• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
People horrified at 'most evil' reality show ever that locked a naked man in a room alone for an entire year

Home> Entertainment> TV

Published 18:03 7 May 2024 GMT+1

People horrified at 'most evil' reality show ever that locked a naked man in a room alone for an entire year

The horrifying TV show aired for four years

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

If you thought Takeshi's Castle was a wild show, then you ain't seen nothing yet.

Viewers have been left stunned after discovering the 'most evil' reality show ever, which has now been explored in a new Hulu film.

The Contestant follows the true story of a Japanese man who was left naked in a room for almost a year as millions of viewers watched his every move.

Since it aired, the game show has been dubbed the 'real life The Truman Show' - a the film that sees Jim Carey's character unknowingly star in a massive reality TV show as a live broadcast of Truman's every move is captured by hidden cameras.

Advert

Susunu! Denpa Shonen (translated as 'Do Not Proceed! Crazy Youth') aired from 1998 to 2002 on the Nippon TV network.

The Japanese gameshow starred comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, also known as Nasubi, who was 24 at the time.

He was naked on air the entire time and as many as 15 million viewers would watch on.

In English, Nasubi means eggplant, which was an animation used to hide his ding dong - so you can guess where the emoji got its meaning from.

The gameshow began by kidnapping Hamatsu, stripping him down and thrusting him into a small apartment with just a bathroom and foodless kitchen.

Advert

Viewers have been left stunned after discovering the 'most evil' reality show ever. (Hulu)
Viewers have been left stunned after discovering the 'most evil' reality show ever. (Hulu)

The whole point of the show was to test how long he could last in such horrifying conditions, and it's incredible how the producers got away with it.

All Hamatsu had access to, entertainment wise, was a load of magazines with sweepstakes in them.

He was challenged to use these sweepstakes to raise ¥1 million (approximately $6,500) to win food for himself, which is what he survived on.

But sometimes, the 'food' he won was actually dog food and dried rice.

Advert

Now, Nasubi previously explained on the podcast This American Life that the door to the apartment wasn't locked during the show, but he would have 'had to go outside naked and ask for help' if he wanted to leave.

Conditions were so horrible that he once had to go 10 months before 'winning' toilet paper.

Now aged 48, he explained: "Tsuchiya was a very famous producer. I felt honored to have gotten picked. He, to me, was like a person in the sky.

The Contestant follows the true story of a Japanese man who was left naked in a room for almost a year. (Hulu)
The Contestant follows the true story of a Japanese man who was left naked in a room for almost a year. (Hulu)

"I had admiration for him. But that changed. He became evil. My respect eventually turned to anger.

Advert

"I did not want to be naked. I told him that a million times. But he insisted. I did it. Then I told him that I did not what to be broadcasted."

Nasubi was in that same room for a staggering 335 days.

Taking to X, one viewer wrote: "Watched The Contestant and can’t believe something this deceptive and cruel was allowed. He was completely humiliated for trash reality TV."

"I’m horrified by all of this… this isn’t fun or funny…" another shared, while someone else said: "That producer is evil."

The Contestant is available to stream on Hulu now.

Featured Image Credit: Hulu

Topics: TV and Film, TV, Weird

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

X

@Anish_Vij

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Comedian hits out at audience after doing an entire gig without getting a single laugh
  • Rylan Clark has to follow strict rule hosting new naked dating show that shows contestants having sex
  • Viewers have called for Netflix to add a trigger warning after watching ‘evil’ catfish doc Sweet Bobby
  • Actor paid £1000 per sting after using real bees in movie scene made an incredible amount

Choose your content:

9 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
5 hours ago
  • 9 mins ago

    Margot Robbie’s brother didn’t speak to her for months after ‘uncomfortable’ Wolf of Wall Street nude scene

    Margot Robbie played Natalie Lapaglia in the 2013 hit film though some scenes left her family members feeling awkward

    Entertainment
  • an hour ago

    Brad Pitt reveals the one condition he has to work on a film with Tom Cruise

    The two legendary actors have rarely worked together

    Entertainment
  • 2 hours ago

    AngryGinge completely baffled by item in Luke Littler's house as they appear on Celebrity Gogglebox

    Luke Littler has an unconventional choice of decor in his living room

    Entertainment
  • 5 hours ago

    Jeremy Clarkson left stunned as presenter's surprising secret revealed on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

    When next you use your leaf blower, remember to thank Steph McGovern

    Entertainment