A Japanese billionaire who announced a Bachelor-style competition for a chance to go to the moon and win his heart canceled the launch after more than 27,000 women entered the sweepstakes.
Yusaku Maezawa, 44, a fashion mogul, is due become the first private citizen to board a SpaceX mission to the moon in 2023. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, heads SpaceX, which focuses on rocket technology.
“Despite my genuine and honest determination toward the show, there was a part of me that still had mixed feelings about my participation,” Maezawa posted to Twitter on Thursday.
Maezawa cited “personal reasons” for aborting his search, which was due to become a TV show titled Full Moon Lovers. The billionaire has a penchant for showmanship, previously offering cash to Twitter users.
“The fact that 27,722 people think seriously, devote their time, and apply for them is full of sorry. However, I thought that it would be very rude to attend the program with this half-hearted feeling, and although it was selfish, I asked for cancellation,” he said.
