MrBeast is facing allegations of fostering “unsafe” employment conditions, which include sexual harassment and misrepresenting contestants’ chances of winning the $5 million grand prize on his new Amazon reality show, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by five participants who remain unnamed.
The lawsuit claims that the multimillion-dollar company behind the popular YouTube channel failed to ensure minimum wages, overtime pay, uninterrupted meal breaks, and rest periods for contestants whose “work on the show was the entertainment product” marketed by MrBeast.
A representative for MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, responded via email to The Associated Press, stating he had no comment on the new legal action.
Donaldson’s “Beast Games,” marketed as the “biggest reality competition,” aimed to extend the North Carolina content creator’s reach beyond his YouTube channel, where his record 316 million subscribers regularly engage with his whimsical challenges, often featuring substantial cash prizes.
However, the initial shoot in Las Vegas faced criticism even before its conclusion. Donaldson’s companies initially cast 2,000 people for tryouts in July, with half progressing to the final filming in Toronto.
Contestants claim they only discovered upon arrival that the Las Vegas pool exceeded 1,000 competitors, which drastically reduced their chances of winning. The lawsuit argues this “false advertising” violates California business laws that restrict sweepstakes operators from “misrepresenting in any manner the odds of winning any prize.”
The five anonymous contestants also claim that “limited sustenance” and “insufficient medical staffing” jeopardized their health during the competition.
The filing further alleges a “toxic” work environment was created for women, who faced persistent “sexual harassment” throughout the contest. These sections of the lawsuit are heavily redacted in accordance with “confidentiality provisions” signed by the competitors, as stated in a press release from their lawyers.
The lawsuit amplifies existing complaints, previously circulated by online influencers after the shoot, about an unorganized set that left some contestants injured and deprived of regular access to food and medication. Other participants told the AP they were provided with two light meals a day and MrBeast-branded chocolate bars.
The legal action also accuses MrBeast’s team of “knowingly misclassifying” contestants’ employment status to the Nevada Film Commission to secure a state tax credit exceeding $2 million.
Among other remedies, the five contestants seek a court order for MrBeast to implement “workplace reforms” and to award “all wages owed.”
Recently, amidst several public relations issues, Donaldson ordered a thorough assessment of the internal culture within his YouTube empire and unveiled plans for mandatory company-wide sensitivity training.
Further details remain undisclosed, and no release date has been announced for the reality game show.
