YouTube sensation MrBeast, widely known for his jaw-dropping stunts and philanthropic giveaways, has faced a rare stumble with his latest venture, the Beast Games show.
At the age of 26, MrBeast—real name Jimmy Donaldson—holds the record for the most subscribers on YouTube, which as of press time was 340 million. In January 2022, Forbes ranked him as the highest-earning content creator, with an estimated annual income of $54 million, drawn mostly from ads on his videos.
The social media star has now ventured into TV with the highly anticipated launch of his Prime Video show Beast Games, which offers a grand prize of over $5 million and a private island.
MrBeast even dished out $100 million of his own cash to invest in the project. The show is inspired by Netflix’s South Korean hit Squid Game, a survival thriller series in which cash-strapped characters fight for their lives as they compete for a gargantuan cash prize.
Despite the hype leading up to the release, reviews from fans have been less than favorable, citing several issues that have left many disappointed.
Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for MrBeast for comment on Wednesday outside of normal business hours.
Beast Games promised to combine the excitement of reality competition shows with the high stakes and creativity MrBeast is famous for. Marketed as a groundbreaking series featuring contestants battling through elaborate, Squid Game-esque challenges for massive cash prizes, the show aimed to dominate the streaming landscape.
However, it appears the final product has failed to meet the lofty expectations set by its promotional material. At the time of writing it has 3 stars on Google, 5.4/10 on IMDB. It also has a 17 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is based on the collective opinions of film and television critics. A movie or show is considered “Fresh” if at least 60 percent of critic reviews are positive, and “Rotten” if less than 60 percent are positive. The Popcornmeter rating, which captures audience sentiment, is 69 percent.
One two-star review on Google said the show was “exploitative,” as it reads: “I would first like to say there are both pros and cons to this and the sad part is that there were not a lot of pros. The show is a very exploitative to the contestants showing one of their worst moments of life by filming them crying and losing the big cash prize. And one of the other frustrating parts about this show is that is mostly just luck because the only way that Jimmy uses to remove contestants is with a bribe.
Another person added: “The concept, while initially exciting, quickly becomes repetitive as the challenges lack variety and fail to maintain any real suspense or excitement. One of the major issues with Beast Games is its pacing. The episodes drag on, with long-winded moments between challenges that sap the energy from the show. What should be adrenaline-pumping competitions often feel overly choreographed and predictable, removing any sense of real danger or tension.”
Someone on Rotten Tomatoes gave the show one star, writing: “It’s clear this grifting little hack is on his downslope, and so much the better for it. How he ever became famous is beyond me, because he’s about as insufferable as a human could be. Save your brain cells for literally anything else.”
The Guardian gave Beast Games two out of five stars, stating: “True, there is something weirdly compelling about Beast Games, but it is compelling in the same way that picking a scab is. It exists solely to show us the worst of the human condition, as obnoxiously as possible.”
However, not all reviews are negative, as some viewers have taken to the internet to give it five stars.
“Super fun! So interesting to see how people react when there is so much money on the line. Can’t wait for the 3rd episode to drop,” one person wrote on Rotten Tomatoes.
“This is one of the best game shows i have seen in a while it’s awesome and addicting to wait 7 days for each episode its nail biting. Jimmy and his crew pulled one of the best ever I watched every contestant feedback and you can tell they loved their experience on the show and with mrbeast and his crew,” someone else wrote on Google.
“You can tell that they are very caring and they treat everyone with respect. Theirs no comparison with squid game i don’t get why they keep comparing both shows! I really hope that we will have more season of Beast games. Imagine getting a chance to be on a mrbeast game show how wonderful that would be.”
MrBeast previously said his recent YouTube videos “suffered a bit” while he dedicated his time to Beast Games. On November 25 the YouTuber shared a teaser for the new show on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “I spent over a year creating this 10 episode competition series, breaking 40 world records, building the craziest sets in entertainment history, featuring 1,000 players, and a $5,000,000 grand prize! I poured everything I have into this show, I’ll see you December 19th on @PrimeVideo!”
An X user commented, “So everyone thought you were laying low and instead you were just breaking records,” to which MrBeast responded, “My recent YouTube videos def suffered a bit from me filming this show/spending a bajillion hours on it, whoops.”
The X account for the entertainment news site Dexerto also shared the Beast Games teaser, prompting someone to ask: “Is this the same one where a lot of contestants complained of terrible conditions?”
Responding, MrBeast said: “We have tons of behind the scenes dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were. Just can’t release it now because it would spoil the games.”
In September, it was announced that a lawsuit has been filed against MrBeast’s companies and the production arm of Amazon. The suit involves participants in MrBeast’s reality competition show and alleges multiple labor law violations, false advertising and unfair business practices.
Five contestants are suing the social media star, alleging “unreasonable, unsafe and unlawful employment conditions.” The participants say they were deprived of medical care, food, sleep and the necessities of basic hygiene. The filing alleges that production staff created a “toxic” work environment and that women experienced “sexual harassment.”
According to a news release from the complainants’ lawyers, those sections were redacted to comply with the “confidentiality provisions” that the competitors signed.
Some of the plaintiffs also allege that they have not been paid for participating in the show.
MrBeast has been asked for comment by Newsweek via email.
Greg Selkoe, who previously served as president of esports and entertainment organization FaZe Clan, recently told Newsweek that MrBeast’s popularity has continued to grow despite controversies because he’s an “earnest, sincere, and authentic guy who wants to do the right thing and wants to learn and improve.”
Weeks before the series made its debut, it shattered a host of world records. On November 27 MrBeast took to X to share a photo of a stack of framed certificates from Guinness World Records.
“Guinness just dropped off some of the world records we broke while filming Beast Games,” MrBeast wrote. “I’M SO EXCITED TO DROP THIS SHOW IN 22 DAYS.” As of press time, the post has garnered 6.5 million views.
In subsequent comments shared on the platform, MrBeast listed some of the records broken by the show, writing: “Largest cash prize, Most contestants, Most cameras ever, Most money given away in a first episode, Most cables ran for a show, Largest island given away in show.”
Due to the sheer scale of the production, hundreds of thousands of goods and equipment, including tents, sleeping bags, and sporting equipment, were donated to local businesses in Toronto once production concluded in the Canadian city.
