Mr. Beast and Amazon’s $100 million game show in trouble following sexual harassment lawsuit
Jimmy Donaldson, a.k.a. Mr. Beast, has become synonymous with YouTube in the last few years thanks to the incorporation of unique challenges and mind-blowing giveaways; the 316 million subscribers on his channel are a testament to his growing popularity.
However, while the YouTuber has managed to accrue considerable goodwill from fans and neutrals alike because of the philanthropic nature of his work, he has managed to attract controversies on a similar scale. As reported by Variety, Donaldson and Amazon are being sued by the contestants of the Beast Games game show, alleging sexual harassment, “chronic mistreatment,” and more. The lawsuit comes from five unnamed individuals following a complaint filed on September 16 in Los Angeles Superior Court. A copy of the complaint can be found here.
The reality competition was ordered by Prime Video in March 2024, with 1000 contestants and a $5 million prize at stake. The amount is the biggest cash prize promised in the history of television or streaming. As per the lawsuit, the reported budget for the show is $100 million. The plaintiffs claim that there are unpaid dues and expenses owed by Mr. Beast’s company and Amazon that need to be paid which are likely to be split accordingly among all the affected contestants if their appeal is successful.
The accusations against Mr. Beast’s company MRB2024, Amazon, and production firm Off One’s Base LLC range from failure to pay minimum wages and overtime, failure to provide contestants with stipulated meal times or breaks, subjecting them to “emotional distress,” overlooking cases of sexual harassment, and exposing them to “dangerous circumstances.”
As the plaintiffs’ attorney argues, several contestants who participated required medical attention and prolonged periods of hospital care, with others suffering mental or physical setbacks as a result of the harsh environment. The lawsuit also claims hostile working conditions for female contestants, which paints a grim picture of what went on behind the scenes while the show was being shot.
The document continues to elucidate the alleged atrocities committed against the participants, which state that they were not provided enough medical care, food, sleep, and items necessary to maintain basic hygiene. The lawsuit hints that there is a culture in place at Mr. Beast’s company that overlooks sexual harassment, with this excerpt from the filed complaint demonstrating the tone-deafness concerning what is and isn’t appropriate:
“If talent wants to draw a dick on the whiteboard in the video or do something stupid, let them … really do everything you can to empower the boys when filming and help them make content. Help them be idiots.”
Instructions from “How to Succeed in Mr Beast Production” employee handbook
The first round of the show, which included a whopping 2000 contestants, was shot at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium from July 18-22. 1000 participants were eliminated as a part of the selection process, with the other 1000 featuring in the second round, which took place in Toronto in August.
Meanwhile, Amazon hasn’t announced a release date for the game show yet, and there is a probable chance that the reality series might get pushed back to a later date as Amazon and Co. deal with the legal ramifications of the lawsuit.
Mr. Beast is no stranger to organizing large-scale game shows with over-the-top challenges, having done so in 2021 with the reenactment of Netflix’s popular thriller series Squid Game. While he was a popular figure at the time, his fame exploded overnight following the upload, which could have potentially played a part in his collaboration with Amazon on this elaborate reality show.
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