MrBeast and Amazon have sued contestants on his $5 million reality show over “unsafe” conditions.

MrBeast is accused of creating “unsafe” employment conditions, including sexual harassment, and of misrepresenting contestants’ chances of winning the $5 million grand prize of his new Amazon reality show in a lawsuit filed by five unnamed contestants.

The filing alleges the multimillion-dollar company behind YouTube’s most popular channel failed to provide minimum wages, overtime pay, uninterrupted meal breaks and rest time to contestants — whose “work on the show was the entertainment product” sold by MrBeast.

A spokesman for MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, told The Associated Press in an email that he had no comment on the new lawsuit.

Donaldson’s “Beast Games” were billed as “the ultimate reality competition.” It was meant to put the North Carolina content creator in front of audiences beyond the YouTube platform, where his record 316 million subscribers routinely watch his whimsical challenges, which often carry generous outright cash prizes.

But his initial shoot in Las Vegas began facing criticism before it even finished. Donaldson’s companies sent 2,000 people to an initial tryout in July, where half could advance to the actual filming of the show in Toronto.

The contestants only learned upon their arrival that the pool in Las Vegas had exceeded 1,000 contestants, according to the lawsuit, which significantly reduced their chances of victory. The suit alleges that the “false advertising” violated California commercial laws, which prohibit sweepstakes operators from “in any way misrepresenting the odds of winning any prize.”

The five anonymous contestants also said that “limited support” and “insufficient medical staff” put their health at risk.

The filing alleges that production staff created a “toxic” work environment for the women who faced “sexual harassment” throughout the pageant. Those sections are heavily worded in an effort to comply with “privacy clauses” signed by the contestants, according to a press release from their lawyers.

The lawsuit adds to complaints — aired by online influencers immediately after filming — that a disorganized set left some contestants injured and without regular access to food and medicine. Other participants told the AP they received two light meals each day and MrBeast-branded chocolate bars.

MrBeast’s team also faces new allegations that they “knowingly misclassified” the contestants’ employment status with the Nevada Film Commission in order to receive a state tax credit for more than $2 million.

Among other forms of relief, the five contestants are seeking an order that MrBeast institute “workplace reforms” and pay “all wages owed.”

Last month, amid several public relations crises, Donaldson ordered a full review of the internal culture of his YouTube empire and outlined plans to require company-wide sensitivity training.

No further details have been released and no release date has been released for the reality show.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.