‘The Contestant’ on Hulu Offers a Glimpse of Reality TV Ethics

In 1998, aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, known as Nasubi, was cast in a bizarre Japanese reality TV show, where he had to live naked and win magazine contests to accumulate prizes. This strange but true story is now explored in Clair Titley’s documentary "The Contestant," available on Hulu. The film features interviews with the show's original producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, and Nasubi himself, providing insight into the controversial production that predated modern reality TV and voyeuristic trends.