On June 17th, the comedy duo "Don Decorte" attended the press conference announcing the finalists for "Double Impact 2026," a comedy award competition (Nippon Television/Yomiuri Television network) that determines the best in both stand-up and sketch comedy, held at Nippon Television's Bancho Studio (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo). They spoke about their recent activities since their breakthrough and their outlook after winning "Double Impact."
This year's second edition of the competition saw 2,896 entries, one more than last year. 25 groups competed in the semi-finals, held over two days on June 16th and 17th, with eight groups advancing to the finals: "Nanamagari," "Kaerutei," "Danbiramucho," "TC Klaxon," "Konya mo Hoshi ga Kirei," "Takine," "Don Decorte," and "Biscuit Brothers."
Don Decorte, who came in second place at last year's "M-1 Grand Prix" and whose straight man, Watanabe Ginji, came in third place at last year's "R-1 Grand Prix," are currently enjoying immense popularity. Kobashi Kyosaku, who plays the tsukkomi (straight man) role, confidently stated, "We're the most popular group right now among the eight finalists." To this, Watanabe responded with a look of exasperation, "He's incredible, he gets so carried away. He even wears Versace from head to toe."
When Kobashi said, "I have so much money, I don't know what to do with it," Jinnai Tomonori, who was hosting the show, was surprised and said, "You didn't win the M-1 Grand Prix, but you've become that rich?" Kobashi replied, "That's right. I've been getting quite a lot of work lately, so I'm grateful," to which Watanabe apologized, "I'm really sorry. I think we've caused trouble for a lot of people."
Later, when asked by a reporter about her plans after winning, Watanabe replied, "I'd like to renovate the place where I'm staying." She explained, "The flooring is damaged, so I'd like to appear on a renovation show and fix it."
The "Double Impact 2026" final will be broadcast live for three hours on Nippon Television and Yomiuri Television starting at 7 PM on July 20th. The MCs will be the comedy duo "Kamaitachi" and actress Kanna Hashimoto, who also hosted the show last year.
