From “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” to “The Virgin Diaries,” The Learning Channel seems to have perfected the balance between education and pure zany entertainment.

On Sept. 9, TLC debuted the latest reality show from its peculiar wheelhouse: “Breaking Amish.” The new show follows five people who grew up Amish or Mennonite on their shell-shocking move to New York City.

The premiere episode was the most-watched TLC premiere in years, pulling in 3.1 million viewers. It’s supposed to be everyone’s first time generally outside his or her community and in a large city.

Only a few weeks later, rumors spread that the “Amish” wasn’t only controversial, but fake. Most individuals on the show haven’t been a part of their conservative culture for years, according to several reports from court systems and the Internet. Instead, the stars have been married, divorced and had children.

That’s definitely not what’s portrayed in the show.

The cast members waited until the latest episode to purchase clothing from this century. Rebecca and Abe, two stars with a seemingly innocent crush, went on their first date. Jeremiah tried to drive a car in Queens. They’re all amazed by indoor plumbing.

But, according to the rumors, this all had to have been staged. Is this really everyone’s first time out of his or her comfort zone? Probably not. Should we care? Probably not.

Although it’s disappointing that TLC may be slinging half-truths, we just shouldn’t be fazed by it. Considering actual Amish culture, it’s pretty unbelievable anyone would be up for a starring role in reality TV without already living a less conservative lifestyle.

Rebecca and Abe might have a child together. A Facebook photo unearthed from 2011 shows the two cast members in plain clothes happily holding a baby.

The cast member Jeremiah may have left Amish life up to 14 years ago.

The 32-year-old has been divorced, according to Ohio public records. His ex-wife, Naomi Stutzman, told Pennsylvania news station CBS 21 that “the show is fake.” Jeremiah even has three children, according to divorce records.

Kate admits to her dream of modeling and a DUI arrest in Florida prior to the filming of “Amish.” So far, it seems like she’s the most honest one in the bunch other than the often-neglected Sabrina.

With all this nonsense, I still watched the show last weekend. With this new information in mind, I noticed the surprising ease with which some cast members held chopsticks while trying sushi for the “first” time. Half of them were better at it than I am.

But, the point of reality television is not to learn something about the human condition. You’re not going to leave an hour of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” more enlightened.

All those girls sitting in a Jacuzzi stew of hair gel and sweat on “The Jersey Shore” aren’t there just by chance. If they join Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino in the Smush Room, they know they’ll end up on MTV at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. They signed release forms to be there.

If people wanted to tune in to reality, they would people watch. When they turn on their television, they want to be stunned and entertained.

Nevertheless, newly minted Amish rebels will always sound pretty entertaining, whether or not the show is “real.”

Ariana Romero is a junior magazine journalism and political science major. Her column appears every week. She can be reached at akromero@syr.edu or followed on Twitter at @ArianaRomero17. 

Published on September 27, 2012 at 1:00 am