YouTube star MrBeast’s new show, called “Beast Games,” is already the subject of legal controversies.
A much-maligned show. Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is a titan of modern YouTube, gathering a community of more than 300 million subscribers thanks to his videos with extravagant concepts combining excessive challenges and philanthropy. Last March, he announced a major collaboration with Prime Video to create a reality TV show called “Beast Games,” in which 1,000 participants compete in physical, mental and social challenges to win a record prize of $5 million. of dollars, the largest reward in the history of streaming and television. However, this ambitious project is now in turmoil, following serious accusations made by five former competitors.
Ainadequate nutrition
The plaintiffs, who chose to remain anonymous, accused the host’s production company and Amazon, owner of the streaming service, of violating their fundamental rights. The charges relate to serious offenses such as non-payment of minimum wage and overtime, lack of meal and rest breaks, unsafe working conditions, sexual harassment and emotional distress, as well as lack of access to adequate sanitation facilities.
“Although the participants knew from the moment they signed the contract at the start of production that they were going to face a potentially long and difficult competition, they say they got much more than they bargained for. Several candidates ended up hospitalized, while others reported suffering physical and mental complications while being subjected to chronic mistreatment, degradation and, for female candidates, hostile working conditions. declared their lawyers.
Last August, an article published by the New York Times highlighted damning accounts from some candidates reporting that they did not have adequate access to food and medical care. “We signed up for the show, but we didn’t agree to not being fed, watered or treated like human beings,” said one contestant, confident that a meal consisted of a small portion of sugar flakes. cold oats, a few pieces of raw vegetables and a single hard-boiled egg, served only twice a day. A spokesperson for MrBeast disputed these claims, ensuring that three meals were offered daily.
Several applicants reported seeking assistance from production staff with health, diet and hygiene issues, but were met with unhelpful and disorganized employees. Additionally, contestants were reportedly not allowed to bring their personal belongings with them, including medicines, during the preliminary qualifying test for the show where 2,000 contestants were gathered.
“Extreme weather conditions” for a colossal shoot
Kara, an employee on the film set, said the portable toilets were rarely emptied, causing overflows. A staff member was reportedly threatened with dismissal after refusing to clean up the mess, despite not being provided with the necessary equipment to deal with human waste. A candidate suffering from an epileptic seizure would not have been treated immediately, the medical team having been alerted only an hour later.
Faced with these accusations, a MrBeast spokesperson admitted to The Hollywood Reporter in August that filming was disrupted by “extreme weather conditions” and “unexpected logistical issues.” “We communicated directly with 97% of the 2,000 people in attendance to ask for their feedback, launched a formal review of the process and took steps to ensure we learn from this experience. We are thrilled to welcome hundreds of men and women to the biggest game show in history,” he added.
For his part, Jimmy Donaldson reacted indirectly on We just can’t release them now because it would ruin the games. The show “Beast Games” is available on Prime Video starting this Thursday.
