'Welcome to Chippendales' Cast: Is Otis Based on a Real Person?

Welcome to Chippendales is the true-crime drama series on Hulu about the creation of America's first all-male dance troupe, Chippendales, and the rise and fall of its founder, Somen 'Steve' Banerjee (played by Kumail Nanjiani).

Steve founded a club, also called Chippendales, with the help of Emmy-winning director Nick De Noia (Murray Bartlett), and soon the dance troupe became a household name across the U.S. and Europe.

The series is based largely on true events, with many of the cast portraying real people, or characters inspired by them and involved in Chippendales.

Episode four of Welcome to Chippendales sees dancer Otis McCutcheon (Quentin Plair) take center stage, but was he based on a real person? Newsweek has everything you need to know.

Is Otis Based on a Real Person?

Yes, it appears Otis McCutcheon in Welcome to Chippendales is loosely based on a real person.

The podcast Welcome to Your Fantasy, hosted by Natalia Petrzela, noted the similarities between the character Otis, and Hodari Sababu, a former Chippendales dancer.

In Welcome to Chippendales, Otis's talents capture the attention of choreographer and producer, Nick De Noia, not to mention the eyes of the women attending the shows.

Steve, who is the first, and only, person to point out Otis is Black, questions De Noia's decision to hire Otis but quickly comes to the realization it could be "good for business."

Like Otis, Sababu was the only black Chippendales dancer. In the Hulu series, Otis is the victim of racist remarks made by Steve on numerous occasions, as well as witnessing Steve remove him from the Chippendales calendar, leaving it all-white.

Speaking to Petrzela, Sababu explained there were scenes in Welcome to Chippendales that mirrored his own experience, including his exclusion from the calendar.

He said: "I couldn't get in the calendar, the Chippendales calendar, which was the hugest calendar in the world.

"His, Steve's, thinking was, 'Well, I can't sell calendars down South if, for 30 days, they got some Black guy up on the walls. Some white woman has some Black guy on the wall. I can't put Black guys in my calendar,'" Sababu added.

"I did everything else. I did greeting cards. I did the air fresheners. I did that. But I couldn't do the calendar."

According to The Cinemaholic, Banerjee, despite being an Indian immigrant, had at one point banned African Americans from his Chippendales club and hired predominantly white people. In 1985, only six out of 130 employees were Black.

Sababu also recalled a real-life scenario, one that played out in Welcome to Chippendales in episode two.

Sababu said: "To get more publicity, [Banerjee] called a bunch of churches in the area. He said, 'Ah, yeah, we heard that there's a showdown there. These guys are getting naked.' I heard that there's going to be a bunch of church ladies picketing outside of Chippendales."

Sababu told how the dance troupe and the club got "millions of dollars worth of free publicity" as a result of Banerjee's staged protest.

In Welcome to Chippendales episode two, a concerned Otis heads to Steve's office after seeing the protesters, to let him and Irene (Annaleigh Ashford) know about the trouble going on outside. However, Steve tells Otis not to worry and even places a phone call to local reporters, making them aware of the commotion.

Like Otis, Sababu was inspired by Banerjee and had a businesslike head on.

Sababu said: "I had been to college and all that, and I had other aspirations. I used to go [to Banerjee's office] during the day, just to hang out because I had nothing else to do. We would talk, and he liked me. So he said, 'Look, well, just kinda hang out, and I'll show you how to negotiate deals. I'll show you the business side.'"

After leaving Chippendales, Sababu opened his own male strip club called Lady Killers, as well as Bad Boys, a club exclusively for Black people.

At the moment, it is unknown if Otis from Welcome to Chippendales is set to follow a similar path. However, one thing is for sure: Steve is deeply troubled by the fact that Otis has turned his back on his beloved company.

Welcome to Chippendales airs every Tuesday on Hulu.