Elizabeth Greenwood claims TLC's "Breaking Amish" is a new low for the producers of reality television:
[H]ow could an Amish young person, who has grown up without electricity or ever being photographed, possibly comprehend the consequences of having his drunken exploits filmed for posterity? Not only is the idea of the participants of Breaking Amish making a fully informed decision dubious, but the stakes are also quite high. If an Amish decides not to return to their community after rumpsringa, they are shunned, and must give up all contact with their family. But in the first episode of Breaking Amish, the show alludes to the fact that the cast members' agreeing to be on camera has already strained relationships to a breaking point.
TLC plays up this drama. Sabrina, a 20-year-old of Italian and Puerto Rican extraction who was adopted by Mennonite parents, tells cameras, "I'm nervous about going to New York because I know there's no going back. I'll lose a lot of my friends. If I sacrifice everything I have and it doesn't work out, I'll have nothing." Over a tense last supper, Abe's mother tells him flat out, "If you go to New York, you're going to be shunned." Like drinking and fighting, a good old-fashioned shunning makes for stylized TV drama. But unlike the guidos and guidettes of Jersey Shore, this cast won't have a home to return to when filming ends. Most everyone can agree that reality TV is fake. But that conventional wisdom has probably not entered the candle-lit homes of the Amish. For members of this community, the consequences of reality television are all too real.
The Dish 