What we know so far about MrBeast’s ‘Beast Games’ premiering on Amazon Prime

Amazon’s big bet on one of YouTube’s most popular – and increasingly controversial – personalities is here.

Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson’s reality series, “Beast Games,” debuts Thursday on Amazon Prime, months after several contestants alleged they faced poor working conditions on set.

Greenlit by Amazon Prime Video in March, the reality competition show promised to deliver the highest cash prize in television history, with a $5 million reward. Donaldson, YouTube’s top creator with more than 337 million subscribers, was reportedly paid $100 million and got what he described as full creative control. The show reportedly began casting and filming this summer, with contestants performing physical tasks similar to challenges staged on Donaldson’s YouTube channel.

But Amazon’s investment in Donaldson — as well as the initial hype surrounding the show’s announcement — has been overshadowed in recent months as Donaldson faced the most intense scrutiny of his career.

Donaldson, 26, is one of the Internet’s most recognizable creators, having built a multimillion-dollar business that employs hundreds of people in North Carolina and pumps out videos of contests and stunts that regularly attract tens of thousands of views. His most viewed video on YouTube is his remake of the Netflix show “Squid Game,” where contestants faced elimination challenges similar to those on the show (minus the death element) to win the $456,000 prize.

While some of his challenges have raised eyebrows, he had largely avoided public fallout — until August, when New York Times reported that some contestants said they sustained injuries and had inadequate access to food and medical care while filming the show in Las Vegas.

A spokesman for Donaldson said at the time that filming was “unfortunately complicated” by a number of factors, including “extreme weather and other unexpected logistical and communication issues.” The spokesperson added that “virtually all” of the contestants invited to continue to the upcoming Toronto taping “enthusiastically accepted.” Around the same time, online commentators accused former longtime MrBeast channel collaborator Ava Kris Tyson of “grooming”. Tyson denied the allegations and announced his departure from the channel in July. A third-party legal investigation commissioned by Donaldson found allegations of sexual misconduct against his company to be unfounded.

Concerns about set safety followed “Beast Games” after that continued production in Toronto. And in September, a handful of participants filed a lawsuit in California alleging they were “shamelessly exploited” and subjected to “unfair, unsafe” working conditions.

The class action, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, names Donaldson’s production company and Amazon Prime as defendants. Representatives for Donaldson and Amazon did not comment on the lawsuit at the time. An attorney for the plaintiffs said in an email Wednesday that “since this is an ongoing legal matter, the attorneys and related parties are not conducting interviews.” Representatives for Amazon and Donaldson declined to comment.

In one recent appearance on “This Past Weekend with Theo Von,” Von asked Donaldson if the issues surrounding his production were “exaggerated.” In response, Donaldson said it was “impossible for there to ever be anything negative” with such a large production.

He also responded to an X user who asked whether the “Beast Games” show was “the same where many contestants complained of terrible conditions.”

“We have tons of behind-the-scenes stuff that drops when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these allegations were,” Donaldson wrote on Nov 25. “Just can’t release it now because it would ruin the games.”

Promotion around the show has been relatively subdued. Donaldson posted a teaser trailer this month on social media and announced the release date.