His name is Nasubi. He sits alone and naked in a small apartment for months on end, trying to win food and clothing as mail-in sweepstakes prizes. He doesn’t quite know it, but his strange predicament is being broadcast to 17 million people. It sounds like a work of fiction about a torturous psychopath — something out of a “Saw” film — but in 1998, it was the premise of a Japanese reality TV show, and is now now the subject of documentary Clair Titley’s wildly intriguing (if often imbalanced) “The Contestant.”
The British documentary, now available on Hulu, chronicles the inception of this cruel and unusual game through the eyes of not only its subject — wannabe comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, a.k.a. Nasubi — as well as TV super-producer Toshio Tsuchiya, who created the bizarre challenge for comedy/prank reality series “Susunu! Denpa Shōnen.” Starting with six-minute segments of Nasubi’s life,...
The British documentary, now available on Hulu, chronicles the inception of this cruel and unusual game through the eyes of not only its subject — wannabe comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, a.k.a. Nasubi — as well as TV super-producer Toshio Tsuchiya, who created the bizarre challenge for comedy/prank reality series “Susunu! Denpa Shōnen.” Starting with six-minute segments of Nasubi’s life,...
- 5/2/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety Film + TV
Hulu‘s latest documentary is a downright doozy that is both hilarious and horrifying at the exact same time. The Contestant, which is available to stream as of Thursday, centers on the very wild story of Tomoaki Hamatsu aka Nasubi, a Japanese man who was recruited by a respected producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, to star in a nebulous show and subsequently ended up living more than a year of his life in solitude, surviving on sweepstakes prizes, and showing off his slide into insanity to millions of rapt viewers. Called Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes, the show launched in 1998 as Nasubi was dropped off in a small barren apartment with a camera, stripped of everything he owned (including every stitch of his clothes), and left to apply for sweepstakes and learn to survive on the winnings. As The Contestant details, Nasubi was challenged to collect ¥1 million worth of prizes during his adventure,...
- 5/2/2024
- TV Insider
A man walks into a room. He’s just picked a winning ticket in a lottery, been blindfolded, and led through the snow. Now, inside a windowless and mostly bare apartment, he’s being asked to disrobe. I have to take off everything, the man asks? Everything. The fact that a TV producer is telling him this is cause for concern. Besides, isn’t this supposed to be some sort of televised contest? Why is he being left au naturel? Don’t worry, the producer says. Most of this won’t be aired.
- 5/1/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
The tagline of Clair Titley’s The Contestant is “The naked truth about the world’s first reality star.” The show referred to is Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, which aired in Japan from January 1998 to March 2002, and which saw participants––usually young people eager for fame––complete grueling challenges, such as hitch-hiking from South Africa to Norway or traveling from India to Indonesia by peddle boat. The star is Tomoaki Hamatsu, better known as “Nasubi”, who appeared on Denpa Shōnen’s now infamous program A Life in Prizes. The question that the show posed was simple: how long could someone survive on competition prizes alone?
To answer it, the show’s producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, had Nasubi blindfolded and taken to a secret location––a dreary one-room apartment somewhere in Tokyo––where he was asked to strip naked and was instructed to use a selection of magazines and a large stack of...
To answer it, the show’s producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, had Nasubi blindfolded and taken to a secret location––a dreary one-room apartment somewhere in Tokyo––where he was asked to strip naked and was instructed to use a selection of magazines and a large stack of...
- 5/1/2024
- by Oliver Weir
- The Film Stage
When Tomoaki Hamatsu aka Nasubi first auditioned for a game show run by famed Japanese producer Toshio Tsuchiya, he wanted to be a comedian. What he didn’t know is that people would be laughing at him for all the wrong reasons — and he wouldn’t even know it. Now, Hulu’s riveting documentary The Contestant aims to show the horror behind all of the humor. In 1998, Nasubi’s name was randomly chosen during the audition, and he was whisked away to a small, empty apartment and instructed to take all of his clothes off. He would then spend the next year and three months in that condition, surviving only off of the prizes he received from mail-order contests until he won ¥1 million worth of prizes. Though he knew there was a camera in the room, he didn’t know it was feeding a daily broadcast of Denpa Shonen: A...
- 5/1/2024
- TV Insider
Tomoaki “Nasubi” Hamatsu in The ContestantImage: Disney
During its run from 1998 to 2002, Susunu! Denpa Shōnen (translated: Do Not Proceed! Crazy Youth) became the biggest thing on Japanese television. The travel-focused variety show, cited by many as the foundation for reality TV as we know it, saw contestants tossed into survival scenarios,...
During its run from 1998 to 2002, Susunu! Denpa Shōnen (translated: Do Not Proceed! Crazy Youth) became the biggest thing on Japanese television. The travel-focused variety show, cited by many as the foundation for reality TV as we know it, saw contestants tossed into survival scenarios,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Jarrod Jones
- avclub.com
Hulu documentary “The Contestant” is putting “The Truman Show” to shame.
Centered on the shocking true story of Japanese comedian Tomoaki “Nasubi” Hamatsu, the feature is written and directed by Clair Titley. “The Contestant” charts the early days of reality TV in the 1990s, with Nasubi an unknowing participant in a twisted reality show. Nasubi was trapped alone and naked in an apartment for 15 months with cameras surrounding him as he fulfilled tasks like entering magazine sweepstakes to earn food and clothing. The show was watched by more than 15 million people and titled “Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes.”
Per the official synopsis for “The Contestant,” Nasubi thought he was attending an audition when a successful Japanese TV producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, enlisted him to take part in a challenge. Tsuchiya led Nasubi into a room, ordered him to strip naked, and left him with a stack of magazines. Nasubi’s...
Centered on the shocking true story of Japanese comedian Tomoaki “Nasubi” Hamatsu, the feature is written and directed by Clair Titley. “The Contestant” charts the early days of reality TV in the 1990s, with Nasubi an unknowing participant in a twisted reality show. Nasubi was trapped alone and naked in an apartment for 15 months with cameras surrounding him as he fulfilled tasks like entering magazine sweepstakes to earn food and clothing. The show was watched by more than 15 million people and titled “Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes.”
Per the official synopsis for “The Contestant,” Nasubi thought he was attending an audition when a successful Japanese TV producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, enlisted him to take part in a challenge. Tsuchiya led Nasubi into a room, ordered him to strip naked, and left him with a stack of magazines. Nasubi’s...
- 4/9/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Hulu has revealed the trailer and key art for its original documentary, The Contestant, which will premiere on Thursday, May 2, 2024.
This true story of a Japanese reality TV star left naked in a room for more than a year, tasked with filling out magazine sweepstakes to earn food and clothing, prompts innumerable questions about our culture of oversharing.
Before the onslaught of reality television in the West, there was an ominous harbinger in Japan of what was to come in our oversharing-obsessed culture. The Contestant traces the experience of aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi, who unwittingly became an extreme case study.
In 1998, Nasubi thought he was attending an audition when a successful Japanese TV producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, enlisted him to take part in a challenge. Tsuchiya led Nasubi into a room, ordered him to strip naked, and left him with a stack of magazines.
Nasubi’s task was to...
This true story of a Japanese reality TV star left naked in a room for more than a year, tasked with filling out magazine sweepstakes to earn food and clothing, prompts innumerable questions about our culture of oversharing.
Before the onslaught of reality television in the West, there was an ominous harbinger in Japan of what was to come in our oversharing-obsessed culture. The Contestant traces the experience of aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi, who unwittingly became an extreme case study.
In 1998, Nasubi thought he was attending an audition when a successful Japanese TV producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, enlisted him to take part in a challenge. Tsuchiya led Nasubi into a room, ordered him to strip naked, and left him with a stack of magazines.
Nasubi’s task was to...
- 4/9/2024
- by Mirko Parlevliet
- Vital Thrills
Hulu has acquired the rights to The Contestant, the documentary feature from MRC and Misfits Entertainment that had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
The Contestant is the true story of aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi, whose fame kicked off in 1998 when he starred in reality competition series “Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes.” The show’s premise left Nasubi naked in a room for more than a year and tasked him with filling out magazine sweepstakes to earn food, but he had no idea he was becoming the most famous TV star in Japan as the series broadcast to more than 15 million people..
The film explores one of the first extreme reality shows that pushed boundaries and gave rise to an explosion of the genre worldwide. The feature documentary reveals the true...
The Contestant is the true story of aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi, whose fame kicked off in 1998 when he starred in reality competition series “Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes.” The show’s premise left Nasubi naked in a room for more than a year and tasked him with filling out magazine sweepstakes to earn food, but he had no idea he was becoming the most famous TV star in Japan as the series broadcast to more than 15 million people..
The film explores one of the first extreme reality shows that pushed boundaries and gave rise to an explosion of the genre worldwide. The feature documentary reveals the true...
- 11/28/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Hulu has acquired rights to “The Contestant,” a documentary about an aspiring comedian who unknowingly becomes the most famous TV star in Japan.
Clair Titley directed the movie, which premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival to positive reviews. “The Contestant” will launch on Hulu in 2024.
The documentary tells the stranger-than-fiction story of Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi, who auditioned for a TV show in 1998. The premise of “Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes,” the series that eventually made him a household name in Japan, left Nasubi naked in an empty room for more than a year and tasked him with filling out magazine sweepstakes to earn food, clothes and other necessities. But he had no idea he was becoming wildly famous in Japan as the series was broadcast to more than 15 million people.
“The Contestant” explores one of the first extreme reality shows that pushed boundaries and paved way for others like it.
Clair Titley directed the movie, which premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival to positive reviews. “The Contestant” will launch on Hulu in 2024.
The documentary tells the stranger-than-fiction story of Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi, who auditioned for a TV show in 1998. The premise of “Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes,” the series that eventually made him a household name in Japan, left Nasubi naked in an empty room for more than a year and tasked him with filling out magazine sweepstakes to earn food, clothes and other necessities. But he had no idea he was becoming wildly famous in Japan as the series was broadcast to more than 15 million people.
“The Contestant” explores one of the first extreme reality shows that pushed boundaries and paved way for others like it.
- 11/28/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Long before Bethenny Frankel began fighting for reality stars’ rights, there was “Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes,” a Japanese reality show that began airing in 1998.
The show starred aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi. In a room by himself and naked, Nasubi had to fill out contest coupons in order to win what he needed to survive. What Nasubi didn’t realize was that his experiences were being broadcast to more than 15 million people.
The true story of the show and Nasubi’s unwitting involvement are explored in Clair Titley’s “The Contestant.” The docu, which made its world premiere at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival earlier this month, recently screened at the 19th edition of the Camden Intl. Film Festival.
“Camden feels like such filmmaker’s film festival,” Titley says. “It’s wonderful when people love your film, but when your peers love your film and people in...
The show starred aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi. In a room by himself and naked, Nasubi had to fill out contest coupons in order to win what he needed to survive. What Nasubi didn’t realize was that his experiences were being broadcast to more than 15 million people.
The true story of the show and Nasubi’s unwitting involvement are explored in Clair Titley’s “The Contestant.” The docu, which made its world premiere at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival earlier this month, recently screened at the 19th edition of the Camden Intl. Film Festival.
“Camden feels like such filmmaker’s film festival,” Titley says. “It’s wonderful when people love your film, but when your peers love your film and people in...
- 9/16/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The story at the center of Clair Titley’s documentary The Contestant is astonishing and infuriating, almost guaranteed to cause viewers a level of tangible discomfort, a measure of personal introspection and some amount of judgment when it comes to the world of unscripted TV and perhaps the world at large.
It’s an astonishing story and Titley tells the core of it well. If all you’re coming to The Contestant for is a recounting of a bizarre circumstance in Japanese culture from 1998, you’ll be properly aghast.
However — and not everybody will demand this — The Contestant ought to have the advantage of 25 years of distance for a healthy dose of introspection and cultural context. At the very least, it ought to have the advantage of a decade-plus of introspection and cultural context, since it was the basis for a 2014 This American Life episode. In this respect, The Contestant is a missed opportunity.
It’s an astonishing story and Titley tells the core of it well. If all you’re coming to The Contestant for is a recounting of a bizarre circumstance in Japanese culture from 1998, you’ll be properly aghast.
However — and not everybody will demand this — The Contestant ought to have the advantage of 25 years of distance for a healthy dose of introspection and cultural context. At the very least, it ought to have the advantage of a decade-plus of introspection and cultural context, since it was the basis for a 2014 This American Life episode. In this respect, The Contestant is a missed opportunity.
- 9/9/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Every film festival with a robust documentary section will have its share of Wtf movies, but “The Contestant” could well be the Wtf-iest at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Premiering on Friday in the TIFF Docs section, director Clair Titley’s film starts with a ridiculous but true premise and piles on more and more ridiculousness until the whole thing makes no sense at all. Except that it happened.
Your jaw may drop, your head may shake and you may well end up hating at least one character, but it’s hard to take your eyes off the damn thing — and especially hard to take your eyes off Tomoaki Hamatsu, aka Nabusi, the poor guy at the center of it.
It started in 1998 with the Japanese reality TV show “Denpa Shonen,” which was originally dedicated to putting young people through endurance tests. Two years before “Survivor” premiered and helped kick off the U.
Your jaw may drop, your head may shake and you may well end up hating at least one character, but it’s hard to take your eyes off the damn thing — and especially hard to take your eyes off Tomoaki Hamatsu, aka Nabusi, the poor guy at the center of it.
It started in 1998 with the Japanese reality TV show “Denpa Shonen,” which was originally dedicated to putting young people through endurance tests. Two years before “Survivor” premiered and helped kick off the U.
- 9/8/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Contestant, making its world premiere on Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival, begins with this text on screen: “At the end of the 20th century, Japanese audiences were confronted with an extraordinary television event.”
The event in question was the 1998 premiere of a reality TV series with an “entertaining” but ultimately cruel premise: Place a game show contestant in an extreme situation and watch what happens. An aspiring comedian nicknamed Nasubi (the Japanese word for eggplant) won an audition to be the centerpiece of the show.
Nasubi in ‘The Contestant’
“The setup was they put him in this apartment with nothing in the room apart from a pile of magazines… and a pile of postcards,” director Clair Titley explains. “They make him take off all his clothes and he has to win everything that he needs to survive through the competitions in the backs of magazines.”
That’s...
The event in question was the 1998 premiere of a reality TV series with an “entertaining” but ultimately cruel premise: Place a game show contestant in an extreme situation and watch what happens. An aspiring comedian nicknamed Nasubi (the Japanese word for eggplant) won an audition to be the centerpiece of the show.
Nasubi in ‘The Contestant’
“The setup was they put him in this apartment with nothing in the room apart from a pile of magazines… and a pile of postcards,” director Clair Titley explains. “They make him take off all his clothes and he has to win everything that he needs to survive through the competitions in the backs of magazines.”
That’s...
- 9/7/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
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