Amish celebrity... get me out of here

They've never watched TV, sat in a car or eaten fast food - and now they're going to Hollywood.

Five young people from America's Amish community are to be whisked off to a glitzy Tinseltown mansion in the latest bizarre reality TV offering.

The group, from rural communities which shun technology and modern life, will spend two months living with six streetwise cityslickers.

Producers hope the contrast between their humility and sobriety and Hollywood's bright lights and brashness will make compelling viewing.

Not to mention the cheap laughs at the expense of the 'bumpkins'.

Amish In The City, which airs next week, got off to an ideal start when one of the group was scared of the airport escalator, screaming. 'I'm freaked out!' The show mirrors the Amish rite of passage rumspringa - running wild - during which young people test their devotion to their lifestyle by leaving it.

Producers UPN have faced a torrent of criticism, with campaigners accusing them of exploiting the Amish. But the network argues it is merely the opposite of hit reality show The Simple Life which shows heiress Paris Hilton living as a farmhand.

Mose, one of the Amish participants, added: 'People are curious about the Amish. I felt I could be the person to teach Americans about how we live.'