[Mr T.]

From bonnet to bikini: Amish get first taste of reality TV
By James Langton in New York
(Filed: 08/08/2004)


Given that they live without electricity, it is hardly surprising that the Amish stars of America's newest reality television series are unfamiliar with the dishwasher.

As the first episode was broadcast last week, it became clear that even an avocado was beyond the experience of a group of young people so sheltered that they gazed in astonishment at a parking meter.

The makers of the show, Amish in the City, took five teenage members of the deeply conservative church and dropped them in the middle of Los Angeles for a taste of the outside world.

Joining them were a cross-section of other young Americans, who had no idea who would be sharing their house in the LA hills until the doorbell rang. The first encounter did not go well. Before opening the door to welcome their guests, the non-Amish participants peered through the glass and shrieked in disbelief at the group's straw hats, bonnets and traditional clothing.

As one was heard muttering about "freaking aliens", another believed that they were Mormon neighbours on a mission to convert them.

This being American television, the Amish occupants of the house are quickly "made over" to resemble the glossy teenage cast of Beverly Hills 90210 rather than the Beverly Hillbillies.

They include Ruth, a pretty factory worker from Ohio, the eldest of 13 children, who "loves music and playing the harmonica", according to her biography. She is joined by Mose, from Wisconsin, Jonas, a self-styled "bad-boy" who gels his hair; Miriam, whose uncle is an Amish bishop; and the improbably named Randy, from Indiana, who once customised his horse and buggy in a fit of rebellion. To protect them, their surnames have been withheld from viewers.

Among the "English" - as outsiders are known by the Amish - are Whitney, a black student from Los Angeles whose last boyfriend was murdered in a drive-by shooting, Ariel, a vegan waitress who calls eggs "chicken abortions", and Reese, a Hollywood club promoter who is also the show's token homosexual.

The television network behind the show, UPN, says that all the Amish are taking part in a traditional rite of passage known as "rumspringa" - the Pennsylvania-Dutch word for "running around" - which allows them briefly to live in the outside world in their late teens.

Amish, or "plain people", are descended from 19th-century Swiss immigrants to the United States who believe that it is God's will that they keep their lives as simple as possible. Cars, telephones, computers and anything using electricity, are banned - although Amish children can use in-line skates.

Amish clothes have no buttons and women must cover their heads. They are pacifists and are excused US income tax because they look after each other rather than claiming state benefits. They were made famous in the film Witness, starring Harrison Ford.

In early scenes in the television series the Amish appear astonished at being shown exotic fruit and vegetables such as papaya and artichokes at a local supermarket, then struggle with a plate of sushi.

Later, Mose has his chest shaved for a visit to the beach, where he nearly drowns in the surf - a somewhat crass stunt, given that Jonas lost his brother in a drowning accident three years ago.

Critics have raised doubts about the authenticity of some of the group, revealing that Mose left his Amish community several years ago and noting Miriam's dexterity with a hairdryer and eyeliner pencil. Sceptics also point out that even in the heartland of Amish country there is no shortage of parking meters.

One thing the group will not have to worry about once the series ends is the disapproval of their elders. Those returning to the fold after rumspringa are accepted back into the church without question. And in any case, nobody back home has a television.


Members of the cast of Amish in the City