Amazon stated in a news release on Monday that MrBeast, the well-known video artist known for outrageous antics and large-scale charitable giving, is moving from YouTube to Amazon Prime with a new reality competition show.
“Beast Games,” a show created by Jimmy Donaldson, real name, will air on Prime Video and feature “over 1,000 contestants, $5,000,000 prize, and many other world records,” the creator announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday. In a podcast interview with “The Colin and Samir Show,” he declared that it will be “the largest game show in history,” with the most participants and the largest cash prize.
For its reality competition series “Squid Game: The Challenge,” which is based on the hugely popular dystopian television series of the same name, Netflix previously claimed both records. In the November-released episode, 456 contestants competed for a $4.56 million cash prize.
Donaldson claimed that one of the reasons he chose to host his show on Amazon was that he wouldn’t have the same creative freedom over other platforms. According to Amazon, he will executive produce in addition to hosting the program.
James Stephen Donaldson, well known on YouTube as MrBeast,
Head of Amazon MGM Studios Jennifer Salke stated in a statement that “MrBeast has captured the attention and imagination of fans of all ages, from all walks of life, and all over the world.” “We are excited to work with Jimmy and his talented team to bring his brilliant, high production, and stakes-raising concepts to Beast Games for our global customers to experience.”
Even though the show will include more than six hours of footage, Donaldson hopes to give the unscripted program an authenticity akin to that of YouTube.
“It will look nothing like a normal game-show. It will have the Beast feel but just make it more high-budget,” he stated in the interview.
With 245 million members, MrBeast is one of the most well-known YouTube channels. Every one of his films over the past few years has easily surpassed 100 million views, and occasionally it has beyond half a billion. Donaldson is well-known not only for his outrageous videos but also for his distinct approach to charity. In one video, titled “1,000 Blind People See for the First Time,” he covers the cost of patients’ cataract operations. Some of the patients cry as they come out of the cataract eye operation, and he gives some of them a suitcase full of cash.
“Here’s $10,000 to make your day better,” he says to one woman.
Donaldson has branched out into endeavors other than philanthropy and content production in recent years. He launched MrBeast Burger, his first burger joint, in November 2020 in the vicinity of Greenville, North Carolina, his hometown. Since then, the chain has spread to many Canadian provinces as well as almost all US states.
In February, Donaldson revealed to Time Magazine that he earns between $600 million and $700 million a year, but he puts the money he makes back into making his expensive videos.