Meet The Polygamists

Meet The Polygamists

Synopsis

What does it mean to be a practicing polygamist in America today? In the religious community of Centennial Park, AZ (pop. 1,500), embedded crews will explore the inner workings of not one home, or family, but an entire community of people living a way of life decreed almost 200 years ago.

Episodes

Season 1
  • Meet The Polygamists

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    Founded in the 1980s as a Fundamentalist Mormon community, Centennial Park is a town where everyone shares a religion and a polygamous lifestyle. Today, there are less than 1,500 men, women and children building a town for themselves and their future families. This community is different from Warren Jeffs's Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Here marriages aren't performed until girls reach 18, and marriages are determined by divine inspiration. A world largely unknown and unseen to the general public, for the first time, the people of Centennial Park have allowed cameras unprecedented access to their rites, rituals and...

  • The Winter Ball

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    In Centennial Park, preparations are being made for a New Year's celebration. But, for the Fundamentalist Mormons of Centennial Park, there will be no wild dancing. Instead, the community will hold a Victorian era themed dance. The dance is a way to celebrate the New Year as a community. It's also a chance for the younger generations to learn the traditional ways and social graces of their elders.

  • The Baptism

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    In the polygamous community of Centennial Park near the Utah-Arizona border, everything is about growth - children, families, even the town itself. But, with growth, come plenty of growing pains. The town itself was born only less than 30 years ago. As families grow with more wives and kids, responsibilities increase. And as children come of age, they must choose between growing up in - or growing away from - the church.

  • The Priesthood Council

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    The leaders of Centennial Park face a tremendous challenge trying to keep their young in the faith while outside influences challenge their efforts. Nineteen-year-old Ezra has been dating a girl from a nearby town, an activity that is frowned upon by this placement marriage community. Senior Missionary, 22-year-old Hyrum, is taken by surprise when he learns there is a woman in the community set to marry him. Big families can make for big problems. Michael and his family of three wives and eighteen children have to make big sacrifices. A family outing for Isaiah, Marleen and Becca turns uncomfortable. Marleen takes it upon herself to join the Centennial...

  • God Has Spoken

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    The Centennial Park youth are coming of age and preparing for the next big step in their lives - marriage. It is believed here that God tells women who they should marry. The matchmaking process is overseen by a group of community elders known as the Brethren who are believed to communicate directly with God. Twenty-two-year-old Hyrum prepares for his wedding with Kellie, a girl he barely knows. Rose Marie, 18, has been praying for a name from God for who her husband will be and with no word back, she debates whether she should go to the Brethren and ask for assistance. Ezra, 19, wants to marry his girlfriend Tiffany, but since dating is frowned...

  • The New Polygamists

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    In Centennial Park, neighbor helps neighbor in the building up and continuing growth of the community. Rose Marie, 18, turns herself into the Brethren to help find the name of the man she's suppose to marry. Hyrum, 22, moves in with his newly wed bride Kellie, 18. Ezra, 19, wants to marry his girlfriend, but since dating is frowned upon in the community, he needs to follow the Brethren's orders to get a job and earn $10,000. Marleen, 30, takes the stage as a member of CPAC, an advocacy group within Centennial Park. Michael, 44, needs to expand his home, but his wives aren't pleased with his unconventional solution of using shipping containers...