MrBeast, the online pseudonym of 26-year-old Jimmy Donaldson, is an outstanding content creator. His carefully staged philanthropy videos have allowed him to accumulate nearly 340 million subscribers on YouTube, making him the most followed personality on the platform. For his many fans, he represents a bit of the Oprah of the Internet; he financed surgical procedures and even gifted an island to one of his subscribers. His business empire includes a charitable organization as well as his chocolate and snack brand, Feastables, and he expects to generate as much as $700 million in revenue this year.
However, behind this cheerful smile hides an increasingly tempting target for his detractors, who perceive a form of inauthenticity and strangeness in his approach. What has particularly drawn criticism is its new reality competition series filled with awkward moments and chaos, Beast Gameswhich reportedly cost more than $100 million, making it the most expensive reality series ever made.
“There is a brutal cruelty in Beast Games which is truly unbearable,” wrote one reviewer for The Guardianwho may well have delivered the most scathing commentary ever written about MrBeast or a project he is associated with. “Overwhelmingly,” the author continues, “the majority of challenges consist of personal sacrifice, where groups of competitors must give up their chance to win so that others can advance. The ugliness of these challenges is overwhelming. There are cries and tantrums from adults, all for a jackpot that they are statistically unlikely to win. »
“Frankly, I don’t remember such an undignified spectacle. »
The show offered on Prime Video, which aspires to be inspired by Squid Game and which has an abysmal 20% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, features 1,000 contestants competing in a series of events for a chance to win a $5 million prize. It’s largely an extension of the fundraising stunts MrBeast has done in recent years, like this recent video where he funded an operation that restored the sight of 1,000 blind people. Of course, this operation was valuable for these people, but on the tone, the video showed MrBeast in his typical YouTuber style, enthusiastically explaining the situation by specifying that “It’s going to be crazy!!! »
On various platforms, users can be found debating notions like (on Reddit): “How MrBeast’s charitable content seriously exploits poverty and why millionaire charities don’t work.” » And, via Quora, “Why do so many people like MrBeast?” Is he exploiting a psychological flaw that makes people like his content? »
However, it is the criticism of Guardian which takes a dig at the exploitative side of MrBeast and its content — also touching on the 54-page class action lawsuit filed by several participants against MrBeast’s production company and Amazon, alleging mistreatment, inadequate compensation and “emotional distress.” serious.” The review adds: Beast Games largely consists of “the unwanted spectacle of 1,000 attention seekers humiliating for the pleasure of not just one YouTuber, but one YouTuber shouting things like, “Everyone has a price!”…
“Certainly, Beast Games There’s something strangely captivating about it, but it’s just as captivating as scraping off a scab. It exists solely to show us the worst of human nature in the most unpleasant ways. »
