MrBeast’s game show ‘Beast Games’ is here. This is what people are saying about it

MrBeast’s ambitious reality competition show, “Beast Games,” premiered on Amazon Prime Video this week, and clips from the game show circulating on social media illustrate just how intense the controversial, “biggest game show in history” turned out to be.

In one clipthe screams of the contestants are heard echoing as they crash through trapdoors that opened at random. Contestants awaiting their turn to fall wear anxious expressions as they anticipate the impending fall.

At one point, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, causes an 80-person line of contestants to drop out at the same time.

“The production on ‘Beast Games’ is crazy,” Dexerto, which covers gaming and entertainment news, wrote of the clip in a X post.

The back story of ‘Beast Games’

In March, Donaldson announced that he had teamed up with Amazon Studios to create “the biggest game show in history.”

The reality competition series would feature 1,000 contestants, a $5 million prize and be “an insane show,” he said on X.

During a performance on “The Colin and Samir Show“,” Donaldson, who runs the most watched channel on YouTube, said the series would be “mind-blowing”.

“Every single one of these episodes will be bigger than the biggest YouTube video I’ve ever made,” he said. “It’s like our normal videos, just 20 times better.”

Based on early reactions to “Beast Games,” the game show is every bit as intense as Donaldson intended it to be.

“Seeing everyone’s reaction to Beast Games is amazing,” Donaldson further wrote X Thursday.

Reviews of ‘Beast Games’

Some “Beast Games” viewers have expressed appreciation for the “crazy” show and Donaldson, while others have criticized him, comparing the series to “The Hunger Games.”

• “The end of episode 2 is the most INSANE cliffhanger on any competition show,” one fan wrote X. “This is waaaay better than Netflix’s octopus game.”

• “Beast Games is not a game show – it’s a psychological thriller. Very uncomfortable watch,” another viewer said wrote.

• Another viewer said“Please make it right. Mr Beast is a (villain.) I’ve seen this story before and it was called The Hunger Games.

• “Say what you will about Mr. Beast, he knows how to host a game show,” one fan said.

• “Is it just me or does ‘Beast Games’ seem insanely sick and twisted?” one viewer asked. “Half the ‘challenges’ are just psychological social experiments. The ‘entertainment’ is watching poor people suffer in desperation.”

• Another said“#MrBeast’s new Amazon game show #BeastGames is next level crazy.”

‘Beast Games’ Controversy

During production, “Beast Games” faced allegations of poor conditions on set, as previously reported by the Deseret News.

A few cast and crew members claimed that there was a lack of food and water, security issues and unfair play during the filming in Las Vegas, Vital Vegas reported in July. They claimed that some contestants were injured during filming.

A MrBeast representative called these claims “inaccurate,” per Vital Vegas.

More allegations surfaced in September.

Crew members claimed Donaldson bit off more than he could chew with the “Beast Games” project, according to a report from Rolling Stone.

Crew members alleged that there was not enough food and raised other safety concerns.

“It’s a Fyre Fest kind of feeling,” said a crew member who was working in Toronto and left the production early Rolling Stone. “There’s a reason this level of production hasn’t been attempted before, and it certainly should never have been attempted without people who know what they’re doing.”

Where to watch ‘Beast Games’

“Beast Games” is available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.

The first two episodes premiered on Thursday and are now available for streaming.

New episodes are released every Thursday at 10 a.m. MST through February 13 per Amazon Prime. The series has 10 episodes.

“Beast Games” cannot be viewed on YouTube.