Some of those living and working in Pinecraft, an Amish village in Sarasota, Fla., have reportedly had negative experiences with the filming of the second season of TLC’s runaway hit “reality” show, “Breaking Amish,” according to a Mar. 4, 2013 Sarasota Patch report.
The Patch notes that a crew from the show was sent to the area prior to filming to try and secure work for some cast members.
Kathryn Graber, the co-owner of a grocery store in the community told the website that cast members and crew frequented her business, The Village Cupboard, and one person in the cast began filming footage in the store with a flip camera.
Graber said she informed the production company it did not have her permission to use any of the footage obtained in her store in the show.
She told the Patch that at one point, crew members approached her saying some of “these kids” are “struggling,” noting she “could be a part of changing that for them.”
Graber, a former member of the Amish community, then asked, “Why would I believe anything that this production company is going to do?” She noted the show could edit any event that took place any way they wished and did not want to be part of the project.
She also told the Patch, “I think because there’s so much false information, it’s hurtful to the community for that reason."
Viola Mast, who co-owns the store with Graber, recounted the incident when cast members entered the store, saying she noticed “a guy with a flip cam” at the end of an aisle. The male continued to film even during check out.
Despite Graber's and Mast’s unwillingness to participate in the show, the Patch reports that two businesses—Alma Sue’s Quilts and Der Dutchman restaurant—agreed to work with the “Breaking Amish” production.
In the first season of the show, five young men and women—Abe, Jeremiah, Rebecca, Sabrina, and Kate—were shown leaving their Amish and Mennonite homes to live in the big city for the first time. Reports indicate that 3.2 million viewers followed their adventures in New York City, which made "Breaking Amish" TLC’s top rated show.
Nevertheless, the show has been fraught with controversy after people who claimed to know some cast members alleged they had not been part of the Amish church for several years and were not unaccustomed to city life, prompting many to call the show fake.
Additionally, photos of Abe and Rebecca—who presumably met on the show for the first time—surfaced on social media, in which they are seen with a baby. The child turned out to be Rebecca’s and it was revealed she and Abe had been romantically before the series ever began.
The show is slated to premiere its second season in May.
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