It has been revealed that the ABC TV/TV Asahi variety special "Celebrity Rating Check! 2026 New Year's Special" will be broadcast from 5pm on January 1st, 2026. GACKT, the "absolute champion" who is currently on an 81-game winning streak, will also be appearing, but his teammates will be announced during the program.
The show features teams of "top-class" entertainers who take on ranking tests in various categories, such as taste and sense of pitch. Each time they make a mistake, their ranking drops from "top-class" to "average," and from "average" to "second-class," until they are "not worth appearing on screen" (disappearing from the screen).
This time, the ratings will be divided into six genres: "Wine," "Sword Fighting," "String Octet," "Michelin Chef," "Orchestra," and "Shabu-shabu." Yoshimi Tendo, Takashi Nikaido(Kis-My-Ft2), Atsushi Tamura, "Batteries," and "FRUITS ZIPPER" will all be taking part for the first time. Also joining the lineup for the winter dramas starting in January will be Mao Daichi from "Okome no Onna - National Tax Agency Document Investigation Division, Miscellaneous Affairs Room" (Thursdays at 9 p.m.) and Ryoma Takeuchi from "Reunion ~Silent Truth~" (Tuesdays at 9 p.m.), as well as Kei Inoo(Hey! Say! JUMP), Tae Kimura, and Mitsuomi Takahashi from "50-Minute Lover" (Sundays at 10:15 p.m.).
The total value of the eight instruments (four violins, two violas, and two cellos) that make up the third check, "String Octet," is 10.24 billion yen, the highest amount on the show. Meanwhile, the incorrect answer is worth just 10 million yen. "We get to hear the sound of 10.2 billion yen in total. This is starting to get fun," said a positive Takeuchi. Kis-My-Ft2, who are celebrating their 15th anniversary since their debut, commented, "That's a significant difference, I can't help but feel something." GACKT commented, "It's understandable that actors and comedians make mistakes, but if a musician gets this wrong, it means retirement," raising further tension in the studio.
The biggest challenge will be the final check, "Shabu-shabu." There are three choices to choose from, with the highest quality shabu-shabu made with A5-rank Yonezawa beef, but the other two are pork and wild boar. The rule is that if you choose either of these "absolutely impossible" choices, you will be eliminated instantly, regardless of the rank. Kei Inoo, who chose the catfish rice bowl made by Hamada in the final check "Unagi-ju" in the fall of 2024 and was eliminated, and Hiromi Go, who chose pork incorrectly in the final check "Beef" in the New Year of 2022, will be competing for revenge.
