Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, is speaking out in defense of his Prime Video reality show after “Beast Games” was accused of unsafe working conditions and enabling sexual harassment.
A teaser for the upcoming series, which premieres on Dec. 19, was posted by the news site Dexerto, to which a user commented, “Is this the same one where a lot of contestants complained of terrible conditions?”
“We have tons of behind the scenes dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were,” Donaldson responded. “Just can’t release it now because it would spoil the games.”
The upcoming “Beast Games” promises to be the biggest and most ambitious competition in television history. The series follows (at least) 1,000 players who compete in a series of challenges all in the hopes of winning the grand prize of $5 million. It takes a gimmick MrBeast has structured his career around — asking people to do increasingly ridiculous things for money — and pushes the concept to its absolute limits. But much like the 456-person “Squid Game: The Challenge” before it, the production has been riddled with accusations of unsafe working conditions for months now.
A report from the New York Times from a dozen anonymous contestants revealed multiple people were allegedly taken out of the arena on stretchers. These contestants also say they saw other contestants vomiting, passing out and being taken to the hospital. Additionally, those interviewed stated that medications and clean underwear were not distributed in a timely manner. There is also a dispute about how much contestants were fed. While those interviewed for the Times article said they were fed twice a day, a source familiar with production claims they were fed three times a day.
This report was based on testimonies from a group of 2,000 participants and 100 extras who were part of the preliminary round for “Beast Games.” That event took place in July in Nevada’s Allegiant Stadium and was filmed for MrBeast’s YouTube channel. The same source told TheWrap that contestants were offered $1,000 for their participation.
Donaldson and Amazon are also both at the center of a class-action lawsuit that was filed by five “Beast Games” contestants in September. The lawsuit alleges sexual harassment, failure to pay, false advertising and emotional distress. Specifically, some female contestants claim the production “failed to provide a safe and healthful place of employment to the particular and collective detriment of the female contestants, who suffered sexual harassment.”
“Beast Games” premieres Dec. 19 on Prime Video.
