MrBeast’s $100M Amazon Reality Show May Succeed Despite Controversy

• MrBeast revealed that he has spent more than 100 million dollars on his show “Beast Games”.
• The production isn’t going anywhere despite the controversy surrounding it, experts said.
• However, the star YouTuber may have a harder time funding his big projects in the future.

MrBeast confirmed this week that his upcoming Amazon show, Beast Games, cost more than $100 million.

reality competition, announced by Amazon in March, is expected to give 1,000 entrants the chance to win a $5 million cash prize — believed to be the largest in television history.

It should have jump-started Amazon’s video ad sales efforts, attracting a large audience and appeal to advertisers.

But it quickly became mired in controversy.

In addition to contestants’ complaints of inadequate living conditions, some also said they were injured, had no access to hygiene products and medical care, and were subjected to sexism.

Experts in the creator economy told Business Insider that “Beast Games” isn’t going anywhere, despite the negative headlines. But they warned that the top YouTuber could find it harder to finance his next big project.

“They will continue to partner with him,” Diana D’Angelo, CEO of Breaking Creatives Agency, told BI. “But maybe they’ll look more into what he’s actually doing and how he’s doing it.”

A 100 million dollar show

During an interview on the “Impaulsive” podcast, Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson told fellow YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul that the show has already broken over 40 world records.

Paul said he heard Donaldson had a $100 million budget for the show, to which Donaldson replied, “That’s what the headlines said.”

“But yes, we also spent more than $100 million,” he said. He didn’t clarify if this happened in a season, but the show has only been ordered for one so far.

The move is in line with Amazon’s strategy to increase spending on entertainment and sports content.

The company is believed to have increased its spending on these categories from $1.7 billion to $13.6 billion this year, Reuters reported.

Donaldson added that $20 million was spent on prizes alone, while $15 million was spent on building a “walled city” for the contestants to live in.

He also said he lost “tens of millions of dollars”. A spokesman did not clarify how much of that money was from Amazon and how much Donaldson was funding.

Expensive but plagued with problems

The cost of the show isn’t the only thing that made headlines.

It has already been controversial, with some contestants telling Rolling Stone and The New York Times that they didn’t get enough food or medical care during the first round in Las Vegas, where they lived in a stadium. Some said they suffered injuries.

Five anonymous competitors filed a lawsuit against Donaldson and Amazon in a Los Angeles court in September. The suit alleges issues of pay, sexual harassment and a “toxic and hostile” workplace.

Amazon declined to comment on the lawsuit. A spokesman for Donaldson told BI that he had not yet been served with the lawsuit, although it was filed two weeks ago. They also said Amazon was not involved in the Las Vegas round of the show, which was “a promotional video shoot.”

They added, however, that given the scale of the Beast Games, the number of problems and injuries was not significant compared to other shows.

They said Donaldson is committed to making improvements and doing things the right way as the show goes on.

A spokesperson previously told Rolling Stone that this shoot was “unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather and other unexpected logistical and communications issues.”

Competitors also told Rolling Stone that conditions improved greatly once the competition continued in Toronto with the remaining 1,000 competitors.

Avoiding negativity

Robyn Abou Chedid, an influencer, global brand identity strategist and personal branding specialist who founded creative marketing company Guided Agency, told BI that certain celebrity figures “tend to transcend controversy”.

Donaldson has largely sidestepped criticism in the past. His exponential growth so far has not been tempered by anything that comes his way.

“Allegations or even legal evidence can remain completely separate from the public or consumer appetite for personal branding,” Chedid said, adding that many of Donaldson’s core audience — which represents more than 300 million YouTube subscribers — may not at least not read these articles.

Thomas Walters, CEO and co-founder of influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy, told BI that Donaldson is counting on his loyal fan base, “hoping that by building excitement for the upcoming show, they’ll continue to tune in.”

Keep your lips tight

Donaldson has been quieter than usual in recent weeks. His reputation took a hit in July when his longtime girlfriend and co-star Ava Tyson was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a child fan.

Donaldson severed professional ties with Tyson and said he was “disgusted and opposed” to her behavior and had hired a third-party investigator. Tyson apologized for “past behavior or comments,” but did not specify what those were.

Donaldson has since hired a top law firm to investigate his workplace, but has been selective about what he has said publicly.

However, Donaldson launched a new product with KSI and Paul called Lunchly, which is a competitor to Kraft Heinz’s Lunchables.

Walters said Donaldson remains tight-lipped about the show’s controversies, both because of “legal sensitivities” and to avoid attracting more negative attention.

“Because the case is open and ongoing, he may not be able to comment in detail,” he said.

However, Chedid told BI that these “stonewall tactics” could “come back to bite him”, affecting his reputation and future partnerships.

“He’s just hiding behind his products,” Chedid said, adding that there’s only so long Donaldson can count on being bankable if he’s seen as a risky investment.

D’Angelo told BI Donaldson might decide to speak out if the controversy starts to affect his “bread and butter” — his YouTube channel.

“I’m sure this is something that’s on MrBeast’s mind all the time,” she said.

Donaldson’s channel is still growing and there’s no sign that anyone will be able to overtake him as the world’s biggest YouTuber anytime soon. But he may find that his fans ultimately want him to be honest with them.

“The budget for ‘Beast Games’ may be huge, and the public appetite stronger than ever,” Chedid said. “But those same fans will soon grow, and with them, their appetite for transparency and ethics.”