The Untold Truth Of Return To Amish's Sabrina Burkholder

There's no denying that TLC knows how to serve up a show to tickle our fancy. They proved this when they premiered Breaking Amish in 2012, which chronicled the lives of people who chose to leave their Amish communities. The show was such a hit that TLC created a spinoff called Return to Amish, a show that looked at the realities of life for members who had left. As TLC points out, the cast members struggle "as they come to terms with the fact that life doesn't get any easier after leaving their Amish community behind."

Return to Amish gave us an inside scoop on the lives of Abe Schmucker and Rebecca Schmucker. We also got the story on Jeremiah Raber and Carmela Mendez's marriage. On top of that, we followed Kate Stoltz on her journey from the Amish community to life in New York City.

While there are so many remarkable storylines, one person we're dying to know more about is Sabrina Burkholder. She's had an intense journey and here's everything to know!

Sabrina Burkholder has been with TLC since September 2012, when the network launched Breaking Amish. While other cast members have come and gone, Sabrina has remained on, even in TLC's popular spinoff, Return to Amish, which is premiering its sixth season on March 22, 2021, according to In Touch Weekly.

While Sabrina's clearly committed to sticking around with TLC, she's actually the only Mennonite member while the rest of the cast are Amish, according to People. What's the difference? According to Ohio's Amish Country, the differences are more practical, rather than belief-based. For instance, Amish groups tend to avoid modern technologies and don't interact as much with the "greater world." They are also known to use buggies as a means of transportation, for instance. 

The website further explains that while Mennonite communities utilize some forms of modern technology, their emphasis lies on missionary work. Despite this greater level of exposure, the Mennonite community tends to be more conservative, according to People. But of course, it's not necessarily easy to leave behind either world, and that goes for Sabrina, too.

Sabrina Burkholder shared the news in August 2018 that her heart stopped beating after a near-fatal experience with heroin.

On Facebook, Sabrina shared that she was in York County, Pennsylvania, shortly before her 32nd birthday with friends and her boyfriend, Jethro Nolt. "I was almost a year clean from heroin. For whatever reason that day, I was in a mood," Sabrina wrote (via People.) A friend handed her a capful of heroin for her birthday, Sabrina said, adding: "I remember feeling very weird and that was my last [conscious] thought. Half an hour later I woke up surrounded by paramedics ... I was suddenly hit with memories of what happened when I was dead. Yes, dead."

Those with Sabrina did CPR on her. "They had to Narcan me twice to bring me back," Sabrina wrote. "They only had 2 Narcan on them; had I needed another, I wouldn't be here," she said. "That experience shook me to my core and forced me to look at the s***ty person I've allowed myself to become."

Sabrina ended her post by telling followers she was going to rehab (via Starcasm.) "I am going to rehab. And I'm not coming out for a long time," she wrote. So how is she staying sober?

As Sabrina Burkholder embarked on her sober journey, she enlisted the support of TLC producers. When she updated fans on Facebook in 2018, Sabrina said that she got the network involved. "TLC is involved now too, and I signed releases of information yesterday at parole allowing [TLC] to know everything that's going on with me," Sabrina said. "So if I would go get high and then pee dirty for parole, TLC would know immediately," (via In Touch Weekly.)

It's clear too that Sabrina takes her job with TLC very seriously, because she added: "I specifically asked parole to put it in the paperwork that TLC and [production company] Hot Snakes be allowed to know everything. That way I am held accountable and have to do well, otherwise, I will lose my job. I decided that I need that kind of structure in my life." Sabrina also created a Facebook group called "Hope for Recovery" to share uplifting messages about recovery.

Sabrina Burkholder had two daughters, Oakley and Arianna. However, she lost custody of them due to her struggles with addiction, according to Soapdirt.

Oakley and Arianna were adopted by their father's sister, according to In Touch Weekly. When a fan asked Sabrina on Facebook if she gets to see her daughters, Sabrina replied: "They are adopted now, and as long as I stay clean and sober, I'm allowed to see them," (via a later publication by In Touch Weekly.) Just because Sabrina gets to see them does not mean that Oakley and Arianna will appear on TLC. "My daughters' adoptive mother has asked that I keep my kids out of the spotlight," Sabrina explained, "and so I want to respect that and respect their privacy." Further, Starcasm reported in 2017 that Arianna's name was changed to Olivia.

However, since, Sabrina has welcomed more children. In 2019, Sabrina welcomed a son, Zekiah, with her boyfriend, Jethro Nolt, according to Soapdirt. In teaser talk for season 6 of Return to Amish, which premieres on March 22, 2021, fans find out that Sabrina is expecting her fourth child with Nolt, so it's a safe bet that the season will follow the storyline of her pregnancy and delivery.

Sabrina Burkholder is dating Jethro Nolt, who is the father of her son, Zekiah, and the father of her upcoming child, according to Inquisitr. The pair started dating in 2017 but they've known each other for many years. In fact, "Jethro's father is a preacher in the conservative Mennonite church and so we've known each other for a long time," Sabrina told In Touch Weekly.

Despite this long connection, spoilers for the sixth season of Return to Amish predict some trouble between Sabrina and Jethro, per Soapdish. In fact, Jethro has made it clear that he's planning on marrying Sabrina, but she has a hunch that he's been lying to her. In fact, as they face more conflict amongst themselves, there are hints that Jethro might even leave Sabrina, according to the outlet. So fans of Return to Amish will have to see if Jethro and Sabrina are able to stay together.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).