Last night my addiction to reality TV drew me to a new program on UPN. Called "Amish in the City," it assembles a "Real World"-like cast of attractive young people in a beautiful California home, but then--here's the twist--it brings in five Amish kids who have never experienced life away from their communities. The Amish are in the midst of rumspringa, a period in which they are encouraged to experience life outside the community before being baptized and committing themselves wholly to the Amish way.

The concept received a lot of attention in back in January, when the show was first announced as part of UPN's summer lineup. The reaction was generally that this time reality TV had gone too far (how many times have we heard that?) Typical of the coverage is this interview in Christianity Today, in which the author of a book on the Amish fears that "this is a chance to make fun of people that we think are less enlightened."

In fact, having watched last night's premiere, it seems that the reverse is true. The cast of "city kids" includes the requisite stereotypes--the outspoken black woman, the outrageously gay man, the painfully self-righteous vegan (which, in this case, might indicate an origin on the planet Vega), the party-happy frat boy, etc. What is striking is how good the Amish come off in comparison. True, the boys are unused to cleaning up after themselves (they're used to having the women-folk taking care of it back home), but aside from that they're polite, friendly, and easygoing. On the other hand, the reaction they received from the "English" (whom the producers brought to the house first, giving them a chance to know one another before the "outsiders" arrived) was shocking. When the Amish came to the door in their traditional clothing the others debated at first whether or not to let them in. The gay fellow, who near the beginning of the show sniffed that he couldn't stand people who refused to accept people as they are, said that he wouldn't let himself be seen with any of them.

There was also a funny moment as the group gazed out onto the Los Angeles skyline for the first time. Ariel, the vegan girl, who happens to be an LA native, expresses her disgust--the Amish have it right, she suggests, with their green pastures and simple life. Meanwhile the Amish are thrilled with the sight of the city, and marvel at the possibilities that lay within.

The two best lines of the night:

1) The young African American lady asks if there are any black Amish. Ruth (who is from Ashland, by the way) replies, "I have a friend who gets really dark in the summer."

2) The vegan offers her assertion that cows actually come from outer space, to the endless amusement of the Amish, who have been around the animals all their lives.