Breaking Amish: TLC Confirms Reunion Episodes To Address Fraud Rumours
October 26, 2012 by Hollywoodite
Breaking Amish is nearing its end, with only one or two more episodes that would appear to be about the cast pretending to return to their communities because it makes such good television the ratings mostly match Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
Incidentally, the cast all left their communities years ago. Up to 14-years-ago in the case of Jeremiah Raber, according to his ex-wife, and just a few years ago in the cases of Sabrina Burkholder (née Sabrina High) who got married in 2009 and Rebecca Byler (who got married to an ex-Amish guy in 2010) and boyfriend Abe Schmucker with whom Byler reportedly had a kid out-of-wedlock between late 2010 and early 2011.
Moreover, the cast have a storied history that includes multiple crimes, divorces, and children, that are never addressed on the show. And the pilot allegedly had actors pretend to be family members, an actress pretend to be Raber’s “girlfriend,” scenes were allegedly filmed in an unoccupied Amish house, and the cast bios, especially as portrayed on the early episodes, were obfuscated or entirely fabricated.
For example, Raber pretending to take driving lessons when he already knows how to drive. Raber suggesting his tattoo is new, done in New York, when he’s had it since 2009. Schmucker and Byler pretending to court anew, when they’ve been dating for approximately two years prior to the show (there’s confusion and misinformation but… they started dating around 2010, had a kid soon after, and the show only started filming May 2012). And Schmucker “proposing,” supposedly, while pretending not to know Byler was recently divorced (she got divorced in July 2012 which again demonstrates the footage is from this year dispelling the rather lazy defense of the show that “who knows when it was filmed,” we know, when it’s clear from the evidence).
At a guess, TLC probably re-tooled its existing footage and/ or shot additional photography to tie up loose ends as we head towards the season one finale. The show’s been strongly protested against since its premiere, with claims it’s misleading, unusually misleading even for a reality show, and that it makes the religious communities look bad. For example, claims of being shunned when, in the example of Raber, he was NOT shunned. Likely, nor were the others since the scenes interacting with the other Amish were contrived for drama.
And whatever else it fails to hurriedly explain away, TLC confirms today, will be addressed in a two-episode reunion airing November 11 and November 18. The cast will appear on the one-hour reunion shows with Access Hollywood’s Michelle Beadle to “speak candidly about their experience in New York and address all of the swirling rumors and allegations.”
TLC continues with its press release today: “From drunken fights and hook ups, to whether any of them have been married, have kids, or have been arrested, it’s a raw discussion revealing intimate details about their lives and relationships… They also disclose where their relationships currently stand with their family and friends, and tackle the rumors and questions about the authenticity of their Amish and Mennonite backgrounds.”