Obvious child

the long version

U.S. government holds a worldwide competition to decide who will be the first time traveler in history. This turns Sam's world upside down after a half-baked joke application he sends in gets him accepted as a contestant for consideration. Thrust into a political and media blender set to puree, Sam and his fellow contestants vie for the affections of a worldwide audience who will vote on the eventual winner. As the successive rounds of the contest pass by, and Sam tries everything from indifference to wild irreverence to get himself voted out of the competition, he finds that all his actions only serve to make him more popular. Unable to get out of the contest via logical means, Sam learns to embrace the perks sudden celebrity provides, yet also suffers some of its typical consequences.