MrBeast and Amazon sued by participants of the competition show “Beast Games”

A lawsuit has been filed against YouTube star MrBeast and Amazon on behalf of five unnamed contestants on the reality competition show “Beast Games,” alleging that they were subjected to “chronic abuse,” sexual harassment, and more.

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday (Sept. 16). The suit alleges several causes of action related to the chronic mistreatment and neglect of contestants in “Beast Games,” a reality competition organized by Prime Video in which more than 1,000 contestants compete for a single cash prize of $5 million. The suit alleges that “Beast Games” has a budget of $100 million. A redacted copy of the lawsuit is available at this link.

The lawsuit seeks to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of all affected Beast Games participants. The lawsuit demands that Amazon and MrBeast's company pay allegedly unpaid wages and expenses and that the defendants be ordered to pay unspecified punitive damages.

Achieved by diversityRepresentatives for Amazon and MrBeast (whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson) declined to comment.

According to the lawsuit, Amazon, MrBeast's production company MRB2024 and independent production company Off One's Base LLC – among other things – failed to pay minimum wage and overtime, failed to prevent sexual harassment, created conditions that subjected contestants to “emotional distress,” failed to provide contestants with uninterrupted meal or rest breaks and subjected contestants to “hazardous circumstances and conditions as a condition of their employment.” The first round of the show, featuring more than 2,000 contestants, was filmed July 18-22 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The 1,000 contestants who made it through the Las Vegas competition advanced to the next round, which was filmed in Toronto in August.

“Although the contestants knew they potentially had a long and demanding competition ahead of them when they signed their contracts at the start of production, they claim to have received much more than they bargained for,” attorneys for the anonymous “Beast Games” contestants said in a statement on the lawsuit. “Several contestants ended up in the hospital, while others reported physical and psychological complications while being subjected to chronic abuse, humiliation and, in the case of the female contestants, hostile work conditions.”

According to the lawsuit, “Beast Games” participants were denied medical care, food, sleep and “the necessities of basic hygiene.” Portions of the lawsuit are redacted, including some details about the sexual harassment allegations. “Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit under pseudonyms and made conservative redactions that limit public playback in a good faith effort to comply with Defendants' overly broad confidentiality provisions (which Plaintiffs argue are unenforceable) as well as to protect Plaintiffs' confidentiality and privacy interests in avoiding shaming,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit seeks to “establish a pattern of sexual harassment,” according to attorneys for the five plaintiffs. For example, the suit cites instructions from an alleged employee handbook, “How to Succeed in MrBeast Production,” which states: “If a talent in the video wants to draw a dick on the white board or do something stupid, let them… Really do whatever you can to empower the guys while they're filming and help them create content. Help them be jerks.”

One of the female plaintiffs in the lawsuit, identified only as “Contestant 5,” said in a statement, “I wanted to participate because I am a fan of MrBeast and his videos have made me smile during the COVID-19 pandemic. I expected to be challenged, but I didn't think I would be treated like nothing – less than nothing. And as one of the women, I can say that it absolutely felt like a hostile environment for us. Honestly, we couldn't have been treated less respectfully – as people, let alone as employees – even if they tried.”

According to the lawsuit, the producers of Beast Games “created working conditions that compromised the safety of workers,” including by not providing them with enough food and water, not providing “adequate on-site medical personnel,” not providing them with adequate medical care, preventing them from sleeping, and “forcing them to participate in games that posed an unreasonable risk of physical and mental injury.”

“As extreme as the allegations against the defendants are, the law could not be clearer,” said Robert Pafundi of the Pafundi Law Firm, lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “The participants entered into contracts and were promised compensation for their services. Their expectation of compensation, coupled with the fact that they were under the constant control and supervision of the production staff, makes them employees under California law. As such, they were entitled to certain protections that were denied to them. And when you add to that the extreme neglect, degradation, harassment and inhumane conditions, this is simply a massive breach of duty for which the defendants must and will now be held accountable.”

A release date for “Beast Games” on Prime Video has not yet been announced. Amazon has touted it as the “world’s biggest live game show” with the “largest single prize in the history of television and streaming.”

Donaldson, 26, is the biggest YouTuber in the world: he currently has 316 million subscribers on his main YouTube channel, more than any single YouTuber. MrBeast has built a huge following through his videos featuring incredible stunts and giveaways. His most-watched video on YouTube to date is his 2021 re-enactment of “Squid Game,” which recreated the elimination challenges of the hit Netflix series and awarded the winner $456,000.