''Breaking Amish'' is an American

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

on the TLC television network that debuted September 9, 2012. The series revolves around five young

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

adults (four

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churc ...

and one

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the R ...

) who move to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in order to experience a different life and decide whether to return to their communities or remain outside them and face ostracism by their families and friends. It follows the cast members as they experience life in New York and face new situations involving work, friendship, romance, and lifestyle, plus the drama that develops among cast members as they undergo various experiences. The cast members' move to New York City differs from Rumspringa, the rite of passage in which some 16-year-old Amish are allowed to experience the outside world and to decide whether or not they wish to remain with their home communities. A news report on February 25, 2013, stated that TLC had ordered a second season of ''Breaking Amish'' with the original cast. ''Breaking Amish: Brave New World'' is considered the second season by TLC. A third season of ''Breaking Amish'', entitled ''Breaking Amish: Los Angeles'', debuted on July 21, 2013, with an entirely different cast. The only connections with the new cast and the original cast were Abe's brother Andrew Schmucker and Jeremiah's ex-girlfriend Iva being two of the main cast members. A fourth and final season of the show entitled ''Breaking Amish: Brooklyn'' debuted on September 18, 2014, with a new cast as well. One of the cast members, Matt, would go on make appearances in the fifth season of the spinoff series '' Return to Amish''.

Controversy

It has been reported that the relationships between cast members were portrayed falsely and that there were many inconsistencies between fact and the reality that was represented in the television program. The production has been forthcoming with some of the 'non-Amish' activities in the background of the cast. As episodes progressed, the production steadily revealed other aspects of the cast's past activities, including items not previously released as spoilers by other media outlets. Some of the information shared on air by the cast during the production:

Season 1

* In episode 1 it is shown that Kate had spent time in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, driving and getting a

DUI Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

. * In the extended version of episode 3 Jeremiah states that he was kicked out of the

three different times, dressing 'English' each time. ('English' was typically used in the series to mean "non-Anabaptist.") * In episode 6 Jeremiah states, when Abe talks about marrying Rebecca, that he was once married. * In episode 7 Abe and Rebecca discuss how they used to sneak off – with her boyfriend and with others – to dress 'English' and go

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

. * In episode 7 Rebecca discusses how Abe once moved to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

and she to

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

, renewing their friendship when they returned to their Amish community. * In episode 8 Sabrina discusses the fact that she had been married, in 2009, to a

man – and that marrying a best friend does not always work out. * In episode 10 Rebecca states that she had been married directly after her 18th birthday in 2009 and divorced in July 2012. She also mentions that she has a daughter. * In episode 12 the group discuss the fact that many Amish teenagers will sneak out and dress 'English', and so it is no surprise to find pictures of them, or many other teenage Amish, during excursions outside of the community.

Cast

Season 1

Season 2: Brave New World

Abe's mother Mary Schmucker, his little sister Katie Ann Schmucker and older brother Andy Schmucker are major recurring cast members this season : Age at the time of filming.

Season 3: L.A.

Iva's boyfriend Sam is a recurring cast member this season : Age at the time of filming.

Season 4: Brooklyn

Matt's wife Courtney and her mother Venus are recurring cast members this season : Age at the time of filming.

Episodes

Season 1 (2012)

Season 2: ''Brave New World'' (2013)

A subtitle is added to this season entitled: ''Brave New World''. All of the cast members from the first season return as they relocate and reside in

Pinecraft Pinecraft is a census-designated place located in Sarasota County. The neighborhood is a popular winter vacation spot for many North American Amish and Mennonites, particularly from Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. History "Pinecraft" became th ...

, a small neighborhood located within

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The c ...

where there is a community of ex-Amish and Amish.

Season 3: ''Los Angeles'' (2013)

Season 4: ''Brooklyn'' (2014)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breaking Amish 2010s American reality television series 2012 American television series debuts Amish in popular culture English-language television shows TLC (TV network) original programming Television shows set in Los Angeles Television shows set in New York City Mennonitism in popular culture 2014 American television series endings

Controversy

Season 1

Cast

Season 1

Season 2: Brave New World

Season 3: L.A.

Season 4: Brooklyn

Episodes

Season 1 (2012)

Season 2: ''Brave New World'' (2013)

Season 3: ''Los Angeles'' (2013)

Season 4: ''Brooklyn'' (2014)

See also

References

External links