MrBeast and Amazon are being sued by five contestants on the reality competition show “Beast Games,” alleging that players were denied pay, forced to play games in unsafe conditions, and subjected to a “culture of misogyny and sexism,” according to CNN.
The lawsuit against MrBeast and Amazon was filed in a Los Angeles court on Monday by participants in the Amazon Prime Video show “Beast Games,” which premiered in March.
MrBeast and Amazon sued
The show featured “over 1,000 contestants, a $5 million prize pool and several other world records,” creator MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, said at the time.
The 54-page lawsuit against MrBeast and Amazon details allegations that contestants were subjected to “unreasonable, unsafe and illegal working conditions” that left “several” contestants hospitalized.
The plaintiffs said they were “fed only occasionally” and “fed very little”, and did not have “adequate access to hygiene products or medical care”.
The complaint also mentions sexual harassment, but many specific examples of the complaints were redacted from documents filed with the lawsuit.
The lawsuit , which notes that the “Beast Games” show had a production budget of $100 million, had “illegal contracts” and provided “false information” to the state of Nevada to obtain tax deductions.
As a result, the show received $2.5 million in incentives from the state to film in Las Vegas, lawsuit documents say.
Last month, a New York Times report detailed several complaints about dangerous conditions from unnamed contestants on the set of the show, hosted by 26-year-old Donaldson.
They told the newspaper that some players had to be carried out of the arena on stretchers while vomiting and fainting. In some cases, players had to be hospitalized.
The biggest game show in history
A MrBeast spokesperson told the Times that the shoot was “unfortunately complicated by CrowdStrike issues, inclement weather, unexpected logistical and communications issues.” A MrBeast representative also said that a formal review of the show has begun.
MrBeast did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. Amazon declined to comment for this story.
“Beast Games,” which has no release date yet, is said to be the “biggest game show in history” with the most contestants and the biggest cash prize, according to MrBeast, even more than Nexflix’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, and has sometimes reached half a billion viewers.
In addition to his stunt videos, Donaldson has also attracted attention for his unique approach to charity.
Controversy erupted ahead of the lawsuit in early August when a 2017 video showed MrBeast responding to a commenter about “selling” black people. “I would probably pay $300 at most,” he wrote in his response.
A spokesman for MrBeast admitted the star used “inappropriate language” while trying to be funny.
