Nathan Fielder Turns Paramount+ Into Nazi Germany

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In the April 27th episode of The Rehearsal titled “Star Potential”, Nathan Fielder draws a parallel between an issue he’s working on this season and a personal experience he had. He observes the difficulty pilots and their assistants have in openly communicating with each other, a problem he believes contributes to airplane accidents, and recalls a similar predicament from late 2023. At that time, Paramount+ Germany removed a 2015 episode of his Comedy Central series Nathan for You, “Horseback Riding / Man Zone”, from their streaming service due to discomfort surrounding anything related to antisemitism following the Israel/Hamas conflicts. This decision led other Paramount+ offices worldwide to follow suit. The episode “Horseback Riding / Man Zone” is well-known among Nathan for You fans as it marked the inception of Summit Ice, a genuine outdoor-apparel company founded by Fielder that has amassed millions in donations for Holocaust education centers such as Vancouver’s Holocaust Education Centre.

Reflecting on the situation now, I wish I had stood my ground more forcefully with Paramount+ regarding their decision. In the creative piece “Star Potential,” I devise a complex scenario where an actor portrays a Paramount+ executive in a room reminiscent of a wartime setting from a totalitarian regime. During this role-play, I aim to confront them.

“I understand that you may be feeling a great deal of guilt for past actions and are now striving to be the global champions against antisemitism,” I say to the fictional executive. “However, when it comes to artistic expression, I believe you must recognize your limitations and allow us Jews to express ourselves freely.

If you’re looking for a recap on the deleted episode from Nathan for You (which can be found streaming on Max), let me briefly explain the Summit Ice storyline. The plot unfolds when Nathan Fielder discovers that his go-to outerwear brand, Taiga, had honored a Holocaust denier in one of their newsletters. To rectify this past mistake, Fielder conceives Summit Ice, an outdoor apparel company that openly supports the truth about the Holocaust.

Things take a turn when Fielder consults with a real L.A. rabbi on his project. The rabbi advises him to make the message more explicit rather than subtly integrating Holocaust-awareness messaging into Summit Ice’s branding. Instead, the rabbi suggests using overt Holocaust imagery such as arm bands, swastikas, ovens, and gas chambers to eliminate any ambiguity in the message. The rabbi explains, “You need to see images to know you can’t go through life with your head in the sand.”

This leads Fielder to create a physical Summit Ice retail display under the guidance of the rabbi, complete with all the provocative imagery he suggested. The store owner, Marc Belland, is taken aback by the display. A still of the display eventually appears in Nathan’s show, The Rehearsal, for context.

Even though the physical retail display didn’t perform well, Fielder established a thriving online store (and briefly opened a pop-up store in Vancouver) after the airing of “Horseback Riding / Man Zone.” Following the latest episode of The Rehearsal, however, the website has been redesigned to herald a new era for Summit Ice. It also introduces a new apparel line called the Cypress Collection and updates the mission statement on the “About” page of the website.

Established in 2015, Summit Ice®, based in Los Angeles, California, is a charitable organization that specializes in creating high-quality outdoor clothing. Simultaneously, it aims to foster understanding about the Holocaust. Profits from our coat sales have been instrumental in funding educational programs for students in grades 5-12 across Western Canada and North America. However, this commitment to imparting important messages through our garments has had its sacrifices.

For over a decade, we’ve prioritized our charitable objectives over product quality, sometimes labeling lower-grade merchandise with our logo instead of spending time on designing authentic products from scratch. This admission isn’t simple, but it’s accurate, and unfortunately, our customers seem to have caught on. In October 2023, our sales dropped drastically by almost 90%, leaving us puzzled about the cause. After comprehensive market analysis, the only logical explanation emerged: consumers had become more discerning regarding product quality, particularly softshell jackets. Consequently, we think the most effective strategy to meet our objective of raising awareness is by reorienting our main brand emphasis from genocide to craftsmanship.

Welcome to a New Era of Summit Ice™.

The introduction of the Cypress Collection™ and the New Original Softshell™ marks a shift in our approach – no longer prioritizing charity over quality. Instead, we’ve dedicated multiple years to refining our designs, meticulously testing numerous prototypes until we created a timeless line of outerwear with our latest creations.

From our inception, all of our profits have consistently been donated to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and other similar organizations aimed at combating intolerance. This tradition will persist. However, with our recent focus on enhancing product quality, a portion of these funds will temporarily be redirected towards improving your experience by offering you the premium technical jacket available in today’s market. We believe this change will ultimately benefit everyone in the long run, as we’ve come to understand that providing top-notch quality doesn’t mean sacrificing our commitment to charity.

In this new era we Stand For Everything™. Now that’s something no one can deny.

It seems that not all episodes of “Nathan for You” are available to stream on Paramount+. For instance, in certain regions last year, the second season’s episode titled “Daddy’s Watching / Party Planner” was taken off streaming. Additionally, in the United States currently, the second season’s episode named “Taxi Service / Hot Dog Stand” is not accessible either.

Don’t deny anything.

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2025-04-28 18:54