A man has locked himself inside a single room for 365 days in a bid to become “healthier” and is livestreaming every moment of the self-discipline challenge.
Skip Boyce is currently on day 17 of his extreme isolation and viewers are already flocking to watch the experiment unfold.
The 49-year-old former construction business owner has vowed not to leave the room inside his home for a year in order to have a “structured reset”.
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He claims the space is physically separated from the rest of the house – of which he normally shares with his wife and daughter [not named for privacy reasons] – and governed by a strict set of rules.
Skip first announced ‘The Isolation Year’ challenge in a viral Instagram video that has racked up one million views and more than 17,200 likes, with viewers split between encouragement and concern over the nature of the project.
“The rules are simple: I do not leave the room, and the livestream remains active 24/7,” he told What’s The Jam.
“I don’t bring in outside entertainment or unplanned interaction – everything that happens is visible to viewers.
“I live, sleep, work out, read, write and spend my time entirely within a single room.”
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According to Skip, the room includes its own private bathroom, complete with a sink, toilet, shower and bath tub, along with a couple of closets.
While some online viewers have questioned whether the project is a stunt, Skip, from Utah, US, insists the goal is personal growth rather than trying to drum up attention.
He said: “This isn’t about shock value.
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“I wanted to create a controlled environment to step away from constant stimulation, re-establish discipline, and rebuild habits around health, focus, and accountability.
“Livestreaming it removes the ability to quietly quit or rewrite the story later – it keeps the process honest.”
To make sure he can stick to the rules without breaking isolation, Skip says supplies and food are delivered once a week through what he calls an “airlock” – a closet accessed from both inside and outside the room.
He cooks all of his own meals and says his wife and family work behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly.
Skip also revealed that his fitness routine has been completely overhauled since starting the challenge.
He said: “I have a personal trainer that plans the food and exercise.
“Coach Jake with Built By Iron joins me often on stream to help me exercise properly as well and makes sure my diet is correct.”
On top of this, Skip has also built a small gym inside the room and uses a walking pad to keep his cardio up
It’s even caught the attention of former Big Brother star Dr Will Kirby, who urged Skip to take the idea to reality TV instead.
“Hello Skip, respectfully, have you considered applying for @Bigbrothercbs?” he said.
“Bigger audience, bigger upside, similar concept…”
Viewers have already begun tuning in daily with as high as 6,400 eyes on his Day 12 stream on YouTube.
But not everyone is supportive, with many warning that cutting himself off from the outside world could be harmful.
Sheev said: “This is extremely unhealthy and I hope this is a bit. You need sunlight. You need regular exercise. You need social interaction and fresh air. Is there a shower in that room? This is not healthy or productive at all and it’s going to make your physical and mental health plummet significantly. Do not do this.”
“Why not just try therapy?” Jackie said.
Chase added: “Bro, this is a terrible idea. Isolation is not the answer, man.”
Despite early doubts, most of Skip’s family and friends have come around since the challenge began.
Skip added: “They see what it’s doing for me.
“A lot [of people] are telling me how they believe in what I’m doing.
“It’s incredibly empowering.
“Stopping some of the bad habits I had have probably been easier than I expected, like stopping drinking Coke has been nice.”
Now over two weeks into the project, Skip says he feels mentally strong but physically sore as his body adapts to the daily workouts.
Skip plans to remain inside the room until 10 January, 2027.
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