Amish out of water

Can reality TV shows be documentaries for the masses? Producer Jon Kroll certainly thinks so and claims that "Amish in the City" is only the beginning.

By Heather Havrilesky

Aug 18, 2004 | Tired of the fact that most reality TV shows are populated by the same showily belligerent Los Angeles actors? So was producer Jon Kroll, so he dreamt up a twist that had lawmakers up in arms long before his show even hit the air this summer.

"Amish in the City" (Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on UPN) places five Amish kids who are on rumspringa, a time during which young people are free to explore the world outside their community, in the same house with six urban kids. The resulting drama is a far cry from the exploitive, inhumane circus that critics in Congress had contended it would be. Although it has familiar beats, with the typical "Real World"-style arguments over messiness and backbiting, the show presents a surprisingly poignant departure from the typical reality-TV shouting match.

Kroll, who's worked on such unscripted mainstays as "The Amazing Race" and "Big Brother," never could have predicted the controversy -- not to mention the impressive ratings and favorable reviews -- his show would attract. Having spent his own childhood on a commune without electricity or telephones, Kroll says he can relate to the Amish and felt frustrated that most kids on rumspringa don't see much of the world before deciding whether or not to return to their Amish communities. He wanted a chance to expose the Amish to new things while creating a reality TV show with a more educational, enlightening format.

Sounds like a tall order? Not for Kroll, whose earnest enthusiasm never faltered as he spoke to me from the New Line Television offices in Beverly Hills about a new generation of constructive, literate reality TV shows that are just around the corner.

What sparked your interest in doing a show like "Amish in the City"?

Well, first of all, I had seen "Devil's Playground" (a documentary about Amish rumspringa by Lucy Walker) last summer. I knew nothing about the Amish. I had seen "Witness"; that was the extent of it. I loved the idea of rumspringa, but I was frustrated with the fact that clearly, from watching that film at least, it seemed that most people did not take full advantage of the time. It was kind of frustrating that the people involved didn't have the educational or financial resources to really explore it fully. I kept thinking about it in terms of my own background, because I grew up in a Northern California commune without television or telephones or electricity.

Was there pressure to stay in your community?

Not the kind of pressure that the Amish face. It was presented to me that, "You're welcome to stay and do this sort of New Age homesteading thing that we're doing. You don't have to leave." And after living like that for 10 years, I really had itchy feet. I wanted to get out there, just like some of the Amish on the show. I mean, the Amish kids who were selected are the ones who actively wanted to pursue more experiences before making their decision.

Next Page: "If you look at how tourists treat Amish people ... they don't look at them as people"

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