Beast Games: Full rundown of the scandals dogging Youtube star’s new game show
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YouTube star MrBeast is stepping into the role of a TV host for the first time, as his much-discussed Amazon Prime series, Beast Games, is set to premiere on December 19.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, holds the title of the largest YouTuber globally, boasting over 300 million subscribers on his channel. His videos often focus on extravagant challenges, involving large groups of people, as well as charitable initiatives.
In March, he revealed that he was collaborating with Amazon MGM Studios to produce a reality competition series titled Beast Games. The show guarantees a prize of $5 million (£3.94 million) for the victor, setting a new record for the largest prize in the history of streaming and television.
As per Amazon's statement, they will feature "1,000 competitors taking part in thrilling challenges that test their physical abilities, mental strength, and social skills."
The announcement states: "Each week, participants will rely on their physical abilities and cleverness to remain in the competition, all aiming to become the winner of millions of dollars."
Nonetheless, even with the massive scale of the production and the significant reward at stake, Beast Games has been surrounded by controversy since it started filming and is currently dealing with a lawsuit filed by five dissatisfied contestants.
The lawsuit claims that Amazon and MrBeast's production team did not pay the required minimum wages or overtime. It also states that they neglected to address sexual harassment issues, caused emotional distress to the contestants, and did not offer meal breaks, rest periods, or access to essential hygiene facilities. Additionally, it asserts that the contestants were put in hazardous situations as part of their job.
In August, The New York Times revealed that participants in the program lacked sufficient access to both food and medical services.
"We agreed to participate in the show, but we never expected to be deprived of food, water, or basic human treatment," commented one contestant, speaking anonymously due to a non-disclosure agreement.
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One dish, which various contestants talked about, included a little bit of cold oatmeal, a few slices of raw veggies, and just one hard-boiled egg.
Contestants stated that they received small meals twice daily, while a representative for MrBeast claimed they were provided with three meals each day.
A number of competitors reported that they reached out to the production team for help with medical needs, food, and hygiene problems, but they found the staff to be unhelpful and somewhat disorganized.
A detailed article from Las Vegas 3 News on September 26 revealed that crew members involved in the show described it as “extremely humiliating” and labeled it the most “unprofessional” production they had encountered in their careers. Some even suggested that Donaldson should be placed on a “blacklist.”
The report states that contestants were prohibited from bringing any personal items, including medications, into Allegiant Stadium. This venue hosted 2,000 participants for a preliminary qualifying "episode" for a show intended for YouTube.
Most of the participants were lodged at the Rio and Luxor casinos, which is where the medical team for the production was located as well. However, they were unaware that some contestants were staying at different casinos.
A healthcare worker named Mona asserts that “their materials were meant to be handed over to us but never were,” explaining that “everything was done spontaneously.” She further mentioned, “We didn’t really grasp what they wanted, or if they even had a clear idea of what they were looking for. It seems like there was no proper planning since we didn’t receive all the necessary information.”
Another crew member, Kara, who was at Allegiant Stadium from July 18 to 21, mentioned that there was a significant cleanliness problem with the portable restrooms provided on site.
She asserts that in the four days on set, she only witnessed the portable toilets being emptied a single time, leading to overflows. Kara recounted, “On the third day, a man approached us with his sleeping bag, and it was covered in waste.”
Kara mentioned that a contestant handler, who remains unnamed, faced threats of being fired when they declined to clean up a mess, even though they weren't provided with the right tools to handle human waste.
Hannah, a third contestant coordinator responsible for guiding and managing the participants, expressed that she felt "unprofessional" when she was left without any call sheets. She also mentioned that she "needed additional protocols to assist me in doing my job."
She also asserts that one of the participants experienced a seizure and that "they simply abandoned him there." The situation was only reported to them an hour later, at which point the community ambulance team came to provide care for the individual.
MrBeast And Amazon Face Lawsuit For Mistreatment
In September, Variety announced that MrBeast and Amazon faced a lawsuit alleging ongoing mistreatment and sexual harassment.
The lawsuit claims that Amazon and MrBeast’s production company did not pay their workers the minimum wage or overtime. It also asserts that they didn’t take steps to protect against sexual harassment, caused emotional harm to the contestants, and neglected to provide meal and rest breaks, as well as access to basic hygiene facilities. Moreover, the contestants were reportedly placed in hazardous situations as part of their jobs.
In a statement, the lawyers representing the unidentified contestants remarked, “Although the participants understood when they signed the contract at the start of production that they would enter a lengthy and difficult competition, they claim that the experience turned out to be far more intense than they expected.”
They noted, "A number of participants were hospitalized, while many others experienced both physical and mental issues due to ongoing mistreatment, humiliation, and, for the women, very difficult working environments."
Another plaintiff, referred to as “Contestant 5”, shared that she participated in Beast Games because she admired MrBeast’s YouTube content, which had brightened her spirits during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, she expressed that her experience on the show left her feeling devalued and unimportant.
She remarked, "As one of the women involved, I can genuinely say it felt like we were in a very unfriendly atmosphere. It seemed like they couldn't have shown us less respect, both as individuals and as workers, even if they had tried."
Robert Pafundi, the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs, issued a statement saying, "Despite the severity of the allegations against the defendants, the law is clear-cut. The participants signed contracts and were promised payment for their work. Given their expectation of payment and their constant oversight by production staff, they qualify as employees under California law. Therefore, they were denied certain rights and protections. Additionally, when you consider the severe neglect, mistreatment, harassment, and inhumane conditions they faced, it’s clear that the defendants have failed in their responsibilities, and they must be held accountable."
In an August statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a representative for the YouTuber mentioned, “The filming of the MrBeast promotional video, involving more than 2,000 participants, faced some challenges due to the CrowdStrike incident, severe weather, and other unforeseen logistical and communication problems that we are currently assessing. However, we are thankful that almost everyone invited to Toronto for our upcoming project has eagerly accepted our invitation.”
"We reached out directly to 97% of the 2,000 attendees to gather their feedback, initiated a formal review of our procedures, and implemented measures to learn from this experience. We're thrilled to invite hundreds of men and women to the largest game show ever."
Donaldson hasn't provided a formal statement regarding the accusations, but on November 25, he replied to a post on X/Twitter, saying: “We have a lot of behind-the-scenes footage ready to share once the show airs, which will demonstrate how exaggerated these claims are. Unfortunately, we can’t share it right now because it would give away the surprises in the games.”
The Independent has reached out to MrBeast and Amazon for their feedback.
