43. Pitcairn Island / A Japanese Reality Show

Rabbit Hole Happy Hour

What do you do on your downtime at work? Mallory discovers teensy weensy islands in the South Pacific. Tonight, Mallory tells us about one of those islands, specifically Pitcairn Island. It has a population of less than 50 people and by all accounts the people seem happy and friendly. The island is beautiful and the people of Pitcairn are eager to grow their population and become completely self sufficient. But the population is dwindling. Not because of how isolated they are, but because of a horrible history full of disgusting secrets. (Trigger warning: sexual abuse)

Then Ashley dives deep into the world of reality TV. Specifically the story of Tomoaki Hamatsu (or Nasubi - his stage name). In 1998, Nasubi, a 22 year old aspiring comedian auditioned for a mysterious reality show. As luck would have it, he would be the star! But little did he know, he would be isolated, starved, and manipulated for over a year. The show was a hit - which leads us to the question - what does this say about us as a species?