The Contestant game show story with Nasubi is a shocking and controversial tale of exploitation and cruelty in the name of entertainment. Here are the key details: In 1998, Tomoaki Hamatsu, an aspiring comedian nicknamed Nasubi (meaning "eggplant" in Japanese, referring to his elongated face), was recruited as a contestant for a new Japanese reality TV show called "Denpa Shōnen" or "A Life in Prizes".

Nasubi was taken directly from the audition to a small apartment and told he had to remain there, completely isolated and naked, until he won 1 million yen (around $10,000 at the time) in prizes by mailing in sweepstakes entries. Unbeknownst to him, the show was being broadcast weekly to millions of viewers who watched and mocked his plight. For over 15 months, Nasubi lived in abject conditions - starving at times and surviving only on meager winnings like dog food, with no human contact except for brief prize deliveries. He was denied basic necessities like clothing and hygiene products unless he won them. The studio audience laughed at his struggles while commentators provided running analysis.

The show's producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, admitted the cruel intent was to depict "the most basic primitive form of human being" by stripping Nasubi of dignity and autonomy After reaching his initial goal, Nasubi was blindfolded, taken to South Korea, and the dehumanizing process began again in a new apartment with raised prize goals Nasubi says he felt "cornered," "brainwashed," and deeply traumatized by the experience of being laughed at for entertainment, unable to trust others for a long time afterwards.

The documentary explores how the show foreshadowed today's unethical reality TV practices and public consumption of exploitative content on social media. Despite this horrific ordeal, Nasubi emerged with resilience, dedicating himself to philanthropic causes like disaster relief efforts in his hometown Fukushima after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. While not achieving comedy stardom as intended, he climbed Mount Everest and found purpose in advocacy, overcoming his trauma to live freely on his own terms.

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