King of YouTube, MrBeast and Amazon hit with $5M lawsuit over Beast Games

YouTuber MrBeast has been named in court documents which allege contestants were “shamelessly exploited” in his upcoming series Beast Games.

People who took part have sued the production companies involved in the show, which include MrB2024 and Amazon.

The series, first announced in March, offered 1,000 participants the chance to win a cash prize of $5m (£3.5m) and promised to be the biggest live game show in the world.

But in a case filed at a Los Angeles court on September 16, participants allege they weren’t paid, were subjected to unsafe conditions and experienced sexual harassment.

Documents say MrB2024 is “believed to be owned in whole or part, directly or indirectly”, by MrBeast – real name Jimmy Donaldson – who is the biggest YouTuber in the world with more than 300m subscribers.

BBC Newsbeat has contacted MrBeast and Amazon for comment.

In the legal papers, parts of which have been redacted, five anonymous contestants have brought claims on behalf of everyone who took part.

They claim the production team kept them under surveillance, controlled when they slept, what they wore and denied them privacy and access to the outside world.

They were “underfed and overtired”, it claims, with meals provided “sporadically and sparsely” which “endangered the health and welfare” of the contestants.

The 54-page document also details allegations of an unsafe environment with contestants being penned into small areas, dangerous sets and insufficient background checks allowing convicted criminals to participate.

Some, it claims, were physically injured and were not given adequate access to medical care.

‘Culture of misogyny’

The set was also said to have “fostered a culture of misogyny and sexism”, creating a “hostile environment” for women which included sexual harassment.

“This was not only noticed but allowed,” the document says. “And apparently this was allowed because of marching orders from the top.”

The contestants’ lawyers say they should be compensated for their time which they say was “essential labour” for the production, arguing they were “not working for free” and should have been classed as employees.

All the claimants are seeking thousands of dollars for everyone who took part to cover “unpaid wages”.

Two of the listed claimants who are women are also seeking further compensation for the allegations of a hostile workplace.

Earlier this year, MrBeast announced he had hired private investgators to look into allegations that a co-host on his channel had groomed a minor.

Ava Kris Tyson was accused by other YouTubers of sending inappropriate messages to the minor when she was 20. She denied accusations of grooming.

MrBeast removed her from the channel and said he did not “condone or support any of the inappropriate actions”.

Amazon have declined to comment, while representatives for MrBeast have not yet responded to Newsbeat’s request. Also named in the papers is a production company, Off One’s Base LLP, which BBC Newsbeat has been unable to contact.