Kevan | Not Amish |
| Meagan | Not Amish |
| Miriam | Has not gone back to the Amish, has since become a nurse |
| Mose Gingerich | Has not gone back to the Amish, owned a construction company which went out of business. He co-produced and appeared in Amish at the Altar, which aired on November 10, 2010 on the National Geographic channel. He has become a paternal leader in the ex-Amish community near Columbia, Missouri and counsels them. He maintains a photo gallery on his personal site. |
| Nick | Not Amish |
| Randy | Has not gone back to the Amish |
| Reese | Not Amish |
| Ruth | Returned to the Amish |
| Whitney | Not Amish |
External links
- Amish in the City - 2006 New Line TV site including video & cast bio updates
- Amish In The City Season Finale - article about series finale, including its date