Fired at 10, continuous bankruptcies... From penniless to America's No. 1 salesman: Studio shocked by Colonel Sanders' turbulent life. Minamikawa reports getting 'scolded terribly' for not reporting a mixer, and studio bursts into laughter over unexpected failures.
ABEMA broadcasted a new episode of 'Shikujiri Sensei' detailing the 36 failures of KFC founder Colonel Sanders before his late success at 65. The episode also featured comedian Minamikawa and former idol Mitsuho Fukudome sharing their own struggles.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 13, 2026 at 19:30
- 🔍 Collected: April 13, 2026 at 16:35
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 20:05 (147h 29m after Collected)
"New Future TV" ABEMA broadcasted the latest episode of the anti-teacher variety show "Shikujiri Sensei: Don't Be Like Me!!" on Friday, April 3rd at 9:30 PM, where "Shikujiri Sensei" (failure teachers) who have made huge mistakes in the past expose their own experiences of failure and impart life lessons.
■ Fired at 10, a series of bankruptcies... from penniless to America's No.1 salesman
Studio shocked by the turbulent life of Colonel Sanders, who founded KFC at age 65
In the broadcast on Friday, April 10th, comedian Minamikawa delivered a class on "The Fierce Life of Colonel Sanders." Colonel Sanders is known worldwide as the founder of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), but it was revealed that his life was far from a glamorous success story, and was instead a series of "failures."
At the beginning of the class, Minamikawa introduced Colonel Sanders as "the man who changed American food culture," while explaining that he was 65 years old when he founded KFC. As everyone voiced their surprise, saying, "Eh!? That's late!!", he further revealed that when he founded it at 65, he was "penniless and living in his car," causing an uproar in the classroom. In addition, Minamikawa explained, "When I counted the failures in Colonel Sanders' life, there were 36 (3 dozen)." He also introduced his personality as being "stubborn, short-tempered! And super persistent!"
During his childhood, the Colonel lost his father at age 5, and at 10, he started working as a live-in farmhand to support his family, only to be fired in just one month. At that time, his mother told him, "What's important in work is to do your best!" which became his lifelong motto. Even after that, he went through a life of changing jobs, working as a painter, streetcar conductor, soldier, blacksmith's assistant, and train engineer, marrying at age 18. However, it was revealed that his life was a series of failures, such as being fired on the spot because he forgot to report to his boss that he had someone cover his shift due to poor health.
■ Minamikawa got "scolded terribly" for not reporting a mixer... Studio bursts into laughter over unexpected failure
Following this story of "instant dismissal due to failure to report," Minamikawa also shared his own "failure experience." "About 17 or 18 years ago, I went to a mixer with a woman introduced by Takehiro Kimoto of TKO, and Akira Shinomiya, formerly of Ojin Osborne..." he recalled, confessing, "I forgot to report to Kimoto-san and got scolded terribly." While the studio burst into laughter, Minamikawa concluded, "Reporting is important," linking it to the Colonel's failures to impart a lesson.
Later, at age 29, the Colonel decided, "I'm not suited to work under someone else! I will run my own company!" and started a steamboat business. However, he had not anticipated the river freezing in winter, making the boats immovable, and the business quickly deteriorated into bankruptcy. He then started a gas light company, but electric lights became popular faster than expected, leading to another bankruptcy. At age 34, he lost all his assets and became penniless. In despair, the Colonel shifted direction, saying, "I have no talent for management! I just have to work recklessly!" and became a salesman for "Michelin Tires." Using his inherent all-out effort as a weapon, he quickly rose to become a top salesman, recording the highest sales in the US.
However, amidst his smooth-sailing life, he was struck by misfortune again, ultimately parting ways with the company on bad terms. The tragedy brought about by the Colonel's "hardcore stubbornness" led the studio to quip, "Why!?" After losing his job, the Colonel hitchhiked to Kentucky, where he was coincidentally picked up by a manager of the massive "Standard Oil." This encounter would further lead the Colonel's fate in an unexpected direction... The studio was continuously surprised by the Colonel's overly turbulent life.
■ Mitsuho Fukudome openly confesses her struggles after graduating as an idol: "I have to wear a swimsuit..."
Towards the end of the class, impressed by the Colonel's "ability to find things to do," Hinano Kamimura of Hinatazaka46, who appeared as a student, commented, "I thought he was an idea man. I realized that idols also need the ability to carve their own path." Furthermore, talent Mitsuho Fukudome openly spoke about her feelings after graduating as an idol: "After graduating, I wasn't popular, so when I wondered what to do next... the only thing I could think of was 'wearing a swimsuit.'" She candidly shared, "I was obsessed with the idea that if I wore a swimsuit, I would get 'likes,' and I could only tell my agency, 'Please let me do swimsuit gravure.'" The full episode is available for free viewing for 7 days after the broadcast. Please be sure to watch it.
■ Fired at 10, a series of bankruptcies... from penniless to America's No.1 salesman
Studio shocked by the turbulent life of Colonel Sanders, who founded KFC at age 65
In the broadcast on Friday, April 10th, comedian Minamikawa delivered a class on "The Fierce Life of Colonel Sanders." Colonel Sanders is known worldwide as the founder of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), but it was revealed that his life was far from a glamorous success story, and was instead a series of "failures."
At the beginning of the class, Minamikawa introduced Colonel Sanders as "the man who changed American food culture," while explaining that he was 65 years old when he founded KFC. As everyone voiced their surprise, saying, "Eh!? That's late!!", he further revealed that when he founded it at 65, he was "penniless and living in his car," causing an uproar in the classroom. In addition, Minamikawa explained, "When I counted the failures in Colonel Sanders' life, there were 36 (3 dozen)." He also introduced his personality as being "stubborn, short-tempered! And super persistent!"
During his childhood, the Colonel lost his father at age 5, and at 10, he started working as a live-in farmhand to support his family, only to be fired in just one month. At that time, his mother told him, "What's important in work is to do your best!" which became his lifelong motto. Even after that, he went through a life of changing jobs, working as a painter, streetcar conductor, soldier, blacksmith's assistant, and train engineer, marrying at age 18. However, it was revealed that his life was a series of failures, such as being fired on the spot because he forgot to report to his boss that he had someone cover his shift due to poor health.
■ Minamikawa got "scolded terribly" for not reporting a mixer... Studio bursts into laughter over unexpected failure
Following this story of "instant dismissal due to failure to report," Minamikawa also shared his own "failure experience." "About 17 or 18 years ago, I went to a mixer with a woman introduced by Takehiro Kimoto of TKO, and Akira Shinomiya, formerly of Ojin Osborne..." he recalled, confessing, "I forgot to report to Kimoto-san and got scolded terribly." While the studio burst into laughter, Minamikawa concluded, "Reporting is important," linking it to the Colonel's failures to impart a lesson.
Later, at age 29, the Colonel decided, "I'm not suited to work under someone else! I will run my own company!" and started a steamboat business. However, he had not anticipated the river freezing in winter, making the boats immovable, and the business quickly deteriorated into bankruptcy. He then started a gas light company, but electric lights became popular faster than expected, leading to another bankruptcy. At age 34, he lost all his assets and became penniless. In despair, the Colonel shifted direction, saying, "I have no talent for management! I just have to work recklessly!" and became a salesman for "Michelin Tires." Using his inherent all-out effort as a weapon, he quickly rose to become a top salesman, recording the highest sales in the US.
However, amidst his smooth-sailing life, he was struck by misfortune again, ultimately parting ways with the company on bad terms. The tragedy brought about by the Colonel's "hardcore stubbornness" led the studio to quip, "Why!?" After losing his job, the Colonel hitchhiked to Kentucky, where he was coincidentally picked up by a manager of the massive "Standard Oil." This encounter would further lead the Colonel's fate in an unexpected direction... The studio was continuously surprised by the Colonel's overly turbulent life.
■ Mitsuho Fukudome openly confesses her struggles after graduating as an idol: "I have to wear a swimsuit..."
Towards the end of the class, impressed by the Colonel's "ability to find things to do," Hinano Kamimura of Hinatazaka46, who appeared as a student, commented, "I thought he was an idea man. I realized that idols also need the ability to carve their own path." Furthermore, talent Mitsuho Fukudome openly spoke about her feelings after graduating as an idol: "After graduating, I wasn't popular, so when I wondered what to do next... the only thing I could think of was 'wearing a swimsuit.'" She candidly shared, "I was obsessed with the idea that if I wore a swimsuit, I would get 'likes,' and I could only tell my agency, 'Please let me do swimsuit gravure.'" The full episode is available for free viewing for 7 days after the broadcast. Please be sure to watch it.