When Tomoaki Hamatsu – better known by his nickname Nasubi – auditioned for the Japanese reality TV show, Denpa Shōnen, he had no idea he would be stripped of his clothes and trapped in a room indefinitely. Left with only a cushion, pen, paper, telephone and a full rack of magazines, Nasubi would have to earn his way out of this room by entering magazine sweepstakes. Clair Titley’s The Contestant looks back on a sensationalist moment in TV history preceding Big Brother and reality TV’s rapid ascent into popular culture, exploring the medium’s exploitative beginnings and the man affected by it.
Borrowing from the melodramatic production style that is now ubiquitous for reality TV, the documentary introduces its two main interviewees with notable flair. The suspense builds over an empty chair before the reality TV star Nasubi takes his place and Denpa Shōnen’s producer Tosio Tsuchiya describes the competition as a gift from the Gods with a devilish smirk. It is clear from his cheery response throughout that Tuschiya still thinks of it as one of his greatest achievements. In his interview he claims a curiosity for human psychology but it’s a thinly veiled excuse for the sadistic enjoyment the producer gets from playing puppet master. Tsuchiya delights in describing the tricks he played on Nasubi as if he were a frat bro boasting of hazing. But even this grandstanding demonstrates Tuschiya’s innate knowledge of filmmaking, as he would rather present himself the film’s villain, than be turned into one in post production.
