Before The Truman Show became an Oscar-nominated film with undeniable cultural relevance, there was a real-life series that started it all. The year was 1998, and over 15 million people tuned in every week to watch Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes. This real-life Japanese reality TV show pushed the boundaries of physical and mental endurance of its single, unwitting participant. In The Contestant, directed by Clair Titley, the unethical practices that went on during this show are exposed in fascinating detail, as well as the ramifications of being tortured for entertainment.

Tomoaki Hamatsu had a difficult childhood. His family was constantly on the move and schoolyard bullies were extremely unkind, specifically pointing out his physical appearance. They called him Nasubi–which translates to “eggplant”–and poked fun at his oblong-shaped head. The name stuck, as soon Tomoaki embraced the name Nasubi, which he still goes by today. Embracing the name was both empowering and comedic, and soon Nasubi realized that comedy was a great deflection to the teasing. He decided to dedicate his life to making people laugh. However, he didn’t expect to get recruited to participate in a new reality show that would have people laughing all right… for all the wrong reasons.

Trapped in a tiny apartment, naked and with nothing but stacks of magazines and hundreds of postcards, Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes is a human experiment that forces the contestant to survive only on the prizes he wins from magazine sweepstakes. This includes food, clothing, and entertainment. To win the game and end the experiment, the prizes must equal more than one million yen.

Nasubi was the most famous television personality in Japan without even knowing it.

A Life in Prizes coverage consisted of 24 hours of filming, 7 days a week, with two cameras, and eventually, a round-the-clock live stream was available online. Nasubi, who understandably started to lose his grip on reality from isolation and starvation, was in a constant struggle between sanity and madness. If he didn’t win a sweepstake prize that day, he would go to bed hungry. On occasion, producers had to sneak into his room in the middle of the night to give him crackers so he wouldn’t die from malnutrition. Audiences were obsessed with Nasubi’s journey and cheered him on from the sidelines, but Nasubi had no idea he was gaining any notoriety. In fact, he didn’t know he was being broadcast at all. Nasubi was the most famous television personality in Japan without even knowing it.

Through exclusive interviews with Nasubi and people close to the show, The Contestant exposes so many cracks in its foundation. For starters, Nasubi never signed a contract. The show’s producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, initially persuaded Nasubi to strip naked by claiming that most of what he did wouldn’t be aired. This overt manipulation tactic lowered Nasubi’s initial hesitation, therefore making it easier for Toshio to control Nasubi. While not literally locked inside the apartment, Nasubi was gullible enough to go along with the inhumane antics until he won. He recounts this experience with a sense of quiet pride, despite the harsh conditions and unethical treatment, Nasubi came out on top. When all was said and done, he spent 1 year and 3 months competing in A Life in Prizes. 

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to look back on various forms of entertainment of the past and see how poorly it has aged with time. Britney Spears talks about it in her memoir, specifically how cruel the press and industry were to her as she was coming of age in the spotlight. Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes is another one of those moments in the cultural zeitgeist that would not exist if it were pitched today, based on the sheer torment and manipulation that Nasubi was put through. The Contestant reveals, in stunning detail, how Nasubi not only survived fame and famine, but everything in between.