Beast Games sparks controversy as crew chimes in on behind the scenes chaos

Beast Games, Amazon Prime Video's latest reality show extravaganza, has found itself amidst controversy. The brainchild of YouTube mogul MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), whose achievements span from counting to 100,000 on camera, to building a $700 million business empire, promised to be the mother of all competition shows.

With 1,000 contestants vying for a whopping prize of $5 million, Beast Games sounded like the stuff of reality TV dreams. But, as crew members shared details about their experience, it appears that the behind-the-scenes reality was more a nightmare scenario than a dream sequence.

Beast Games: From production dreams to logistical nightmares

Reports of production mishaps, poorly thought-out resources, etc., were rampant during the shoot. Production assistants report being told to continue working during a record rainstorm in Toronto, with electrical equipment being affected. The warehouse crew endured 90-degree heat waves without air conditioning.

As per reports, 80-hour work weeks became the norm and safety took a backseat to meet production demands during Beast Games. Moreover, the complaint claims that Beast Games contestants faced numerous issues, including mistreatment, and non-payment of wages or overtime.

It also alleges that contestants were deprived of necessary medications during the show, had limited control over their diet, wardrobe, and sleep schedules due to production restrictions, and were misled about the number of participants, affecting their chances of winning. Speaking to The New York Times a contestant shared,

“We were treated horribly,”

elaborating further,

“They took on this challenge of 2,000 competitors. They should have known they needed an enormous crew to handle this correctly.”

Additionally, the complaint raises concerns about inadequate background checks for participants.

“It’s a Fyre Fest kind of feeling,”

a crew member described the experience to Rolling Stone.

“There’s a reason why this level of production hasn’t been attempted before, and it certainly should never have been attempted without people that know what they are doing.”

In a different instance, 2,000 people wearing actual garbage bags over their clothes, marched into Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium. The conditions weren't exactly five-star, with reports of overflowing portable toilets amongst other reports of misconduct and poor hygiene.

The situation worsened during the "Sacrifice Row" challenge in Toronto, where 900 players learned that reading the fine print (or in this case, the monitor) pays off. The challenge, lasting a mere 12 seconds, led to such controversy that some contestants refused to leave Toronto until their grievances were heard.

Reports of NDAs, and bargaining, as Mr Beast maintains the claims are false

In another instance, eliminated contestants (self-dubbed "The Beastlings") were reportedly offered an olive branch. The deal? Priority consideration for future MrBeast content allegedly in exchange for keeping mum about their experience on Beast Games and avoiding any legal consequence for 45 days.

While MrBeast maintains that claims of "dozens of broken bones" are "crazy" and promises behind-the-scenes footage to show how "blown out of proportion" the claims were, the steady stream of contestant testimonials suggests there's more to this story than meets the eye.