It’s The Simple Life meets Survivor! The latest in what seems to be a never-ending string of reality shows, Amish in the City debuted last night on the UPN network with a two-hour special during which this interesting and diverse cast of characters was introduced to America. The premise is intriguing, really. Take five sheltered Amish young people and plop them into a house in L.A. with six assorted “city kids” and see what happens! Despite some critics’ concerns that this show would be exploitative in nature, Amish in the City, while certainly honest, treats the experiences of these newly hatched young people with respect and understanding.

Predictably, the “city kids” are taken aback when the Amish gang arrives at the front door in full regalia. In a rather uncomfortable opening scene, there is a lot of laughter and disbelief as the Amish explore their new digs. Certainly, they have been sheltered but they are not as naive as one would imagine. Several of them are already on their Rumspringa, the period of time that Amish young people are free to explore the “world” and decide whether or not to return to their community and join the church. This rite of passage was explored in the 2002 documentary, “The Devil’s Playground,” which was produced by series producer Daniel Laikind.

The show had some nice moments. The group has an opportunity to go to the beach and, for the Amish, this is dream come true. None of them had ever been to a beach and watching them when they first saw the ocean is really moving. This trip has an unexpected twist, though, when one of the Amish, Mose, nearly drowns his first time in the water.

They shop ‘til they drop, eat sushi, enjoy the hot tub and, in one particular interesting segment, the city kids have the chance to “walk a mile” in their Amish roommates’ shoes, wearing their clothing and rather unfashionable footwear. No surprise, there is a degree of drama as they all try to adjust to one another and learn to get along.

The “city kids” have their own issues and, in any other setting would certainly be having problems dealing with one another. The gay man desires the hunky straight man and this nearly leads to fisticuffs. The vegan has no tolerance for her meat-eating counterparts and the Bostonian, well he seems to have no tolerance for anyone!

One can’t help but to speculate where this will all lead. Two of the Amish participants had been involved romantically but are no longer a couple. Ruth left her boyfriend behind on the farm and seems extremely homesick. There are so many potential plot twists here and so much of the world for them to explore. Southern California has so many attractions – Disneyland, Rodeo Drive, concerts and alternative lifestyles. There is no end to what they will be able to experience.

The big question here may be which of them will choose to stay in the city. Certainly, no matter what they decide, their lives will never be the same. How do you keep ‘em down on the farm after they’ve seen L.A.? Wherever this leads, the show is compelling and, in some ways, educational. Amish in the City is a winner and, hopefully, there will be a follow-up once all this shakes out and the tough decisions have been made.