I’m a glutton for TLC reality shows, and I have zero shame about this. I can easily be enticed to binge an entire season of something if the trailer or title sounds niche or bizarre enough. This is how I got roped into Suddenly Amish (2026-).
The premise is simple: six people leave their “English” lives behind to begin their trial period of potentially joining an Amish community. They must abandon their modern comforts and take on the Amish ways.
Please remember, this is TLC, so this is probably mostly scripted and not an accurate portrayal of Amish life. But what is real is how the show discusses bisexuality, and brother, we are going to get our hands dirty breaking this down.
Now, strap on your bonnets, and let’s burn the midnight oil. SPOILERS ahead!
One of the show’s potential converts is a twenty-two-year-old black man named Judah. He is from Kansas City and is a known bougie rapper. His interest in the Amish community stems from his need to find a sense of belonging and self-importance. He simply wants a place to call home.
Early on in the show, Judah reveals to the camera in secret that he is bi and is planning to come out to the other “English” (non-Amish folks). It’s in this confessional with production that he says:
I’ve always felt and been different. It can just feel like sometimes I have a mask everywhere I go. I kind of just want to take the mask off and be free.
What I Liked:
We have a man of color directly labeling his sexual orientation. He addresses his bisexuality head-on and, with a clear line of thought, expresses his concerns about coming out to this new community he has joined. And he has valid points that go both ways, just like he does. He doesn’t want to start this new potential life with lies or by hiding who he is. He doesn’t want to have to mask this part of himself.
He has no idea if his bisexuality will get him shunned.
So, how does this man come out to his fellow English? With a little razzle-dazzle, that’s how! During a group game of Shabooya Roll Call, our boy shouts out, “My name is Judah…and I am bi!”
The game comes to a screeching halt. Moment of truth, Judah. How will they respond? Immediately, the cast is caught off guard and freezes the rump-rattling beats. We see the bisexuality being processed. Nobody seems disgusted by it, but they all do seem stumped and thrown off.
In the following episodes, we see Judah go back and forth about whether or not he can belong if he comes out. TLC is notorious for sensationalizing everything they can get their grubby little hands on. Still, with Judah, they were shockingly meaningful about everything his sexual orientation entailed regarding how it could determine his religious future and acceptance in the Amish community.
Throughout the show, we follow his daily interactions as he slowly gleaned more information from the community, trying to gauge if he had built a strong enough relationship with the Amish to come out and get a better idea of what their stance on bisexuality is.
Finally, right before The Day of Reckoning, Judah confesses to the full group that he is bisexual.
My thing is this… Um… I’m bisexual.
So if the Amish community cannot accept me because of me being bi, then this is just not a community that I’m gonna be a part of, respectfully.
The camera conveniently goes to one-on-ones with everyone’s reactions and doesn’t really give us much reveal on the reactions in real time of Judah coming out. The thoughts we really want are from Allen, who reflects to the camera by saying,
With Judah coming out and saying that he’s bisexual, it was shocking. Right now, I’m kind of torn because in the Old Testament, God clearly stated one man and one woman in marriage.
Fast forward to the moment we’ve all been waiting for — the congregation’s together, ready to hear who Allen and James will recommend to stay (boo, he sucks — we hate him). Allen, a sweet old man, says everyone’s great and worth a shot. When asked to expand, we hold our breath, thinking he might out Judah to the bishop. Instead, he stammers, then gives the most precious dad response: how proud he is of Judah, how remarkable his growth has been, showing solidarity and acceptance for his little bi surrogate son. In that moment, we see this man truly loves his… bison. (No idea if Pennsylvania farms have bison, but bison are also bi, and I’m legally required to make that joke — back to my Amish yakking.)
Pure, wholesome, adorable — Judah has the support of the two people who matter most. It fills your cup and, honestly, it’s so relatable.
What I Didn’t Like:
Honestly, nothing really churned my butter in regards to the bisexuality. At no point did Judah sit down and read our What Is Bisexuality 101 to the camera, or go over his extensive dating history, and thank God. Because that would be really weird television. But he did go over a lot of real concerns and issues that bi people face, especially when it comes to religion and faith, even more so when it comes to such an uncommon one! Bisexuality isn’t just about relationships and sex. It is part of what makes you, you. Even if you’re single, even if you aren’t “acting on it”, it’s always another piece of your puzzle. I’m not sure he always expressed his concerns in the best way, but I was still impressed.
I will say, they didn’t do a good job explaining why the church is anti-LGBT. Which, honestly, most churches don’t. Most just do your typical “because the Bible tells me so” and will shoot off some bible verses willy-nilly that don’t actually say homosexuality is a shun-worthy sin. But I disgress.
The Rating:
This show had no right to give us such solid bisexual representation. Not only did it stay away from toxic tropes, but it also showed us a wholesome, charismatic black man. Rarely do we get bi guys in media, let alone strong black men! He is even a person of faith, trying to bridge the gap between faith and sexuality. How did they find this gem of a human being? We love Judah.
For a show about adapting to an Amish life, this show really nailed it with its bisexual representation. Nobody was icked out by the world of a bisexual, and I lost count of how many times I heard the word bi. Phenomenal conversations and a wonderful representation of all the black men being told they don’t exist. I give this random ass reality show about Amish living four made-from-scratch unicorns.
