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The stars of new reality series Breaking Amish have admitted they had no idea what they were signing up for when they agreed to leave their sheltered lives for New York City.
When TLC producers approached Kate, 21 and Sabrina, 25, the pair saw an opportunity to escape their restrictive Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonite communities, and follow dreams such as modelling and driving cars.
However, Sabrina says they had been so protected from the wider world, the concept of reality TV was very foreign to them. She told the Today show this morning: 'I freaked out. I had no idea what to expect. When I got here all I saw was concrete and could not see the sky.'
The new show, premiering September 9th, follows the lives of five Amish and Mennonite 20 to 30-somethings who have never left their homes before, showing the group as they shop for non-Amish clothing, and lingerie, for the very first time.
During the show Kate is convicted of a DUI, while others are unable to make sense of elevators, ATMs, and at one point, an airplane. The stars say it quickly became obvious they had no idea what lay ahead of them when they agreed to join the new show.
'I don't think [the concept] really sank in right away. I don't think I realized exactly what everything held,' Kate said.
Sabrina, who is adopted, explained that leaving her tight knit community was harder than she expected. She said: 'You basically give up everything to find out what's out there. I mean, it's hard.'
The 25-year-old Mennonite comes from Italian and Puerto Rico decent and has struggled to identify with the community she has been raised in. The city promised exposure to her heritage - and the chance to discover her parents.
The show's producers dismissed any notion of possible exploitation of the show's stars, who had not been exposed to media culture before.
Executive producer Shannon Evangelista told Today: 'First of all, we were down in Lancaster County for over a year and a half doing research. We had an Amish and Mennonite producer that reached out to our cast and knew them personally.'
'Each and every person on the show had already planned on leaving. It was something that was important to them. So we just made it possible for them to do that with a safety net and with others that felt the same.'
Eric Evangelista, also an executive producer on the show, explained the difficulty of shooting in the Amish community.
He said: 'You have to be very respectful of everybody. You have to go in with a small crew, similar to a news crew and really be respectful of the area and the beliefs of the people we're filming.'
Kate, the daughter of her town's bishop who has always dreamed of a career in fashion, says she struggled to adapt to the overwhelming Big Apple, filled with technology.
'My first reaction was like, "It's so loud!" she explained.
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
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!
When TLC producers approached Kate, 21 and Sabrina, 25, the pair saw an opportunity to escape their restrictive Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonite communities, and follow dreams such as modelling and driving cars.
However, Sabrina says they had been so protected from the wider world, the concept of reality TV was very foreign to them. She told the Today show this morning: 'I freaked out. I had no idea what to expect. When I got here all I saw was concrete and could not see the sky.'
The new show, premiering September 9th, follows the lives of five Amish and Mennonite 20 to 30-somethings who have never left their homes before, showing the group as they shop for non-Amish clothing, and lingerie, for the very first time.
During the show Kate is convicted of a DUI, while others are unable to make sense of elevators, ATMs, and at one point, an airplane. The stars say it quickly became obvious they had no idea what lay ahead of them when they agreed to join the new show.
'I don't think [the concept] really sank in right away. I don't think I realized exactly what everything held,' Kate said.
Sabrina, who is adopted, explained that leaving her tight knit community was harder than she expected. She said: 'You basically give up everything to find out what's out there. I mean, it's hard.'
The 25-year-old Mennonite comes from Italian and Puerto Rico decent and has struggled to identify with the community she has been raised in. The city promised exposure to her heritage - and the chance to discover her parents.
The show's producers dismissed any notion of possible exploitation of the show's stars, who had not been exposed to media culture before.
Executive producer Shannon Evangelista told Today: 'First of all, we were down in Lancaster County for over a year and a half doing research. We had an Amish and Mennonite producer that reached out to our cast and knew them personally.'
'Each and every person on the show had already planned on leaving. It was something that was important to them. So we just made it possible for them to do that with a safety net and with others that felt the same.'
Eric Evangelista, also an executive producer on the show, explained the difficulty of shooting in the Amish community.
He said: 'You have to be very respectful of everybody. You have to go in with a small crew, similar to a news crew and really be respectful of the area and the beliefs of the people we're filming.'
Kate, the daughter of her town's bishop who has always dreamed of a career in fashion, says she struggled to adapt to the overwhelming Big Apple, filled with technology.
'My first reaction was like, "It's so loud!" she explained.
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
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!
