MrBeast’s Amazon Show Accused of Unsafe Filming Conditions, Lack of Food by Participants
MrBeast is under fire again: this time for accusations of unsafe conditions and a lack of food and medical care for participants while filming for his upcoming Amazon MGM Studios show Beast Games.
In a new report from The New York Times, more than a dozen people who participated in the first installment of the reality competition show in July spoke on the condition of anonymity about their experiences. Beast Games was announced in March and is based on MrBeast’s, real name Jimmy Donaldson, popular YouTube videos, which see him giving out extravagant prizes for high-stakes games and competitions.
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The contestants told the Times that they didn’t receive adequate food or medical care during filming, which took place in Nevada at Allegiant Stadium, and that some competitors suffered injuries from the physical challenges. The preliminary event was reportedly filmed for Donaldson’s YouTube channel as a way to select the participants for the actual show filming later in the summer in Toronto, Canada.
A contract for the show that applicants were required to sign, which was reviewed by the Times, included the line: “I understand that such activities may cause me death, illness, or serious bodily injury, including, but not limited to exhaustion, dehydration, overexertion, burns, and heat stroke.” (That language is fairly common in reality television contracts.)
However, some of the participants did not expect the unsafe conditions they claimed they endured. “We signed up for the show, but we didn’t sign up for not being fed or watered or treated like human beings,” one competitor told the newspaper.
A contestant said they saw some people leaving the competition arena on stretchers, though no serious injuries have been reported. Another competitor recalled to the Times watching people vomit and appearing to pass out. There were several hospitalizations for seemingly minor injuries.
Some participants also complained to the Times about the food they were given, claiming it was only two meals a day and didn’t account for dietary restrictions and allergies. But a MrBeast rep disputed the allegations, telling the newspaper that three meals were provided each day. There were reportedly also multiple options to meet dietary needs.
Some contestants claimed that their medications, which they handed over to event organizers prior to the competition, were not distributed on time. Others said they waited hours or even days to receive clean underwear that they supplied to production staff, as instructed.
Additionally, the participants said they felt misled going into the competition as they thought it was just 1,000 people competing for the show’s $5 million prize rather than 2,000 contestants who were at the July event. However, the preliminary event was used to select the 1,000 contestants who would actually be competing on the Amazon show.
A spokesperson for MrBeast shared in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, “The MrBeast promotional video shoot, which included over 2,000 participants, was unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather, and other unexpected logistical and communications issues, which we are currently reviewing, but we are grateful that virtually all of those invited to Toronto for our next production have enthusiastically accepted our invitation.”
“We have communicated directly with 97 percent of the 2,000 people who attended to ask for feedback, have launched a formal review of the process, and have taken steps to ensure that we learn from this experience and we are excited to welcome hundreds of men and women to the world’s largest game show in history,” the statement concluded.
The contestants were allowed to leave the competition at any time, but many stayed in hopes of winning the grand prize, despite the alleged conditions.
The 1,000 participants who made it through the preliminary challenges in July without being eliminated are now preparing for the next event in Toronto. One contestant told the Times that though she was nervous about her safety, she still had plans to continue to the next stage. And several of the remaining contestants appeared unbothered by the experience in the stadium, according to screenshots from a group chat reviewed by the newspaper.
THR also reached out to representatives for Amazon but didn’t immediately hear back.
Earlier this week, Donaldson also addressed “inappropriate language” he used early in his online career amid a controversy surrounding allegations of past racist remarks. “When Jimmy was a teenager he acted like many kids and used inappropriate language while trying to be funny,” a spokesperson for the YouTuber wrote in a statement THR at the time. “Over the years he has repeatedly apologized and has learned that increasing influence comes with increased responsibility to be more aware and more sensitive to the power of language. After making some bad jokes and other mistakes when he was younger, as an adult he has focused on engaging with the MrBeast community to work together on making a positive impact around the world.”
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