Eden or the Apocalypse? Survivalists Literally Burn It All Down in “The Garden: Commune or Cult ”(Exclusive)
PEOPLE offers an exclusive first look at Discovery Channel’s new eye-opening limited series
The most nefarious cults sometimes are the ones hidden in plain sight.
Sprawled across 22 acres of land in the south lies The Garden, an enigmatic, leaderless community that is now the subject of the limited series The Garden: Commute or Cult, premiering on Oct. 29 on Discovery Channel. At The Garden, residents don’t live by society’s long-held rules, and newcomers must undergo an “initiation period.”
“Some barely last a week, others are forced to leave and a chosen few will call The Garden home for good,” states the press release.
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The show’s crew were granted an unprecedented level of access to The Garden while following a new crop of initiates, including Tyler, a veteran and doomsday prepper, Tisheila, a truck driver survivalist, “Oak,” a longtime desk jockey and Jessica, a former cheerleader. The group has 10 days to prove they’re a good fit for The Garden.
In the one-minute teaser shared exclusively with PEOPLE, the newbies arrive one by one, eager to start their new lives. But in some cases, they realize The Garden isn't what they expected.
Discovery
Members of The Garden welcome Jessica, an initiate and former cheerleader.Dragging his luggage and two pillows down a rocky path through the woods, Oak looks determined to find his way to the commune.
“At the end of the day, my wife and my kids, they're gonna thank me one day for this,” he says via voiceover, before trying to hitch a ride with an RV and bellowing, “I’m looking for The Garden!”
As the camera pans over an eclectic collection of cars, buses and tents, several of the initiates chime in, including one cast member whom the show has not yet disclosed.
“Coming here, I’m starting to remember who I am,” they say.
“This is like post-apocalyptic Wonderland, free of worries, free of paying bills,” Tyler adds. "You're free to do whatever you want."
Discovery
Tisheila, a truck driver survivalist, is another initiate seeking to join The Garden for the long haul.Tisheila, meanwhile, explains her motivation for heading to The Garden, while the teaser cuts to snippets of her driving a truck, speaking at a desk and practicing at a shooting range. “The reason that I'm going to the garden, I am prepared for society going down,” she explains.
In another scene, Tree, a member of The Garden, screams “Let’s go!” atop a bus, while another member sports a gorilla mask and another person grips a dead rooster by its legs.
“We are the aftermath of the destruction of society,” Tree contends.
While another cast member explains that she "wanted to integrate myself into The Garden community," Tyler expresses quiet alarm from the safety of a tent. Separately, members hold hands, eyes closed. “This place is definitely not what it seems,” Tyler says.
In the next scene, a cheerful Jessica receives a warm welcome from several community members waving musical instruments in the air.
Discovery
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“I'm going there because I hope that I can find a new experience,” she explains.
But another moment sees a group set fire to a large swath of land.
“Are people ready? Burn it," one man declares, as flames engulf yards of trees and foliage.
“Oh, my gosh, what have I gotten myself into?” wonders Jessica, before the teaser concludes with the show’s title and tribal-inspired music.
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The Garden: Commune or Cult premieres Sunday, Oct. 29 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
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