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Beast Games
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| Beast Games | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Created by | Jimmy Donaldson Tyler Conklin Sean Klitzner Mack Hopkins |
| Directed by | Tyler Conklin Kate Douglas-Walker |
| Creative director | Tyler Conklin |
| Presented by | Jimmy Donaldson |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editor | Mack Hopkins |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | December 19, 2024 – present |
Beast Games is a reality competition television series created by YouTuber Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson, Tyler Conklin, Sean Klitzner, and Mack Hopkins. Hosted by Donaldson, Beast Games follows 1,000 contestants—the largest cast for a reality show—as they compete for $5 million,[a] advertised as the largest single cash prize in reality television history.[1]
Inspired by the viral Netflix show Squid Game and Donaldson's viral video "$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!",[2][3][4][5] the first two episodes of Beast Games were released on Amazon Prime Video on December 19, 2024, with the full series consisting of ten episodes released weekly on Thursdays. On the same day, Donaldson also released a video of tryouts for the game show on his YouTube channel titled "2,000 People Fight for $5,000,000", where he cut the number of people participating from 2,000 to 1,000 in a series of challenges. On January 25, 2025, Donaldson uploaded a video titled "Each Minute One Person is Eliminated", following 20 people previously eliminated from the Beast Games show to participate and compete again for $500,000, later reduced to $431,000.
Several contestants alleged they were mistreated during production, resulting in a lawsuit against Donaldson's company and several others. While the show was received poorly by critics, it became one of Amazon Prime Video's most viewed shows.
In May 2025, Beast Games was renewed for two more seasons, with filming for season 2 running from June until August. The second season premiered on January 7, 2026.[6]
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]On March 18, 2024, Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast, announced that he had secured a $100 million deal with Amazon MGM Studios to produce a reality television series titled Beast Games for Prime Video.[7] The series was created by Donaldson, Tyler Conklin, Sean Klitzner, and Mack Hopkins.[8] Applications for the show opened on May 5, 2024.[9][10][11] Donaldson serves as the host and executive producer. The budget is reported to be over $100 million.[12]
Casting for season 2 of Beast Games started around March 2025.[13][14] It was reported in May 2025 that Beast Games was to have another two seasons, though the show had not yet been officially renewed.[15][16] Donaldson stated in an interview that "100 per cent" sure there would be future seasons with Prime Video. Mike Hopkins, head of Amazon MGM, stated at the Milken Institute Global Conference: "We’re going to do a couple more seasons of [Beast Games], I think, soon."[15] Later in May, the show's renewal for a second and third season was officially announced.[17][18]
Filming
[edit]| External videos | |
|---|---|
 2,000 People Fight For $5,000,000 | |
| Every Minute One Person Is Eliminated |
Filming began with the first round, which was shot through July 18–22, 2024, inside of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with a total of 2,000 contestants attending. This round is released on YouTube.[19] The Beast City part of the competition that was featured in the first four, sixth, eighth and ninth episode of the TV series as well as a second YouTube video promoting the series featuring 20 eliminated contestants competing for $500,000, was filmed with the remaining 1,000 contestants at Downsview Park Studios in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in August of that year.[2][20] The "Beast Island" part of the competition featured in the fourth to sixth episodes of the show was filmed at the uninhabited La Vivienda Island, which is located in the Pearl Islands, Panama.[21]
The filming broke 44 Guinness World Records, including the largest physical cash prize on set ($5,000,000), the most prize money turned down on a competitive reality TV show ($1,000,000), the largest prize fund awarded for a competitive reality TV show ($10,000,000), and the most money won in a single episode of a competitive reality TV show ($2,020,000), and a page in the 2026 Guinness Book of World Records was focused on the show.[22]
Filming for season 2 began in Las Vegas in June 2025,[23] and was completed in August 2025.[24]
Part of season 2 features a crossover with the CBS reality series Survivor. Filmed prior to their 50th season, the Survivor production team hosted a series of challenges for Beast Games, with Survivor host Jeff Probst appearing as a co-host as part of the crossover. As part of the crossover Donaldson is set to appear in an episode of Survivor 50 as a Celebrity Fan, introducing a twist.[25]
Legal issues
[edit]Contestants complained that they were denied food, water, medication, and beds during the production of the show. Additionally, dozens reported that various injuries took place during the first filming sessions, as well as mistreatment, sexual harassment, and not being paid for overtime.[26] On September 16, 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court.[27]
According to a December 2024 Rolling Stone report on the working conditions for Beast Games published earlier that month, a portion of a tower exterior fell on a crew member on September 9, 2024. Later that month, the Ontario Ministry of Labour confirmed that it had opened an investigation into an on-set industrial incident on September 11, 2024. It stated that two of the employers, Blink 49 Studios and Manhattan Beach Studios, were each issued a "requirement". The Toronto Police Service also released a statement saying that they had been called to set for the incident but were not investigating as there was not a criminal element.[28]
Cast
[edit]Adapted from the Amazon MGM Studios press release.[8] Presenters and producers are as follows:[29]
Presenters
[edit]- Jimmy Donaldson (host)
- Chandler Hallow (co-host)
- Nolan Hansen (co-host)
- Karl Jacobs (co-host)
- Tareq Salameh (co-host)
- Mack Hopkins (co-host)
- Cody Owen (co-host)
- Casey Owen (host)
- Kendall Owen (host)
Producers
[edit]- Matt Apps
- Joe Coleman
- Tyler Conklin
- Michael Cruz
- Jimmy Donaldson
- Keith Geller
- Mack Hopkins
- Chris Keiper
- Sean Klitzner
- Joshua Kulic
- Rachel Skidmore
Guest
[edit]Season 1
[edit]- Lil Yachty (in Episode 5)[30]
Season 2
[edit]- Jeff Probst (in Episode 4)[31]
- Druski (in Episode 5)[32]
Contestants
[edit]Some players participated in more than one season.
| Player | Contestants | S1 | S2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 831 | Jeffrey Randall Allen | 1st | 18th |
| 830 | Twana Barnett | 2nd | 51st |
| 974 | Gage Gallagher | 3rd | 51st |
| 424 | Courtney Ferris | 6th | 51st |
| 566 | JC Gallego Iori | 7th | 14th |
| 380 | Dean "Deano" Viana | 11th | 51st |
| 539 | Akira Andrews | 13th | 94th |
| 952 | Mia Speight | 19th | 21st |
| 406 | Karim Arafa | 22nd | 80th |
| 991 | Jeremy T. Grant | 22nd | 85th |
Episodes
[edit]| Season | Episodes | Originally released | Winner | Runner–up | Prize | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | ||||||
| 1 | 10 | December 19, 2024 | February 13, 2025 | Amazon Prime Video | Jeffrey Randall Allen | Twana Barnett | $10,009,244 | |
| 2 | 10 | January 7, 2026 | February 25, 2026 | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
Season 1 (2024–25)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date [33] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "1,000 People Fight for $5,000,000" | December 19, 2024 |
| 2 | 2 | "500 People Trapped In My City" | December 19, 2024 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Solitary Experiment" | December 26, 2024 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Golden Ticket" | January 2, 2025 |
| 5 | 5 | "Fight to Win a Private Island" | January 9, 2025 |
| 6 | 6 | "Physical, Mental, Chance...Your Choice" | January 16, 2025 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Elimination Train" | January 23, 2025 |
| 8 | 8 | "Betray Your Friend for $1,000,000" | January 30, 2025 |
| 9 | 9 | "Bribe Your Way to the Finale" | February 6, 2025 |
| 10 | 10 | "$10,000,000 Coin Flip" | February 13, 2025 |
Season 2 (2026)
[edit]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date [34] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Strong vs Smart Compete for $5,000,000" | January 7, 2026 |
| 12 | 2 | "Choose Your Fate" | January 7, 2026 |
| 13 | 3 | "The Obstacle Course" | January 7, 2026 |
| 14 | 4 | "The Survivor Takeover" | January 14, 2026 |
| 15 | 5 | "Ask For Anything You Want" | January 21, 2026 |
| 16 | 6 | "Hearts Will Be Smashed" | January 28, 2026 |
| 17 | 7 | "Bury Me Alive" | February 4, 2026 |
| 18 | 8 | "Would You Steal $1,000,000?" | February 11, 2026 |
| 19 | 9 | "Trust Nobody" | February 18, 2026 |
| 20 | 10 | "$5,000,000 Decision" | February 25, 2026 |
Release
[edit]The qualifier video "2,000 People Fight for $5,000,000" was released on MrBeast's Main YouTube Channel on December 19, 2024.[35]
Beast Games season 1 debuted on Amazon Prime Video on December 19, 2024,[36] and consisted of ten episodes,[37] released weekly.[8][36] Season 2 premiered on Amazon Prime video on January 7, 2026, and also consists of ten episodes which will be released weekly through February 2026.[38]
Reception
[edit]The series became Prime Video's most watched unscripted series ever and its second largest series debut of 2024 behind Fallout, getting 50 million viewers over the course of 25 days. Amazon noted that half of the show's audience came from outside the United States.[39][40]
Season 1
[edit]On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 20% based on 10 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5/10.[41] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave it a score of 38 out of 100 based on five critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[42] Several reviewers critiqued Donaldson's performance as loud and shallow and the show's lack of focus on its contestants.[3][43][44][45] Naomi Fry of The New Yorker wrote that the use of contestants' numbers instead of their names made it difficult to empathize with them, unlike other reality shows.[46] IGN, The Guardian, Vox, and PC Gamer criticized the show for closely following the premise of Squid Game while stripping away its dystopian tone.[3][4][5][45]
The financial aspects of the show have also come under scrutiny. Katie Notopoulos of Business Insider enjoyed the show, but she worried that it could communicate to children the lack of value in money.[47] Lauren Saunders of the National Consumer Law Center and Andrew Kushner of the Center for Responsible Lending criticized sponsor MoneyLion, a financial tech and cash advance company, for advertising to a young audience, which Kushner said were more susceptible to "the slick marketing" of the finance industry.[48][49] Jeff Yang similarly argued that the sponsorship would allow MoneyLion's owner, Gen Digital, to target groups in MrBeast's audience facing "dire economic precarity".[50]
Some critics have analyzed the political implications of the show. According to Yang, while Squid Game was creating contextual critiques of oligarchs and exploiting disadvantaged people, Beast Games is unwittingly glorifying these concepts.[50] Patrick Freyne of The Irish Times compared the giving away of islands to contestants in the fifth episode to colonialism.[51]
In response to IGN's negative review, Donaldson wrote "Yeah, sad one person who doesn't like me can just label something a thousand people poured their lives into a 2 out of 10 when it's clearly not."[52] Donaldson similarly questioned the gap between audience and critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes.[53][54]
Season 2
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 7 critics' reviews are positive.[55]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Prize for season 1 was later doubled to $10 million, as a result of a successful coin flip
References
[edit]- ^ Evans, Greg (December 21, 2024). "MrBeast says allegations against controversial show are 'not true' in new footage". The Independent. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Spangler, Todd (November 25, 2024). "MrBeast's Controversial 'Beast Games' Sets Prime Video Premiere Date, Releases Teaser Trailer for 'Squid Games'-Inspired Competition Show". Variety. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c Hutchinson, Chase (December 19, 2024). "Beast Games Review". IGN. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Heritage, Stuart (December 20, 2024). "Beast Games review – one of the most undignified spectacles ever shown on TV". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Jennings, Rebecca (January 7, 2025). "I can't stop watching Mr. Beast's new game show and I hate myself". Vox. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ White, Peter (November 20, 2025). "'Beast Games': Amazon Sets Season 2 Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ Toby, Mekeisha Madden (March 19, 2024). "MrBeast and Amazon MGM Studios announce the new reality competition series 'Beast Games'". www.aboutamazon.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Prime Video Unveils Premiere Date for MrBeast's Epic Beast Games Competition Series". press.amazonmgmstudios.com. November 19, 2024. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
- ^ MrBeast Casting [@castingmrbeast] (May 5, 2024). "YOU could be a contestant in our first streaming show BEAST GAMES! It's going to be the biggest game show in the history of television. The most contestants, the biggest prize, the most insane, unhinged, surprising twists ever filmed. Link in bio to apply! (18+ Only)" (Tweet). Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ MrBeast Casting [@mrbeastcasting]; (May 5, 2024). "YOU could be a contestant in our first streaming show BEAST GAMES! It's going to be the biggest game show in the history of television. The most contestants, the biggest prize, the most insane, unhinged, surprising twists ever filmed. Link in bio to apply! (18+ Only)" – via Instagram.
- ^ Darby, Margaret (May 28, 2024). "MrBeast is giving away $5 million in new game show. How to apply as a contestant". Deseret News. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
- ^ Dodgson, Lindsay. "MrBeast's $100M Amazon reality show may succeed despite controversy. But it could come back to haunt him". Business Insider. Archived from the original on November 25, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ Castelot, Ophélie (March 17, 2025). "Beast Games Season 2 is Now Casting". Game Rant. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ Wright, Minnie (April 27, 2025). "MrBeast speaks out on Beast Games future – season 2 casting underway | Radio Times". Radio Times. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ a b Cremona, Patrick (May 8, 2025). "Beast Games set to return for 2 more seasons on Prime Video | Radio Times". Radio Times. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ Campione, Katie (May 7, 2025). "Amazon Eyes Two-Season Renewal For MrBeast's 'Beast Games'". Deadline. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ Gutelle, Sam (May 13, 2025). "Amazon gives MrBeast two more 'Beast Games' seasons, extending "the largest reality competition series ever"". Tubefilter. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
- ^ Tinoco, Armando (May 12, 2025). "Amazon's Prime Video Renews 'Beast Games' For Two Seasons: "We're Excited To Raise The Bar Even Higher"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
- ^ Evans, Greg (September 27, 2024). "MrBeast's game show staff call for YouTuber to be 'blacklisted' for 'unprofessional' incidents on set". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 2, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Alexandra Mae (August 26, 2024). "A miniature village has appeared in Toronto. It's the set of beleaguered MrBeast's reality TV series". CBC News. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
- ^ "Where is Mr. Beast's Private Island on 'Beast Games?'". January 3, 2025. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
- ^ Gross, Katherine (February 14, 2025). "MrBeast broke an astonishing 44 records during filming for Amazon's Beast Games". Guinness World Records. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
- ^ "Beast Games season 2 to start filming in Las Vegas". Fox5Vegas. June 4, 2025. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
- ^ "Post from MrBeast". YouTube. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ^ https://entertainmentnow.com/survivor/beast-games-survivor-crossover-jeff-probst/
- ^ Upton-Clark, Eve (November 8, 2024). "Why MrBeast is in the hot seat over his 'Beast Games' competition show". Fast Company. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ Malone Kircher, Madison (September 18, 2024). "'Beast Games' Contestants File Lawsuit Claiming 'Dangerous Conditions' on Set". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ "Ontario labour ministry investigating injury on Toronto set of 'Beast Games'". CTV News. The Canadian Press. December 30, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^ Beast Games (Reality-TV), MrBeast, Chandler Hallow, Karl Jacobs, Amazon MGM Studios, December 19, 2024, retrieved December 19, 2024
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Lil Yachty Laughs At Losing Contestant On 'Beast Games'". Complex. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ "MrBeast & 'Survivor' Collide in Epic 'Beast Games' Season 2 Crossover". entertainmentNow. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
- ^ Loftus, Johnny (January 21, 2026). "'Beast Games' Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: "Ask For Anything You Want"". Decider. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
- ^ "Shows A-Z - beast games". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
- ^ "Shows A-Z - beast games". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
- ^ "Beast Games Qualifier Video Hits 50 Million Views in 24 hours". Esports Illustrated On SI. December 21, 2024. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Evans, Greg (November 20, 2024). "Launch date confirmed for MrBeast's controversial game show". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
- ^ Mier, Tomás (November 25, 2024). "MrBeast's Controversial 'Beast Games' First Trailer, Premiere Date Revealed". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ Weprin, Alex (November 20, 2025). "'Beast Games' Season 2 Gets Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ Hailu, Selome (January 16, 2025). "MrBeast's 'Beast Games' Hits 50 Million Viewers in 25 Days, Amazon's Biggest Unscripted Show Ever". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ Porter, Rick (January 16, 2025). "Amazon Claims Big Worldwide Audience for 'Beast Games'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ "Beast Games". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ "Beast Games: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
- ^ Power, Ed (December 20, 2024). "Beast Games, review: $100 million worth of charmless YouTube nonsense". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ Dehnart, Andy (December 20, 2024). "Beast Games: So much screaming and crying, so little to care about". Reality Blurred. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Stanton, Rich (January 15, 2025). "MrBeast's YouTube schtick is somehow even worse with the obscene Amazon money being pumped into Beast Games". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ Fry, Naomi (January 18, 2025). "The Cruel Abstraction of "Beast Games"". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ Notopoulos, Katie (December 20, 2024). "MrBeast's 'Beast Games' on Amazon has a strange message about money". Business Insider. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ Pollard, James (December 19, 2024). "MrBeast's new show already faced controversy. Its new giveaway partner may bring more". AP News. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ Cross, Greta. "'Beast Games' partnership with fintech company MoneyLion stirs controversy: Here's why". USA Today. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
- ^ a b Yang, Jeff (January 19, 2025). "MrBeast's degrading game show is a dystopian nightmare – perfect for America in 2025". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
- ^ Freyne, Patrick (January 23, 2025). "On Beast Games, MrBeast gives away islands. This will be familiar to the Irish as 'colonialism'". The Irish Times. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
- ^ Troughton, James (December 23, 2024). "MrBeast Responds To Negative Beast Games Reviews". TheGamer. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- ^ Butler, Sinead. "MrBeast asks why Beast Games got low Rotten Tomatoes score from critics". Indy100. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
- ^ Shayo, Lukas (February 1, 2025). ""They Didn't Even Watch The Show": MrBeast Has Seen The Massive Difference In Beast Games' RT Scores, And He's Not Happy". ScreenRant. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
- ^ "Beast Games: Season 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Beast Games at IMDb
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