Terrified of flying and bemused by lingerie: The young Amish exiles who left their strict families to chase their dreams in New York

A groundbreaking new reality series about Amish folk leaving their rural surroundings for the bright lights of New York City is set to launch.

Breaking Amish will follow the lives of five Amish and Mennonite 20 to 30-somethings who claim to have never left their surroundings prior to this trip.



A teaser clip released by the network follows one 21-year-old female character who is unable to make sense of an elevator as well as a 32-year-old male character who struggles to operate an ATM in order to withdraw cash. It also shows each of them shopping for non-Amish clothing, and lingerie, for the very first time.



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Breaking new ground: Kate, Jeremiah, Sabrina, Abe and Rebecca (from l-r) have all left their strict Mennonite and Amish communities throughout the U.S. for New York City in the new TLC show Breaking Amish

Although it is unknown at this stage where each of the characters are from - and whether or not they are in fact truly Amish and Mennonite - it can be certain that it is worlds away from New York City.



Kate, a 21-year-old who is the daughter of her town's bishop, struggles to adapt to the Big Apple, obviously filled with technology.

The aspiring model is seen struggling to operate a hotel elevator at one stage, unable to work out how her room key, a plastic card, can be inserted into the elevator's wall.

When the pretty brunette, who has been convicted with a DUI in the past, realises the elevator has failed to lift past the lobby in which she entered from, she steps out exclaiming: 'I don't know how to use this thing!'

Worlds away: Kate, pictured at home in the community where she was raised, has always dreamed of a career in fashion. She used to paint her nails with markers as a child, pretending it was in fact nail polish

Rebel: The pretty brunette, who has been convicted with a DUI (right), hopes to work as a model in New York

New heights: Kate is seen to be baffled by the multiple buttons when she steps into an elevator for the first time. She also fails to use her plastic room key, exclaiming to amused staff 'I don't know to use this thing!' The young woman has always dreamed of a career in fashion - one that extends outside her sheltered community - and painted her nails with markers as a child to pretend it was nail polish. Her strict father, however, has never approved of her desire to leave their town and banned fashion magazines, make-up, jewelry and other 'vanity' items from coming into their family home. Kate tells the camera: 'I just need to get away and find out who I really am'. Meanwhile, Jeremiah, 32, is leaving his Amish girlfriend behind in order to experience life in the city. 'I was adopted and kind of thrown into this Amish crap, you know, it's not cool,' he says.

Novel experience: Jeremiah, pictured, is astounded when an ATM produces money once his card is inserted

Struggle: 'I was adopted and kind of thrown into this Amish crap, you know, it's not cool,' Jeremiah, above, says

Heartbreak: The 32-year-old (left) is leaving his Amish girlfriend behind in order to start a new life in New York

He tells his girlfriend that the chance to visit New York, obviously given to the clan by the network behind Toddlers & Tiaras and other reality shows, is something he simply cannot resist.

He is later seen struggling to operate an ATM, telling the camera: 'I never used an ATM before, this thing started ****ing out money'.

Meanwhile, Rebecca, a 20-year-old who is the show's youngest cast member, is experiencing a crisis of her own.

She is seen struggling to even tolerate the plane trip to New York.

One of her peers says of the slight blonde: 'Rebecca was praying and crying at the same time.'

Like Kate, Rebecca dreams of becoming a model.

Retail therapy: Rebecca (left) and Kate (right) are desperate to seek out new lingerie to suit their new life

Free: Rebecca, a 20-year-old who is the show's youngest cast member, is experiencing a crisis of her own

Frightening: Rebecca is seen praying and crying at the same time when she travels to New York on a plane

She is described by the network as a 'realist who wants to explore... but understands the consequences of not getting a job and being responsible'.

The young woman, who once shocked her Amish family by punching a male classmate in the face, hopes to 'eat sushi' while she is in New York but most of all, she hopes to fall in love.

Another character, 22-year-old Abe, is simply tired of the 'day-to-day monotony' his community never fails to deliver.



Although Abe's elderly mother initially tells him she is supportive of his desire to escape, she travels to New York in a desperate quest to lure him, and the others, back.

The elderly mother tells the boys: 'I've come to take you home'.

New scene: The wide-eyed group, above, are also seen gazing up at Times Squares' skyscrapers in awe

New beginning: Kate is visibly stunned as she takes in the hectic scene at Grand Central Station in New York

What a sight: The boys, above, cannot believe their eyes as their dreams begin to unfold before them

When the boys protest, she responds: 'You'll never fit in'.

As an earlier voice-over stated: 'It takes someone with a lot of balls to leave the Amish'.

Sabrina, a Mennonite on the show who was also adopted, says through tears that leaving an Amish community is never easy.

'They tell you you're going to hell,' she says, her eyes struggling to stay dry.



The 25-year-old comes from Italian and Puerto Rico decent and struggles to identify with the community she has been raised in.

She plans on working in an Italian or Puerto Rican restaurant in the city in order to learn more about her heritage - and hopefully discover her parents.

New look: Sabrina, above, is delighted as she trades her Mennonite clothes for a leather jacket and clingy tank

The wide-eyed group are also seen gazing up at Times Squares' skyscrapers in awe, struggling to process the hustle and bustle of their new surroundings. One of them says: 'I've never seen that many people in one place going nowhere.'