Amish reality TV show planned

GOSHEN, Ind. -- Television isn't much of a reality for many Amish people, much less a form called "reality TV."\n"I don't know what that is," said Eli M. Miller, an Amish bishop.\nIt's not that they've never seen television, but news of a potential reality TV show involving some Amish young people doesn't excite Miller and others in the Amish community.\n"I certainly don't care for it," said Miller of the proposal by UPN television network to film a reality show involving some Amish young people.\nSome reports indicate the show could explore culture shock of five Amish people who would live with five non-Amish young people.\nA 2002 documentary titled "Devil's Playground" shone a light on the Amish practice of "rumspringa," a period starting at age 16 during which some Amish young people drive cars and use drugs or alcohol. Most go on to join the Amish church, marry and have families.\nLeRoy Nisley, another Amish bishop who lives near Miller, east of Goshen, said he never saw the documentary, which filmed local Amish youth partying.\n"Why do we have to go through this again?" he said. "I hope (the show) never happens. We've had way too much adverse publicity."\nHe doesn't deny that some Amish youths party but said it's a minority.\nAt any given time, the Elkhart/LaGrange county Amish community -- third-largest in the United States -- has about 2,000 youths. He estimates that 5 to 10 percent of those are involved in partying.\n"We've got a lot of good kids, too. They don't have to be wild," he said.\nHe's talked to his grandsons about parties and they've said they don't go. Instead, they join hundreds of other Amish youths at Sunday night "sings," gatherings for meals and singing.\nThere are five to six sings regularly and some are attended by as many as 200 youths, said Nisley.\n"They find out they can have fun without all the drinking and stuff," he said.\nCBS chairman Leslie Moonves, who also oversees UPN, said in announcing the potential show that it wouldn't denigrate Amish and, instead, it would be about culture shock.\nSteven Nolt, a Goshen College professor who has studied the Amish, said Amish value separation from the world, which is different than isolation.\n"Maybe the folks at CBS are so disconnected from reality themselves that this sort of basic sociological distinction is lost on them," he said.\nJoel Kauffmann and Don Yost, Goshen men who wrote a screenplay about a woman who left the Amish church, said television portrayals become a window into the Amish community.\n"Basically I'm concerned how a program like this would portray the Amish and if in fact we learn anything of value about what the Amish believe or who they are. I'm afraid it would hurt rather than help," said Yost.