By Reynolds Hester

Imagine a brilliant and captivating reality TV series with twists, turns, cliffhangers, and complex characters. Set in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the rural scenery provides a delightful backdrop for barn fights, illegal drugs, and high-speed car chases. The characters, all with extensive criminal records, including DUIs and hit and runs, are both devious and incredibly intelligent as they go about business and their daily lives. 

Is it possible to create a reality TV series so exquisite and captivating that it makes watchers across the world dial-in for the inner workings of one of the most religious and strict communities in the United States? Yes, and in 2012, producers at the Discovery Channel did just that. 

Amish Mafia is a four-season, 33-episode thriller that makes your jaw drop wider with every minute watched (it’s now available on the streaming service Hulu).

Lancaster County Amish. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons user TheCadExpert.

What is the Amish mafia? According to the show, it is a group of two to five men who control the Amish community in Lancaster. These men are either not baptized into the Amish church, or were born into Brethren or Mennonite societies. Because the men are not technically members of the Amish church, they are able to discipline acts of people in the community, whether they are breaking Amish law or US law.

Their official duties include collecting money for the Amish Aide (an Amish insurance fund), keeping businesses—such as food stores, markets, clothing stores, construction workers, etc.—healthy, and settling disputes between neighbors and/or between the Amish and the “English” (the term used by the Amish to describe anyone who is not Amish). Unofficially, the mafia hosts extra events in order to make money for both themselves and the community, including monthly or even weekly barn fights, parties for teenagers, betting matches, races, and they will even help Amish teenagers hide forbidden items such as cellphones, drugs, or cars, all while the Amish elders look the other way.

Among Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren communities, the Amish and the Mennonites are the most similar religiously in what they believe, but the Amish are usually more traditional in social practice. Socially, Amish are not permitted to have electricity, drive cars, and must wear the Amish dress code. However, Mennonites and Brethren have more relaxed dress, and in most communities are allowed to drive motor vehicles and have electricity in their homes. Another thing that sets the three communities apart is that the Amish do not meet in a building such as a church; instead, they meet in different people’s homes. The Mennonites and Brethren do meet in a specified building. Overall, the Amish are the most strict and reserved communities, while the Mennonites and Brethren are more progressive.

A Mennonite Church in Logan, Ohio. Photo credit: James L. Woodward.

Throughout the series, the mafia gets involved and commits acts that are not only against the laws of the Amish community but also the laws of Pennsylvania. For example, in season 1, episode 1, Mennonite member Jolin Zimmerman is called to investigate and hand out aid to a woman whose buggy had been struck by a car. After consulting with the woman and learning the whereabouts of the man that hit the buggy, Zimmerman makes his way to the man’s house. After Zimmerman is unsuccessful in getting the man to cooperate, Zimmerman takes his shotgun from his truck and shoots a gaping hole into the front windshield of the man’s car. Not only is he breaking the law, violence and specifically guns are looked down upon by the Amish community also. 

Throughout its four seasons (between 2012-2015), the show received backlash from not only the viewers but from the Amish community. With the label of “reality TV, ” Amish Mafia is made to seem 100% real, with real people, real events, real money, and real drugs. However, many people in the Amish community have claimed that not only does the show depict false events and even the concept of an Amish mafia, but there has criticism that the show paints the entire Amish community in a negative light. 

When interviewed by NPR, Amish baker Dan Stoltsfuz exclaimed that, “It’s all fake. It’s not the real thing.” Sociologist and Amish scholar Donald Kraybill says that “There’s no Amish mafia. There never was… The whole thing is a fabrication in the minds of the producers.” What kept Amish Mafia fans coming back episode after episode was the sheer intensity of the events in the show. However, these events were possibly made up in hopes to draw in more advertising dollars. 

Lancasteronline.com, a local news website in Lancaster County, PA, wrote that “The only thing legit about Discovery Channel’s proclaimed ‘reality’ show is the filming is done in Lancaster County. All storylines and character portrayals, according to our research, are not just fabrications, but complete creations of the show’s producers.”

Not only has the show been panned by viewers and people of the community, but as noted by Julia Hatmaker on Penn Live, “Churches and Lancaster County residents have banded together to call for an end to Amish-centric television shows.” The Respect Amish Movement even led former Governor Tom Corbett to sign a petition demanding the end of the series. 

While many people enjoyed the riveting plot of the series because the show is labeled as a reality TV show, the Amish have fought back to establish respect for their communities.