Original subtitles

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] For many professional athletes,

their entire lives are devoted to sports.

Eventually, they must retire,

and their journey comes to an end.

But not for all.

-[beep] -[dramatic music playing]

[man 1] This is crazy.

-[man 2] A nightmare! -[man 3] Tapping out.

[narrator] This is their final chance,

one last opportunity in the story of their athletic career.

[man 1] I plan to rewrite my story and let go of any regrets.

[man 3] I want to prove myself again.

[man 4] I want my family to see me giving 110% one last time.

[female voice] The winner will receive 30 million yen in prize money.

[dramatic music playing]

[narrator] To make the most of this second chance,

this opportunity to once again prove their worth as an athlete,

they'll face one final trial,

challenging the limit of their minds and bodies.

Damn, this is awful.

I don't think there was anybody who was willing to give up.

[music fades]

[uneasy music playing]

[man 5] I have no idea what I'm getting into

or the other competitors I'm up against.

[woman 1] I couldn't see anything at all. I was feeling really insecure.

[pulsing beeping]

[female voice] Everyone, please take off your blindfolds.

Whoa.

[tense music playing]

Wow.

What's this?

-[woman 1] A mountain. -[man 6] Where am I?

-[man 7] What? -[woman 1] What?

YU KATO, 29

[man 6] What? This is crazy.

-[man 8] Where is this? -[man 6] Snow-covered mountain?

[man 9] What's going on?

ATSUSHI ARAI, 30

[female voice] Welcome to Final Draft.

RYUDAI ONIKURA, 30

Everyone will be competing for a chance to revive their athletic careers…

KATSUMA YONEMURA, 28

…along with 30 million yen in total prize money.

KENTA TSUKAMOTO, 29 FORMER BODYBUILDER

Oh my God. Thirty million? That's crazy.

I am gonna win that money at all costs.

KATSUMA TONEMURA, 28

That would be life-changing.

KOJI TOKUDA, 36

[female voice] This is the Yellow Stage.

Here, your endurance will be tested, pushed to the limit.

[Yu] Endurance.

YOSHITO OKUBO, 42

[female voice] At your feet are weighted backpacks.

Strap them on and make sure that they feel secure.

You must climb to an altitude of 1,500 meters wearing these backpacks,

until you reach the gate.

-[man 10] That's insane. -[woman 2] What?

YOSHIO ITOI, 43

[female voice] Once again, your athleticism will be tested.

AKIRA KAJI, 44

You will push your endurance to its limits,

trying to reach the gate with no end in sight.

KAHO MITA, 27

The last person to reach the gate will be eliminated.

KOUZI, 35

HOZUMI HASEGAWA, 43

The backpack you're carrying is set to explode.

-What? -[Kaho] Wait, what?

Explode?

ERI TOSAKA, 31

No way.

-[Kenta] Oh man. Seriously? -[woman 3] Explode?

TOMOE TAMURA, 34

At the sound of the buzzer, begin.

[Ryudai] I came here to get my confidence back.

YUYA SHOZUI, 28

[Yuya] I lose, I go home. I feel on edge.

[Yu] I want everyone to see how hard I still push myself,

even though I'm retired.

TAKASHI KURIHARA, 37

I feel like I'm back competing on the field. Been a while.

My entire reputation and career is on the line.

I'm gonna give this everything I've got.

[female voice] The challenge will begin in ten seconds.

Bring it on.

[female voice] Five seconds.

[beeping]

[buzzing]

-Let's go! -Okay.

[dramatic music playing]

[competitors yelling aggressively]

[uneasy music playing]

This can't be right. I can't see.

I can't see the goal.

Where is it?

This is crazy.

It's so tough.

TEMPERATURE: 4℃ SLOPE: 27°

[panting heavily]

I started running at the buzzer, but after a minute, I was exhausted.

[groans]

SARI BABA, 30 FORMER PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER

I can't do this.

[panting]

[groans]

[Kenta] So many things went through my mind on that hill.

In Japan, you can't make all that much

by winning body building or strength competitions.

There's not much prize money.

It's far less money than you'd make as a baseball player or a boxer.

So out of everyone, I'm probably the most hungry

to win the prize money.

I'll build a gym.

That's all I want.

[exclaims]

I can't see the top.

[groans]

Damn it.

I have so far to go!

The higher I climb, the deeper the snow.

[exclaims]

-Damn it! -[man 1] The snow makes it hard.

[Atsushi] This is too much.

My legs.

[Yu] My legs are heavy.

Snow's getting stuck between the spikes on my boots.

It makes my feet feel heavier than they are.

[breathing heavily]

I'm out of breath.

Ultimate Frisbee is often seen as an easy sport,

like we just jog around tossing a little Frisbee.

I feel like people think of it as just a casual game.

But they shouldn't underestimate it.

My calves are killing me.

YUJO KITAGATA, 30 FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER

DRAFTED AS THE 1ST PICK, BUT NEVER PITCHED IN A FIRST-TEAM GAME

I was never in the spotlight as a pitcher, so I wanna prove myself.

FORMER JAPAN NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM MEMBER

Long way to go.

I had to take breaks as I climbed.

But eventually I caught up to the others.

[female voice] Attention, all athletes have reached one

of the three merging points.

[man 2] So fast. Everyone's too fast.

[female voice] Also note, the sooner you finish this stage,

the more points you'll earn, giving you an advantage

in future challenges.

-[man 2] What? -[Yoshito] Huh?

What? No way.

-[man 3] Really? -[Ryudai] Seriously?

Everybody's fast.

[Koji] The second half is harder.

I'm starting to get worried.

FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER

[Yuya] I have to be first place.

I was forced to retire before I could prove myself.

This is my last chance to do that.

[Yoshito] This is crazy.

KURIHARA, AMERICAN FOOTBALL MASATO, STREET WORKOUT

I'm competitive, so I'm giving it everything I've got.

Being retired, my family says I'm fat and can't move like I used to.

Now they just treat me like your average dad.

I hadn't been working out at all,

but for this, I pushed myself to train hard.

It was harder than anything I did during my career.

I'm gonna win.

I really hate losing.

KAZUHIRO GOYA, 31 FORMER JAPAN NATIONAL RUGBY SEVENS

RIO/TOKYO OLYMPIAN RETIRED AFTER NO TEAM TRANSFER

[Eri] I can't believe this.

I saw this rugby player when we first started climbing.

Goya.

I thought, "Rugby players are definitely fast."

FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER

This mountain is way too high.

It's so challenging.

This is insane.

[groans]

The sooner I get there,

the greater advantage I'll have next stage.

For a while,

I thought I was ahead, that I was outpacing everyone else.

It's a monster.

[dramatic music playing]

But when we started to meet up in the middle

I saw that others were there too. I was shocked they were ahead of me.

[Kazuhiro] Lots of people reached the merging point around the same time,

so I thought I must be among the frontrunners.

[Takashi] I saw a bunch of people coming from everywhere.

The stretch from the merge up to the goal was extremely difficult.

GOSON SAKAI, 28

No way.

This is killer.

And still so far to go?

Just so crazy.

Feels like this hill never ends.

And it's way too steep.

There's more?!

[Yoshito] At one point, I looked up

and felt hopeless.

[Takashi] This is completely messed up.

[Eri] Am I really running up this hill?

TEMPERATURE: 0℃ SLOPE: 27°

[Yoshio] Wait. Where's the goal?

[Ryudai] Not even close, huh?

[Akira] At one point, I felt completely crushed.

[Sari] Whoever makes it to the top first must be in great shape, really amazing.

[man 1] The hardest part was the pace. It was too fast for me.

So whoever is leading the way at this point likely can't be caught.

CURRENTLY 1ST PLACE:

[coughs]

[Goson] I used to be a professional soccer player.

That was my sport.

I was always moving, running for most of the game.

So I've got great endurance and can stay active for a long time.

After retiring, I opened my own coffee shop.

But my income dropped,

and I'm only earning a third of what I used to make as a soccer player.

It's been tough, and on top of all that,

I got married and had a baby.

So that means our funds have been super tight.

I wanna use the prize money to expand my business.

I wanna earn more and create more security for my family.

3. GOYA, RUGBY 4. SHOZUI, BASEBALL

3. SHOZUI, BASEBALL 4. GOYA, RUGBY

[Yuya] I was determined to be the first one to finish.

5. ONIKURA, BOXING 6. SHIMOKAWA, KABADDI

5. SHIMOKAWA, KABADDI 6. ONIKURA, BOXING

6. ONIKURA, BOXING 7. KASHIWAGI, SOCCER

6. KASHIWAGI, SOCCER 7. ONIKURA, BOXING

[man 1] This is torture.

1. SAKAI, SOCCER 2. ARAI, WATER POLO 3.GOYA, RUGBY 4. SHOZUI, BASEBALL

1. SAKAI, SOCCER 2. ARAI, WATER POLO

CURRENTLY 19TH PLACE:

YU KATO - FORMER PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S BASEBALL PLAYER

[Yu] Until junior high, I was playing baseball on the boys' teams.

I was frustrated that I could never be bigger than them,

never have that size advantage.

RYOSUKE MIYAGUNI, 32

So I thought, if I could beat the men here,

I'd get back some of that confidence I lost when I was younger.

They'll see I'm determined.

[Kouzi] Man.

This looks good.

I'll use this stick.

MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTER

This isn't cheating.

The rules didn't say we couldn't do that.

I'm feeling unmotivated.

I was drinking until three this morning.

I think those who retire are idiots, to be honest.

MAKING A BOLD ENTRY AS THE ONLY ACTIVE ATHLETE

I don't know why people retire.

ANNUAL FIGHT EARNINGS SOMETIMES EXCEED 100 MILLION YEN

It's pretty foolish to give up on making that money.

I believe athletes should always strive to earn money.

That can inspire younger generations.

Nobody's here.

I might be in first.

Don't make me climb that.

That's crazy.

No way.

Suddenly, I saw a big group of people in front of me.

I couldn't believe it.

CURRENTLY 22ND PLACE:

They're so desperate. Those guys are blinded by money.

Look at them.

So desperate. You know?

Want this?

-[Tomoe] No, I'm okay. -[both chuckling]

CURRENTLY 23RD PLACE:

[Kouzi] She was an angel. She inspired me to work harder.

-[Tomoe] Try to make your footprints deep. -[Kouzi] We must be insane.

-[Tomoe laughs] -This is crazy.

[loud buzzing tone]

1. SAKAI, SOCCER 2. ARAI, WATER POLO

[Goson] So many lagged behind,

so I just had to keep my position.

CURRENTLY 2ND PLACE:

-So fast. -[dramatic music playing]

I'm Atsushi Arai,

and I play water polo.

I played on Japan's national team for ten years,

and with that team, I competed in the Olympics twice.

But water polo isn't that popular of a sport.

I want more people to know how strong water polo players actually are.

And I really don't want to lose to athletes from more popular sports.

[music fades]

[Goson] Oh!

[Atsushi] When he tripped a little on the hill, unexpectedly,

and he slowed down,

I thought, "Oh, I can make a move."

[dramatic music playing]

I'm passing.

I'm representing all water polo players, so I can't afford to lose.

So tough.

[music intensifies]

Okay.

[Katsuma] Damn, somebody's running.

♪ Far away is the world I've dreamed When I've had my time ♪

♪ Now I’m left with the ghost of a life And I called it mine ♪

[Atsushi] Wait.

♪ Faded lights, all the cheers have died ♪

♪ I look back and now I dream another… ♪

♪ Now I’m here, I’m not a shadow no more ♪

[groans]

♪ Chasing a ghost of a… ♪

[female voice] The first contestant has reached the gate.

1ST: ATSUSHI ARAI, 30

[Atsushi] I mean, I'm so happy.

[chuckles]

First place.

It looks like water polo trained me well. It's tough.

2ND PLACE

[Goson] When the first-place finisher passed me,

I knew I wasn't gonna catch him.

I could see it in his face, he had a lot energy left,

and I realized I wasn't going to be able to pass him.

For the next competition, it shouldn't be close.

I wanna blow them away.

I did it.

MASAYUKI SHIMOKAWA, 35

I came to represent kabaddi.

I'm here to show everyone just how incredible the sport truly is.

I'm grateful.

KAZUHIRO GOYA 4TH PLACE

So tough.

Please. Can't do that again.

That was a monster.

YUYA SHOZUI 5TH PLACE

After I crossed through the gate, I felt like I couldn't move.

[music stops]

Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!

The snow was cold, so cold it hurt, and I snapped back to my senses.

Like, "Whoa, no way I can lie down. It's freezing cold."

[Ryudai groans]

[Takashi] Can't breathe.

YOSUKE KASHIWAGI, 36

[Yosuke] Behind me, Itoi was catching up.

But it didn't look like Itoi was trying to overtake me.

Okay.

So I didn't rush to the gate.

8TH PLACE

[Yoshio] It'd been a while since I felt that wrecked.

I'm competitive with myself.

That's how I approached my entire career as a baseball player.

For the first time in forever,

I've awakened that competitive spirit inside me.

9TH PLACE

But this is a brutal competition.

Okay, let's do this!

Let's go.

For me, perseverance is all I have, my greatest strength.

So I will persist.

When I won a gold medal at the Olympics, I never quit, never gave up.

No matter what happens, I can't lose that determination.

I saw another female athlete coming up the hill behind me.

I knew that I wanted to be first, among the female competitors.

I was deeply committed to that.

I worked as hard as I could to stay ahead of her.

And for all the male athletes competing,

I wanted to remind them how great wrestling is.

It's an amazing sport.

I felt determined to show them how strong wrestlers are.

That kept me fired up all the way to the gate.

[yells triumphantly]

Brutal.

[female voice] Fourteen more competitors are allowed to reach the gate.

-All right. -[groans]

[female voice] Twelve spots remaining.

[energetic music playing]

13TH PLACE

I made it.

HOZUMI HASEGAWA, 43 FORMER BOXING WORLD CHAMPION

14TH PLACE

YOSHITO OKUBO, 42

FORMER JAPAN NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM MEMBER - 15TH PLACE

16TH: KOJI TOKUDA 17TH: NAOTO HAYASAKA

[Koji] Yes!

The whole thing was a nightmare.

[female voice] Only seven more competitors are allowed to reach the gate.

18TH: RYOSUKE MIYAGUNI, 32 FORMER PRO BASEBALL PLAYER

FORMER PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER

[Sari] I knew I couldn't afford to lose. There was way too much money on the line.

20TH: YU KATO, 29 21ST: MASATO, 31

[Yu] Crazy.

[female voice] Three more competitors are allowed to cross.

[Kouzi] I don't really need to win first place right now.

I just need to win in the end.

[Tomoe] Near the end, I knew I was in a tough spot.

In the final stretch, I kept looking to make sure

that someone was still behind me.

So I knew that, no matter what, I wouldn't be in last place.

23RD

[female voice] One more competitor is allowed to cross.

-[man 1] Not good. -[Kenta] No way.

KENTA TSUKAMOTO, 29, FORMER BODYBUILDER YUJO KITAGATA, 30, FORMER PRO BASEBALLER

This sucks. I'm dead last, by a long shot.

I can't see anyone.

Damn, I'm last.

So far to go.

[Yujo] Man, my calves…

they're killing me.

I remember, when I went pro…

YUJO KITAGATA (17 YEARS OLD)

…I was selected first pick overall.

But I was released twice without ever pitching in the major league.

So I decided to retire.

[emotional music playing]

Come on, legs.

Move!

I want a kid from the Saga Prefecture to play in the majors.

I'll use the prize money to provide better training for youth athletes

and ultimately make these kids' dreams come true.

[players cheering]

Damn it!

I must finish this.

To be honest, this was the first time I experienced humiliation. You know,

I started playing rugby when I was three.

I was selected for Japan's high school national team.

And soon after,

I earned a spot representing Japan as a bodybuilder.

I've never really had to chase others to succeed.

I've never had to dig in and fight to catch up.

I'd never experienced that.

I wanna stay.

FATHER: TAKAFUMI-SAN

When I was in elementary school, I made a promise to my father.

I dreamed that I'd make Japan's national rugby team,

and I promised him he'd watch me play.

But then one day, out of the blue, I was diagnosed with a brain condition.

I was forced to retire that day.

I didn't even get to play in what would have been my final tournament.

So today, I just can't give up again.

It's the last thing I wanna do.

I can't give up.

Just a little more.

So close.

[Kenta] Damn it.

[music fades]

[music resumes]

24TH PLACE

[panting heavily]

I did it.

[loud buzzing tone]

Let's go, legs.

[female voice] The race is officially over.

-The first competitor has been eliminated. -Come on.

I have to finish.

[groans]

[somber music playing]

[groans]

So many people supported me being here.

ELIMINATED

I wanted to do my best 'cause I wouldn't get another chance.

[music fades]

1ST PLACE: ATSUSHI ARAI, 30

FORMER MEMBER OF THE JAPAN NATIONAL WATER POLO TEAM

[pounding dance music playing]

Okay, what's this?

-[music stops] -It was such a weird-looking room.

Very intriguing.

2ND PLACE GOSON SAKAI, 28 FORMER PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER

[pounding dance music playing]

-Well, this is… -Yeah.

-Nerve-wracking. -I'm nervous.

-Like, I've only met one other person. -Yeah, same here.

-[laughing] -I have no idea who else is involved.

Makes you wonder how many of us there really are.

[Atsushi] Right, right.

Then the ones who came in third and fourth came into the room,

then fifth and sixth, and so on.

-Great race. -Great race.

It's so white.

6TH PLACE RYUDAI ONIKURA, 30 FORMER AMATEUR BOXER

I'm Ryudai Onikura.

I used to be a boxer.

After I lost the final match in the Olympic qualifiers, I retired.

Currently, I earn my living as a professional actor.

I have a long way to go.

I'm hoping that I can regain my confidence I once had as a boxer

and show everyone what I'm made of in Final Draft.

[footsteps approaching]

-Hello. -Hey there.

Nice to meet you. I'm Kurihara.

Kevin.

It's been a long time.

It's been ages.

[Kazuhiro] Yes, it's been ages.

[Takashi] Kevin.

What a surprise.

[Kazuhiro] I was shocked.

I didn't expect him to be participating in Final Draft.

It's like I'm facing my greatest enemy.

At one point, he took part in a training camp

for Japan's national rugby team.

Ever since then, I could tell the guy was an elite athlete.

It's Kurihara.

I watch clips of his workouts on social media with my family.

So I definitely feel honored to get the chance to compete with that guy.

I saw Kurihara competing in a bobsledding competition as well.

I believe he's one of Japan's premier athletes

in terms of physical ability.

[Kazuhiro] But, of course,

I just refuse to lose to him.

-[Yuya] You're so tan. -You mean me? For sure.

Oh.

-Hello. -Hello there.

-Hey there. -Hey, guys.

-[Ryudai] Welcome. -What's up?

[Goson] I was taken aback by all the incredible athletes walking in.

There was a phenomenal soccer player

and great athletes from other sports.

Hello!

[laughter]

[Goson] I felt so small in comparison.

Wow, so many crazy people here.

You're the craziest.

[Yoshio] At my peak, people called me superhuman.

I'm confident in my physical ability to win this competition.

After retirement, I've struggled to find something

that motivates me.

So I came here to win it all.

2022: RETIRED

I'm hoping it will inspire me and reignite my superhuman spirit.

I want to at least beat Itoi.

I wanna defeat a superhuman.

[Kazuhiro] I was super surprised.

Damn, you were fast.

-What? -Eh?

[Yoshio] What?

[Akira] There's so many.

I was the oldest there.

As an older guy,

I don't wanna lose to people younger than me.

[Yuya] What kind of sport do you play?

-Great race. -[men] Yeah, great race.

Hello. Great race.

I'm a former professional judo athlete.

My name is Katsuma Yonemura.

At the moment,

I'm training to be a barber.

[competitors cheer]

-Hence the haircut? -He clearly cut it himself.

[laughter]

[Katsuma] I work at a barber shop,

so I want to use the prize money to support my new profession.

Ultimately, If I can raise enough money, I wanna open my own shop.

No matter how hard I fall, I'm determined to get back up.

I'm definitely leaving with the prize money. All of it.

[pounding dance music playing]

Hello.

-Hi there. -Hey!

Let's have some fun together.

-[Yoshio] Champion! Champion! -Hello.

I was like, "A world champion is here."

Well, I've always liked Hozumi Hasegawa, so…

Damn, I was so excited.

He's, like, the whole reason I started boxing in the first place.

I would always mimic that counterpunch.

[laughter]

Which counter punch? There's so many.

[laughter]

Hello. Nice to meet you all.

I'm Koji Tokuda, a former football player

and former comedian.

-Thank you for having me. -Welcome.

[Koji] Thank you.

I was like, "It's Koji."

He was one of my teammates from college football in the US.

VICE CAPTAIN: TAKASHI KURIHARA CAPTAIN: KOJI TOKUDA

We also played professional football for a season.

We became very close friends.

I was thrilled to see him. Yeah.

I'm getting fired up. Yeah.

I was on Blouson Chiemi with B.

That was my television debut as a professional comedian.

I wanna show that I haven't lost my abilities as an athlete

by competing in Final Draft.

Hello. Nice to meet you.

My name is Miyaguni.

FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER

Miyaguni used to play for the Giants as a pitcher.

We've played against each other. Quite a few times, actually.

Also, a female player.

Great work, all.

I'm Yu Kato.

I used to be a professional women's baseball player.

[competitors exclaim]

I dreamed of joining Japan's national team when I was little.

I tried out three different times, but every time I tried out, I failed.

After that, the professional league I played in was discontinued,

and I sort of just felt burnt out by it all.

My dream is to live in a small house and raise a small family.

So I'd like to use the prize money to support that dream.

I'm Masato. My sport is called street workout.

[Yuya] Street what?

[Masato] You may have seen it on TikTok. We make it look like we're walking on air.

[competitors] Oh!

-[Yuya] The iron bar? -[Masato] Yeah.

As long as there's a floor, I can do it.

-[Yu] What? -[man] Go.

[competitors] Oh!

[applause]

[energetic rock music playing]

-Amazing. -Awesome.

[Yoshio exclaims]

[Eri] Amazing.

[music stops]

[man] Wait, what?

-Wait, what? -Oh!

Hello.

I'm Kouzi, a martial artist.

[Katsuma] Then Kouzi walked in.

His energy was exactly how I imagined.

I was like, "Whoa, seriously?" I was shocked.

I wanted his autograph.

There was a girl hiking the mountain behind me who was cheering for me.

-What? -Really?

-If she was behind you, then… -She's not here yet.

I only showed up to meet her.

[laughter]

[whimsical music playing]

Great job, everyone.

23RD PLACE: TOMOE TAMURA, 34

FORMER MEMBER OF THE JAPAN NATIONAL ULTIMATE FRISBEE TEAM

[Kouzi] She's the reason I was able to finish.

[laughter]

-Thank you so much. -[Tomoe] Of course, thank you.

[pounding dance music playing]

Wow, this is amazing.

-[Kouzi] So big. -[man] Dude, you're jacked.

-Look at this guy. -Check out the size of his arms.

[man] You're gigantic.

Oof!

He looks like a pro fighter.

Hi. My name is Tsukamoto,

and I'm a professional physique competitor.

And I am ranked first in Japan and fifth in the world.

[Yoshio] Wow, that's amazing.

You're the guy with the largest pecs in Japan, right?

-[Kenta] Yep. That's me. -[competitors exclaim]

-[Yoshio] Insane. -Watch this.

[competitors exclaim]

[Yoshio] Crazy, crazy. That's wild.

[Akira] I never want to lose, especially not to someone that big.

I mean, he's just showing off.

I want to prove that my body is a better representation

of what it means to do proper strength training.

-[man] Everyone here is great. -Twenty-four of us.

[pulsing beeping]

[female voice] Next up is the Pink Stage.

Here we will test your perseverance.

-[competitors murmur] -Perseverance.

-[man] Seriously? -[Takashi] Gonna push us to the limit.

[female voice] Everyone, please stand up and proceed to the stage.

-[Takashi] Already? No way. -[Yoshio groans]

[Tomoe] I'm pretty anxious about whatever's next.

I have absolutely no idea what to expect.

[Koji] Seriously, this is scary.

[Yoshio] Honestly, I'm nervous.

[Atsushi] I just feel really excited. I'm looking forward to it.

-[Koji] Let's go. -[Kouzi] Let's go.

[Akira] This is gonna be crazy.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Eri] We're here.

-[man] Wow. -[Masayuki] Really?

-[man 1] Here we go. Here we go. -[man 2] Hmm?

What?

-[man 3] Okay, wait. What? -[Yu] Wait. Really?

It looks scary.

[Tomoe] This is so scary.

[Sari] It looks incredibly steep.

[Atsushi] What is this?

Wow, this is super steep.

-This is crazy. -[Tomoe] I'm freaking out.

[female voice] This is the Pink Stage, testing your perseverance.

All of you will be doing sit-ups

until you've completely maxed out.

-That's tough. -[Yu] Crazy.

-[Goson] This angle is tough. -[Koji] Can I even do this?

[female voice] Place your feet under the bars, and lie back on the slide.

-[man] I see what we're doing. -[beep]

[female voice] Perform a sit-up within five seconds of hearing the buzzer,

pushing the button with your forehead.

So I can't do it at my own pace.

[female voice] If you fail to hit the button with your head

before the next buzzer,

the bar will automatically release.

You'll go down the slide, and you'll be eliminated.

This is your chance to showcase your perseverance.

The drive to get back up,

no matter how many times you're knocked down.

[Akira] I feel like I need some extra perseverance.

Sticking with something even when it hurts is so hard.

It's gonna be tough,

but I've faced challenges before.

[female voice] Remember, the higher you place in the Pink Stage,

the more points you'll earn,

giving you an advantage in the stages to come.

Also, the number of contestants being eliminated is…

[music fades]

…four.

-[Yu] What? -Dang, four people?!

-[Yoshio] Wow, that's a lot. -[Yu] No way.

[Kenta] I was shocked when I heard "four people."

I was like, "That many people?!"

If I lose here, people are gonna think

bodybuilders' muscles are completely useless.

I can't lose this one.

[female voice] All contestants,

please prepare to begin.

-[energetic music playing] -[competitors shout encouragement]

[Goson] As a soccer player, I've always had a strong core.

The angle is pretty steep, so I'm not sure what will happen,

but I don't think I'll lose.

[exhales forcefully]

[Ryudai] As a former boxer, I don't wanna lose doing sit-ups.

The guy to the right of me is Hozumi Hasegawa,

a boxer I really admire,

so I'm gonna do my best to at least beat him.

Sometimes I have serious back pain,

so I have a hard time doing a lot of crunches.

Honestly, this will probably be the toughest challenge for me.

[Yu] I was able to defeat some of the men climbing the mountain in the first round,

so, of course, I wanna outlast some of them,

and beat a few of the men again.

[Atsushi] There are so many amazing athletes.

But once again, I want to prove to everyone

that water polo players are elite.

I wanna show people

how strong water polo makes us.

[female voice] Ten seconds.

Five seconds.

[music fades]

[beeping]

-[buzzing] -[beep]

[beep]

[beep]

[Kenta] The challenge was extremely demanding physically.

[Takashi] Because of the slope,

it felt completely different than regular crunches.

[beep]

[beep]

[Tomoe] I felt like the gaps made it more challenging

because I couldn't go at my own pace,

and sometimes the wait stressed me out.

[beep]

[Kouzi] This is easy for me.

[beep]

[beep]

[female voice] Ten reps.

[beep]

[beep]

[beep]

[beep]

[beep]

[beep]

[loud buzzing tone]

-What? -[Kenta] What?

-[man] Hold on. What? -[Yu] Huh?

-Wait, why? -[beep]

What?

ELIMINATED

I touched it.

I guess,

when I went up,

it's possible that my forehead didn't push the button hard enough.

-[somber music playing] -The sensor didn't pick it up, so…

I'm shocked that my challenge ended

before I even had the chance to give it my best shot.

Well,

I can say that my family was so supportive of me.

I mean, I feel bad for letting them down.

[sighs, sniffles]

I'm so disappointed. Yeah.

[female voice] Three more people will be eliminated.

-Must've not pushed it. -I get it.

[beep]

Oops. Close one.

At first, I thought I reached the button,

but I missed it.

So I had to do it again, and from there, it got really difficult.

[beep]

[beep]

[beep]

[loud buzzing tone]

What? No way. Really?

What? No way.

What? Really?

I guess the button didn't light up. I didn't press it all the way.

[female voice] Two more people will be eliminated.

[tense music playing]

[beep]

Oops! That was close.

[beep]

[Hozumi] I'd say after about 20 crunches, I started feeling it in my back,

and it got painful.

Still, what helped me were the five-second gaps between reps.

So I could lie down and rest, even just for a few seconds.

And in that time, I could release some of the pain

that was building up in my back.

[panting]

[beep]

[beep]

[female voice] Thirty reps.

[beep]

[beep]

[Sari] I mean, my ab muscles were completely exhausted.

Five seconds felt like two seconds.

[beep]

[beep]

[beep]

[beep]

[beep]

[gasps]

[gasps]

[somber music playing]

[Sari] I was just completely physically unprepared.

I guess I realized that I'm just a regular person.

[beep]

[female voice] One more person will be eliminated.

[determined rock music playing]

[beep]

[Kenta] At around 20 crunches,

I felt like it was getting extremely difficult.

[beep]

[Tomoe] I was determined not to be the last one eliminated.

That's all I was thinking.

In order to repeatedly toss the Frisbee long distances during an ultimate game,

I have to have a strong core.

I've worked those muscles a lot,

so I felt confident.

[beep]

[Yosuke] I think that this time,

for this challenge, I couldn't stop, and I had to give everything I had.

[beep]

[music fades]

[beep]

[dramatic music playing]

[beep]

[female voice] Forty reps.

[Yosuke] I thought I'd reached my limit.

[Kenta] I still had a lot of strength.

[Tomoe] I can't lose, no matter what.

-Come on! Do it! -[beep]

[tense music playing]

[music stops]