I have lived in two Pennsylvania counties in close proximity to Amish and Mennonites for most of my life. So I can say based on my own personal observations: 1. Yes, they do have a lot of cash money, (let's say you attend an auction- the men carry large rolls $$$$ in their pockets,) and the farms and buildings alone are worth millions. They don't pay taxes in the same way an ordinary citizen would, which contributes to their amassing large fortunes. 2. Because of interbreeding in these small communities, their gene pool carries a high risk for many types of congenital abnormalities, defects, emotional and cognitive disorders; the occurrence of typically rare anomalies is astronomically high- such as club foot, dwarfism, and some mental disorders. 3. You will find both intelligent and stupid people in these communities, but ALL of them will have only 8 years of formal education, combined with "bible teachings" and a lot of superstition; they will not have studied MANY of the things an ordinary American can or will study. THEREFORE, you see a lot of the social and interpersonal manipulations, socially childish behavior in some cases, a lack of logic in problem solving, a lack of understanding the bigger picture, etc. MUCH could be said here. 4. There is a LOT of crime, and most of it goes unreported. There is a great deal of child abuse, (including sexual abuse) wife battering / abuse of women, along with some of what you see on the show- theft, vandalism, malicious gossip/ slander, and that list goes on as well. Their religion doesn't put a lot of value in "possessions" so the destruction of such is not considered heinous. 5. The Dutch that they speak in PA is probably not going to be intelligible to a "German" speaker- it is a strong dialect and heavily bastardized with English words. Have you heard the term "Spanglish?" Same kind of thing. In closing: I find it sad that so many people stoop to the bashing and trolling just for a shock laugh or to ride the bandwagon without having seen the show, or truly knowing any "real" Amish. If you have an idealized or utopian view of Amish life based on some books you have read, that's not "real" either. There's a trend to scream "fake" at almost anything on the internet, just to seem like you know something. I think the producers of this show are using their creative license to illustrate some REAL TRUTHS in these communities, that deserve serious consideration.

Just watched Amish mafia and lost all respect for Discovery channel. I CANT'T STAND A LIAR. And the producers lied to the AMISH AID (The name Discovery said would be the name of the show) from day one. Liars cannot be trusted at all, so as far as i know all of your shows are BxxxxxxT!And since you have just proved to all of your viewers that you lie, how do we know that anything you show is true or just more BxxxxxxT! And when they confront you about your lies then you try to get back at them by airing all the things you promised not to film.But since you'r all liars we don't know if they are true or not. If you want to reveal a crime you can't prove anything if your a known liar because nobody will believe you. Try that crap with Judge Judy. I could care less if the show is real or faked. It just pxxxx's me off that Discovery comes into our homes and tells us and our children that lying is OK as long as you get what you want. At the same time telling the whole world that Americans condone lying.You would think that Discovery would want to have a good reputation since the shows are about discovery and learning not lying.I XXXXXXG HATE LYERS!SincerelyColin

I keep reading the above reviews about there not being a real Lancaster county Pa police dept. and these are fake actors, NOT. If you look these people up online you will see that they have criminal records and that there is indeed a Lancaster County Police Dept. with mugshots and all. There are even News Stations reporting the arrest of the "Black Amish" Alan Beiler. Much of this show is reality and you will see that the church and the Bishops dole out there own justice and do depend on Amish Aid which is there own type of insurance when things get broken and the like. The kids do keep much from their parents and do all the hut parties, have sex, own and ride in cars like English during what is called Rumspringa, which translates to running around. I saw a documentary on this and I wish I could remember the name of it, but I am sure you can google plenty on the Amish and Rumspringa and what happens during that time. They act like regular teens in America and experiment with everything from drugs to sex and rock and roll. So, that being said, I believe that the show is for the most part a true portrayal of the Amish. I believe that the Amish Church is powerful and will shun you if you brake their rules and they find out about it. But, as with any other religion certain illegal, immoral, and down right ungodly behavior is totally overlooked for the sake of the church and the almighty dollar. If you want to see what the dirty side of the Amish Community is like, that is what you are going to get with this show. Lots of weird excitement and I say weird because when you have so many church rules crammed down your throat your eventually going to regurgitate and when you do it is fun to watch. The characters seem real enough to me. Your gonna love it. I gave it a 10 to get the reviews up so more people would watch and because I just absolutely love this show and their characters. All reality TV is faked somewhat but so what! See for yourself what the Church really tolerates and how hypocritical the Bishops are and how they and the characters twist the bible for their own gains.

Really who is scared of these people? Maybe a horse? I think even the horses are laughing at these dumbasses! I watched a full length episode of this crap one night and like to have killed myself laughing! Oooooo who is really scared of levi? He looks like a little ignorant boy and these people who go out and try to collect payment for him I am sure are just as dumb as he is. I hope levi reads this please oh please I hope he reads this!!! Come on down to Alabama you dumb hick! And the way they talk is really stupid. So do us all a favor and go get a real job you're making amish people look retarded. And the woman, you know who you are, you are as stupid as he is, so just give yourself to him and be done with it! I'm sure you are the town bicycle, everybody has had a ride!! Gross I almost made myself throw up!