Jimmy Donaldson (A.K.A. Mr.Beast) is known for owning the most followed YouTube channel sitting at over 341 million subscribers. His empire has been on a decline after his recent controversially entertaining game show streaming on Prime Video. This show includes a five million dollar cash prize, but at what cost?
Mr.Beast makes challenges where he gets strangers to compete in wildly expensive sets for a huge cash prize. These videos are nothing compared to what he released on December 2024- January 2025. There were many things wrong with the set of this show including mistreatment, exploitation, sexual harassment, and unfair wages.
On September 16, 2024, five contestants filed a class action lawsuit against Mr.Beast stating the production companies had control over the eating, clothing, and sleeping arrangements of the contestants on set. There was also a lack of background checks of contestants, misrepresentation of how many contestants would get screen time in the show, and nearly impossible odds of winning the prize money.
Many online have compared it to the critically acclaimed Netflix original series Squid Games due to its unsettling nature. In Squid Games once a contestant loses they are then killed, comparatively, instead of Mr.Beast killing them he exploits their deepest traumas. The crew was demanded to record once they saw someone cry or speak about their troubled past. According to NBC News, Donalson told the press that they have “taken steps to ensure that we learn from this experience.”
During this lawsuit, the contestants filed a 50-page complaint writing that they were “penned into enclosed spaces” and “under conditions where they were underfed, overtired” and “competing in stressful and exhausting challenges for a cash prize that could change their lives.” They also wrote about the women’s conditions and how they were subject to constant harassment, misogyny, and sexism.
In addition to his behavior, the case mentions a “Mr.Beast Handbook” which condoned poor conduct. For example: “If talent wants to draw a d— on a whiteboard in the video or do something stupid, let them.” and “Really do everything you can to empower the boys when filming and help them make content. Help them be idiots.” This behavior later included harassment of many female contestants. It was also a very unsafe environment to begin with due to lack of background checks, leading to many women on set feeling targeted in the workplace.
The complaint later mentions jarring safety risks with another claim in the suit stating the “insufficient caloric intake” provided “endangered the health” of contestants. One contestant who came forward spoke with Rolling Stone and said they received one single “scoop of rice” on their 15-minute break spanning a 16-hour shift. Along with this, lawyers of the contestants reported there was an “insufficient medical staff to attend to potential and actual injuries during. ” Seeing that there were many physically draining challenges such as pulling a monster truck and a dead hang from 100 feet in the air, there should have been a well-prepared medical staff.
New York Times article revealed that the participants’ contracts state, “I understand that such activities may cause me death, illness, or serious bodily injury, including, but not limited to exhaustion, dehydration, overexertion, burns, and heat stroke.” All contestants were required to sign acknowledging the grim possibility of death. Though it wasn’t as severe, a handful of contestants were left on stretchers as a result of a competition.
Gavin Finer, a sophomore at West Morris Central, used to be a patron of his channel but in terms of the current show, believes “that it was pretty poorly done. It wasn’t really that entertaining to the viewer.” This is a common complaint amongst fans, suggesting his channel is no longer surprising, with many seeing a shift in his content. He thinks Mr.Beast needs to understand the worth of a dollar and believes “five million is a life-changing amount of money and is way too much for someone to get in only a few days. It’s dangerous.”
Similarly, freshman Sophie O’Hara stated, “They should act how they truly are instead of doing it for the media.. He went from being somebody who actually cared about people to somebody who just does horrible videos for the click.”. In response to the size of the prize she said “…with it being a reality TV show, they have their face, meaning that they can find their name, their address, they like those people could be in like, literal danger.”, suggesting the new millionaire may be at risk having to adjust to this new life and new issues.
Donaldson’s trial has spanned from September of 2024 and is still ongoing with many new charges of a hostile work environment. Though it seems Donalson has done his best to hide the lawsuit, many fans are realizing the monster they made by giving this man so much power.