MrBeast's Production Company and Amazon Are Being Sued Over Allegations of Harassment of Contestants on His Reality Show

New York
CNN
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Five contestants competing on the reality competition show hosted by MrBeast have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the YouTube star's production company and Amazon, alleging they were denied pay, forced to participate in unsafe conditions and subjected to a culture of “misogyny and sexism.”

Participants in the “Best Games” program, which was announced in March, filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles court on Monday. “The program has more than 1,000 contestants, a $5 million prize and several other world records,” the program’s creator, Mr. Best, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, said at the time.

The 54-page document describes allegations that players were subjected to “unreasonable, unsafe and unlawful working conditions” that led to “several” competitors being hospitalized. The plaintiffs said they were fed “intermittently and sporadically” and were not given “adequate access to sanitary products or medical care.”

There were also allegations of sexual harassment, but many specific examples of these allegations were omitted from the document.

The lawsuit, which noted the show's production budget was $100 million, said the show received an “illegal contract” and provided “false information” to the state of Nevada about incorrectly classifying contestants as volunteers to receive tax credits. As a result, the show received $2.5 million in incentives from the state to film in Las Vegas, the lawsuit alleges.

Last month, New York Times Report Donaldson, 26, has made allegations of dangerous conditions by unnamed contestants on the show's set. They told the newspaper that some players were taken off the stage on stretchers, people were vomiting and fainting, and there were “several hospitalizations.”

A Mr. Beast spokesperson told The New York Times that filming was “unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, severe weather and other unforeseen logistical and communication issues,” and that a formal review of the show had begun.

MrBeast and Amazon did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment on the lawsuit.

“Beast Games,” which has no release date yet, is supposed to be “the biggest game show in history” with the most contestants and the biggest cash prize, MrBeast previously said, a title currently held by Netflix’s “Squid Game: The Challenge.”

MrBeast is one of the most popular YouTube channels on the platform, with 245 million subscribers. In recent years, each of his videos has easily surpassed 100 million views, sometimes reaching half a billion views. In addition to his engaging videos, Donaldson has gained attention for his unique approach to philanthropy.

There was widespread controversy before this lawsuit in early August when he appeared in a 2017 video responding to a viewer who commented about “selling out” black people. “The most I’ll pay is probably $300,” he said in response.

A spokesperson for MrBeast admitted the star used “inappropriate language” in his jokes.