Latest news with #Nasubi
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
BBC fans appalled by ‘cruel' reality show where contestant starved and stripped
The BBC has created a documentary about the experiences of a Japanese man who entered a contest that landed him on a reality TV show with 'inhumane' stipulations BBC viewers were left stunned after watching a new documentary called Storyville: The Contestant, which is now streaming on BBC iPlayer. The film explores the shocking true story of a controversial Japanese reality show that subjected its star to isolation, starvation, and humiliation for over a year while he was completely unaware that he was being watched by millions of people. The documentary tells the story of Susunu! Denpa Shonen (Do Not Proceed, Crazy Youth), a 1998 Japanese TV programme that placed 22-year-old aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu in a flat with no clothes, no food, and no contact with the outside world. He was challenged to win one million yen (around £6,000) by entering and winning mail-in magazine sweepstakes. On top of setting aside this amount of prize money that he earned via sweepstakes, he was also tasked with using the same method to procure everything he needed to survive, including his food, clothes, and even toilet paper. Although Hamatsu (who was nicknamed Nasubi on the programme) agreed to take part in the experiment, he had no idea that his every move was being broadcast to a weekly audience of 17 million people for 15 months. The show was marketed as a social experiment, and Japanese viewers were able to tune in to watch Nasubi's struggles to survive on his segment of Do Not Proceed, Crazy Youth, which was called A Life in Prizes. BBC viewers have been absolutely horrified by the way Nasubi was treated. One person took to X saying: "Watching The Contestant and that producer should be in prison for torture and war crimes that violate the UN." Another agreed: "I don't think I've ever yelled, 'That's so damn unethical,' as much as I have while watching The Contestant." Other viewers described the programme as "inhumane" and "gut-wrenching", while praising Nasubi for being "such a sweet, genuine soul". Someone else added: "If it sounds like The Truman Show, that's because it basically is. His conditions were worse than being a prisoner in jail." During his time on A Life in Prizes Nasubi survived on meals like 5kg of plain rice and even wet dog food. In his diaries, he wrote: "I don't have enough nutrition going to my brain. Being driven to the edge has brought out a madness in me." After finally reaching the prize goal, he was released, only to be tricked into repeating the ordeal for several more weeks. When he was finally freed, the walls of a new apartment collapsed to reveal a live studio audience, and Nasubi discovered he had unknowingly become a national celebrity. 25 years later Nasubi has reflected on this horrific experience, sharing: "Even if I get hurt, I want to protect people around me. Instead of revenge, I would like to use that energy for something more positive, like helping people." Nasubi now works with charities across Japan and has managed to transform his reality TV past into a source of strength. He said: "When you put energy into other people rather than just focusing on yourself, you become stronger than you could ever imagine."
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BBC viewers left 'in tears and screaming at the TV' after documentary about 'absurdly cruel' reality show that saw contestant stripped naked, starved and locked up alone for a YEAR
BBC viewers were left 'in tears and screaming at the TV' after a documentary about an 'absurdly cruel' reality show which saw a contestant stripped naked, starved and locked up alone for a year. Storyville: The Contestant, which hit BBC iPlayer last night, tells the incredible story of 1998 Japanese show Susunu!Denpa Shonen, or Do Not Proceed, Crazy Youth. Aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, then 22, was locked up, asked to strip naked and tasked with entering mail-in magazine competitions until he won one million yen (around £6,000). The man, who auditioned for the programme, was told he could leave at any time - but he decided to persist to complete the challenge, staying for a total of 15 months. He thought the footage would be aired on TV at a later date - but what he did not know was it was actually being broadcast live to around 17million people per week. The documentary, originally created in 2023, has shocked BBC viewers since hitting its on-demand platform last night, who took to X to express their horror. The man (pictured in the documentary), who auditioned for the programme, was told he could leave at any time - but he decided to persist to complete the challenge, staying for a total of 15 months One said: 'Watching The Contestant and that producer should be in prison for torture and war crimes that violate the UN.' The commenter mentioned the man's nickname Nasubi, Japanese for 'aubergine', a cartoon image of which was used by producers to cover his genitals on the show. They continued: 'What he did to Nasubi is absurdly cruel and the entire industry of reality television should be burned to the ground.' Another commented: 'I don't think I've ever yelled, "That's so damn unethical", as much as I have while watching The Contestant.' Someone else said: 'The Contestant was gut wrenching. Nasubi is such a sweet genuine soul. I was in tears by the end! 'I hope they compensated him even outside of the fundraising they did. One year and three months of film and book sales. 'Pay that man. Producer was wrong as hell for that.' One person added: 'If it sounds like The Truman Show, that's because it basically is. The documentary, originally created in 2023, has shocked BBC viewers since hitting its on-demand platform last night, who took to X to express their horror 'They film Nasubi's life for over a year, living in ridiculously cramped conditions and winning very little until late into the game. 'His conditions are worse than being a prisoner in jail. It's completely inhumane.' Another echoed this sentiment: 'The producer on The Contestant should be in jail.' Someone else praised Nasubi's resilience: 'The Contestant is a hard watch but Nasubi is one of the most beautiful people in the world. Wow.' Another commenter weighed in: 'This is all so very bizarre! I can't believe people watched this poor guy on TV.' Not only did he have to accrue prize money from the magazine competitions, he had to win everything he needed to survive too - including food, clothing and toilet roll. He ate undignified meals such as 5kg of uncooked rice, before he was forced to resort to eating wet dog food on day 80. Nasubi was stripped of all his belongings and clothes and left alone with nothing but stacks of magazines, postcards, running water, electricity and heating - without ever signing a contract. His mental state got to the point that he admitted he wished for death - but he tried to stay sane by writing diaries, dancing and playing games. The live stream of his endeavours was one segment, dubbed A Life In Prizes, of the larger programme, which saw lots of ordinary people take on crazy tasks. In an interview with The Sun, he said: 'The loneliness affected me much more than not being able to eat or not having clothes. 'There were so many moments where I thought it probably would be better to die now than keep going. 'The toughest moment was when the rice ran out and I needed to face up to eating dog food. I didn't want to eat it but there was no alternative.' Nasubi admitted that he was in 'such emotional turmoil that I couldn't sleep' and at points even hallucinated to the extent he believed he had been 'abducted by aliens'. In his diaries, he wrote: 'I don't have enough nutrition going to my brain. Being driven to the edge has brought out a madness in me.' When he finally reached the number of winnings needed, Nasubi was eventually freed - but producers soon conned him into returning to the hellish experience. He was flown to what he thought was a celebratory trip to Korea - where the producers worked for three hours to convince him to go through the process again. Nasubi pleaded: 'I thought my life was over. So many times I wanted to die.' He ended up competing for several more weeks, taking him to 434 days in isolation. The contestant then returned to Japan, where he entered another apartment and stripped naked, thinking he was about to be subjected to the same turmoil again. But the walls then collapsed to reveal a TV studio with a live audience of fans, with him becoming aware for the first time that his ordeal had been seen by millions. He had become an icon during his long ordeal, with the Truman Show-esque programme poking fun at him with slapstick noises and suggestive censoring. 'Without his knowledge or consent', as the BBC iPlayer synopsis explains, 'Nasubi became the most famous television personality in Japan'. As well as the record-breaking viewing figures, his diaries from inside also became a bestseller. But Nasubi was not ready to meet his new fans and reportedly needed six months to rehabilitate back into normal life. The lack of interaction and food had left his speech slow and body malnourished, while he struggled to make eye contact or talk to other people. He admitted: 'After A Life In Prizes, I lost my faith in humanity. I had a void in my heart, like a black hole. 'My loneliness could only be filled by those around me. It was their support and affection that filled that void. 'A human's love or that kind of spirit of helping each other - that's what it's all about.' The documentary about it combines clips from the show with never-before-seen footage, alongside interviews with Nasubi, his family and the programme's producer. The synopsis continues: 'This is the incredible story of how one man became a national phenomenon that presaged the global rise of reality TV.' Nasubi has recently spoken out about his experience 25 years on, telling Time he is trying to move forward despite still feeling 'hatred' for the show's producer. He said: 'I've realised that I cannot change the past but by changing how I think about who I am today I can always change the future. 'When you put energy into other people rather than just focussing on yourself, you become stronger than you could ever imagine.' Fortunately, Nasubi has managed to turn the negatives of his time on the series into positives. The contestant completed his goal of climbing Mount Everest in 2016, saying the resilience he gained from reality TV had come good for him in the climb. And the fame he garnered as a result of the show has enabled him to get regular guest appearances on a range of thankfully less traumatic panel and game shows. Taking part in a Reddit Ask Me Anything last year, Nasubi answered questions from curious fans about his traumatic experience. He explained the door had been unlocked during his time in the apartment but his mental state 'degraded' to the point he decided to stay. The contestant said: 'I was not offered a contract. I won an audition, and wanted to participate and complete the challenge. 'The option was "Do you want to do it?" and I said, "Yes". 'So, I was not forced to do it, I was not kidnapped. I was taken to a secret location and blindfolded but I wasn't taken against my will. I decided to participate.' Nasubi went on: 'It's hard to explain, but I think that the people who have experienced being locked in confinement, and felt what it's like to be trapped in those walls, will understand why one chooses to stay instead of leave. 'My mental state was degrading... instead of changing the environment, it felt safer to stay in the same situation, even though it was uncomfortable.' He added: 'I didn't think that the competition would last that long. The door wasn't locked, but I was determined to stay with it until the end. 'You could say it was Yamato Spirit, or Japanese spirt, I would not quit.' When asked if he had known he would be televised and what money he made from the show, Nasubi explained: 'Of course I didn't know it was being broadcasted. 'Back in the early days of reality TV in Japan, they didn't give contracts to participants, it was an entirely new genre of TV. The contestant completed his goal of climbing Mount Everest in 2016, saying the resilience he gained from reality TV had come good for him in the climb 'And my manager did not protect me in the same way that TV stars are protected now. 'For compensation, I made ten million yen for one year and three months and that includes the money from the sale of my diaries from the show.' He added: 'I didn't receive any kindness or support from the crew. 'And since I didn't know the show was being broadcast to an audience, I didn't have any connection to the audience to receive that support. 'After the show was over though, the two emcees that were on [the programme], they encouraged me by saying that I did a good job, and I felt like they empathised with me and my situation on the show.' Speaking about what life was like once he was released, he admitted: 'For a while it was hard to interact with people. 'But I did realise that humans cannot live alone, so I did my best to reconnect with people.' He also spoke about the parallels of his ordeal to the award-winning film The Truman Show, which was released the same year A Life of Prizes aired. He added: 'I didn't receive any kindness or support from the crew' He said: 'Yes, I saw the film. The only person who really truly understands the feeling of what Truman went through is me. It felt like it was my story. 'His life was much easier than what I had but it was a similar situation that everyone was watching both Truman and me and we had no idea we were being observed.' Nasubi added: 'I am still recognised on the street, even 25 years later. I was even recognised in London and when I went to Stonehenge in 2018! 'There were a bunch of Japanese tourists who couldn't believe I was there. I think they were more excited to take photos with me than Stonehenge.' Despite his awful experience, Nasubi said he had no desire to take revenge or legal action and explained he is now working with charities to help others. He wrote: 'I never thought of solving the problem with violence. Because violence doesn't solve anything. 'But then, would I want to sue them and punish them by law? The answer would be no, because that would make some people sad and injured, and that was not what I wanted to do. Even if I get hurt, I want to protect people around me. 'Instead of revenge, I would like to use that energy for something more positive, like helping people.' He went on: 'I am working with charity organisations in Fukushima and across Japan. 'I enjoy connecting with people in person and helping bring smiles to those in Fukushima, and the northeast area of Japan.' He even shows leniency towards 'the one who sent me to the hell that I experienced': 'After a long time, Tsuchiya, the producer, apologised to me. 'He said he wanted to do something for me and I think that his participation in the documentary shows he feels remorse.' The Contestant is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Devil' behind the most horrific reality TV experiment ever: Producer locked a young comedian in a tiny apartment without food and clothes - and secretly broadcast the graphic footage
Reality shows are, today, an inescapable cornerstone of television - with long-running shows like Big Brother, Love Island, and Survivor firmly ensconced in popular culture. And while they considered extreme, they have nothing on Susunu! Denpa Shonen - the Japanese show that premiered nearly 30 years ago and remains one of the most drastic series to be produced. Although it was taken off the air in 2002, the world's 'sickest reality show' is still for its A Life In Prizes challenge - and the young comedian who endured 15 months without food or clothes in a tiny apartment in Japan. Instead, Tamaoki Hamatsu, then 22, was tasked with surviving solely off his winnings from magazine competitions while he was placed under the watch of a camera. However, in a twist that sounds like the plot of a Black Mirror episode, Hamatsu - better known by his nickname 'Nasubi' - had no idea the graphic footage was being broadcast to 17 million viewers across Japan. Nor the extent to which he was being manipulated by the show's producer - Toshio Tsuchiya, a man he idolised and looked up to as a 'god' before discovering he was the 'devil' in disguise. Recalling the moment he first brought Nasubi to the tiny apartment that would become his prison - although the door was never locked - Tsuchiya said: 'I told him that most of it would never be aired. 'I was smiling whilst saying it.' These sadistic tactics are described - sometimes, proudly, by Tsuchiya himself - in the 2024 documentary The Contestant as the now-68-year-old looks back on his most successful - and cruel - project yet. The harrowing production reveals how Tsuchiya, now 68, oversaw a production that failed Nasubi on every level - from the crew 'abandoned' him to the doctor, who gave Nasubi a clean bill of health - even though he was evidently suffering extreme psychological distress and malnourished. And Nasubi's well-being was a price Tsuchiya, still an influential figure in Japan's TV industry, was willing to pay as he became 'consumed' by the prospect of creating an extraordinary, unprecedented show that pushed its contestants to the brink. Under his obsessive direction, Nasubi became suicidal, emaciated, and so disconnected from reality that he, at one point, believed he had been 'abducted by aliens'. Japan watched as Nasubi tried to live off the prizes from magazine and radio contests, with the aspiring entertainer sending postcard after postcard until he reached the contestant's goal of making one million yen (or $8,000) in winnings. All he was given to cover his modesty was a thin, dirty pillow as Nasubi was filmed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for 335 days, as he tried to hit his target of one million yen in prizes won while also trying to find the 'enjoyment in every day'. 'Nasubi didn't know that we had rented the room next door,' the show's director, Harutaro Kagawa, revealed. 'To film Nasubi waking up in the morning, the assistant had to sneak into his room early to press record on the camera.' This footage was then whittled down to a six-minute edit - a patchwork of Nasubi talking to the camera, eating dog food, and dancing around the room naked - that had to be approved by Tsuchiya. The producer decided to use an eggplant cartoon to cover Nasubi's genitalia - no doubt because his nickname translates to 'aubergine'. By day 10, Nasubi had submitted a total of 963 applications without winning anything - meaning he hadn't eaten anything apart from the crackers the production team supplied him with intermittently because 'we couldn't let him die'. While Nasubi was growing more frail as the days went by, the production team - undoubtedly on Tsuchiya's instructions - was superimposing light-hearted captions, slapstick noises, and suggestive censoring onto footage he didn't know was being aired every night. His family, on the contrary, was painfully aware of what was happening as his sister, Ikuyo, recalled their shock at seeing Nasubi naked on national TV. 'When I saw it, I thought, "What are you doing? You're joking!" I felt both angry and sad, as well as embarrassed. A grown man naked on TV, with his privates airbrushed. 'And it was my little brother.' Watching Nasubi on TV, she realised how 'cruel and awful' Denpa Shonen - described in the documentary as the 'naughty boy' in the 'school yard' of Japanese TV. 'Denpa Shonen is easy to laugh at if you're an outside but if it's you, or someone you're close to, you see that what's happening is really cruel and awful.' Clips of Nasubi 'farting', holding up women's lacy underwear, and dancing around the room after winning bottles of sake, were all included in the final edits. After Nasubi hit his goal of earning one million yen in prizes from various contests - a feat that meant he spent 335 days naked and alone in the tiny room that saw him become increasingly detached from real life - Tsuchiya picked a particularly painful way to break the news to him During the documentary, Nasubi revealed no one from the crew would speak to him as he became increasingly cut off from the rest of the world. At this point, Tsuchiya added: 'But I told them to never engage with him, because the challenge was about being alone.' Nasubi felt his intentions were more sinister than that, adding: 'He thought that keeping me isolated would make the project more interesting.' Buoyed by the success of his show, which predated Big Brother by a couple of years, and to prove to his detractors that the film was not scripted, Tsuchiya made the decision to live stream footage from 'Nasubi's room' for internet users around the world. 'Not just every week, but every day, minute, and second, this craziness totally consumed me, wondering what I could do next.' After Nasubi hit his goal of earning one million yen in prizes from various contests - a feat that meant he spent 335 days naked and alone in the tiny room that saw him become increasingly detached from real life - Tsuchiya picked a particularly painful way to break the news to him. He woke Nasubi up in the dead of night by bursting party poppers - while shining a bright light - on his face as the frightened 22-year old was crouched in fear with streamers all over his body. But he wasn't done yet. Tsuchoiya decided to fly Nasubi to South Korea for what the frail comedian believed was a 'celebratory' trip - only to push him into repeating A Life In Prizes for an international adaptation. 'Aftrer raising him up, we dropped him right back to rock bottom,' he said. 'When you drop someone, they feel a shock, right? I thought I could capture that moment. 'That's such a cruel thing to do, isn't it,' Tsuchiya continued. This was the moment Nasubi realised the producer was the 'devil' as he told British filmmaker Clair Titley: 'At the audition, a year earlier, Tsuchiya was like a god to me. 'But from that point on, in a flash, he became the devil.' Nasubi ended up competing for several more weeks, taking him to 434 days in isolation. He then returned to Japan, where he entered another apartment and stripped naked thinking he was about to be subjected to the same turmoil again. However, the walls then collapsed to reveal a TV studio with a live audience of fans, with him becoming aware for the first time that his ordeal had been seen by millions. 'That people could push others to such limits, plunge them into despair, it's the same with bullying. 'I realised how cruel people could be,' Nasubi said. Today, Tsuchiya continues to work in the entertainment industry, with The Cinemaholic reporting he has served as the owner-operator of TV production firm Gontents LLC since 2022. He was previously appointed Senior Creator as well as President of the Research and Development Lab at Nippon Television Network Corporation, the organisation that produced Susunu! Denpa Shonen. Does he feel any remorse for the way he treated Nasubi? Cryptically, the producer said: 'What we captured in those 15 months was extraordinary. I thought it was more interesting the more I pushed people. 'If the person on the receiving end had been pushed too far, and didn't want to live, I'd have gone too far. 'But it's hard to know at the time.' He conceded, however, that Nasubi had been instrumental to his success, admitting 'I'd do anything' to help the comedian-turned-activist recover from the trauma he inflicted all those years ago. 'Even if he asked me to put my life on the line… I might even consider that,' he continued. 'If he said, "I need you to die to get closure.' I would seriously think about it.' Fortunately, Nasubi has managed to turn the negatives of his time on the series into positives. He completed his goal of climbing Mount Everest in 2016 saying that the resilience he gained from reality TV had come good for him in the climb. Tsuchiya helped him fundraise for the expedition as part of his redemption but Nasubi shared he could not forgive the producer for tricking him into thinking he was only being filmed as an experimental pilot and never told that instead he would be broadcast to all of Japan. During an Ask Me Anything on Reddit last May, ahead of the release of The Contestant, he confessed: 'It would be a lie if I said I'm not regretting, even though I learned to live with the past. Did I forgive Tsuchiya, the producer? To be honest, in my heart, there is still something that is hating the person.' He explained: 'But then in 2011, a big earthquake happened in Fukushima. I could really relate to the people who are struggling. 'So without my experience in the past, I might not have been able to resonate with people in the tough situation. That's when I realised my past struggle could be something useful. He completed his goal of climbing Mount Everest in 2016 saying that the resilience he gained from reality TV had come good for him in the climb 'So I realised that instead of regretting my past, I have to learn to live with my past and turn this around to make my negative past into something positive.' Nasubi's Everest expedition was a bid to raise awareness about the Fukushima disaster and, when he contacted Tsuchiya about his fundraising bid, the producer reportedly apologises for his past actions. "I didn't have contact with him for more than 10 years and, during that time, he was a symbol of hate for me, someone I really despised," Nasubi told TIME. 'But when I decided to climb Everest, I contacted him for the first time and he said, 'I would do anything to help you,' and apologized for all of the awful things he put me through.' In addition to his work in the TV industry, Tsuchiya is a part-time lecturer at the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Tokyo. He is also the author of three books, including his most recent work - We Love Television - that was published in 2017.
Metro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Disturbing documentary about 'most evil reality show ever' now streaming on BBC
Viewers have been shocked after discovering the details of a one-off reality series that saw its star locked up alone in a room for an entire year. In 1998 aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu attended an audition for the Japanese reality show named Susunu!Denpa Shonen or, Do not proceed, Crazy Youth. The task he was presented with was to temporarily cut himself off from the outside world and spend all of his time entering mail-in sweepstakes until he won ¥1 million (about £6,000). Although he was given the option to call it quits whenever he wanted, he decided to stay for months, determined to complete the task at hand, doing so while completely naked. For nearly a year, Hamatsu lived off winnings from magazine competitions, having to earn essential items like food, clothing and toilet paper too. Despite thinking his actions were going to air at a later date, it turned out the TV network was airing the footage live to around 17 million viewers a week in a segment called A Life in Prizes. This fact was revealed to him after being surprised by an enthusiastic studio audience at the conclusion of the show when he was taken into what he believed was another apartment, with the walls then falling apart around him. At the time he also picked up the nickname Nasubi, which he still uses today, after his genitals were covered by an eggplant (Nasubi in Japanese) in the show. The shocking story is the centre of the The Contestant, which details what unfolded at the time, whilst also investigating 'the ethical concerns of reality entertainment in the 21st century'. This week it was added onto BBC iPlayer. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video However, after tuning in, people have made it clear what happened at the time was truly 'evil'. 'Watched The Contestant and can't believe something this deceptive and cruel was allowed. He was completely humiliated for trash reality TV,' user sneeeerr posted on X. 'I'm horrified by all of this… this isn't fun or funny…,' Deja shared. 'That producer is evil,' June added. Another said the show was 'absurdly cruel', while others said they'd been left 'in tears'. Speaking to Time recently, Nasubi said 25 years after the experience, he is trying to move forward despite still holding 'hatred' towards the producer who led the show. More Trending 'I've realised that I cannot change the past but by changing how I think about who I am today I can always change the future,' he said. 'When you put energy into other people rather than just focusing on yourself you become stronger than you could ever imagine.' The Contestant is streaming on BBC iPlayer. View More » This article was originally published on May 7, 2024. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Kim Woodburn's heartfelt message to fans in final video before her death MORE: UK viewers can now watch 'masterpiece' Amazon Prime drama for free MORE: How 'Queen of the Clean' Kim Woodburn became a beloved TV star at 50
