Five contestants from the reality competition show Beast Games, hosted by YouTube star MrBeast, have filed a class-action lawsuit against his production company and Amazon.
The lawsuit claims that participants were subjected to unsafe conditions, denied proper pay, and faced a “culture of misogyny and sexism.”
Filed in a Los Angeles court on Monday, the lawsuit involves the Amazon Prime Video show, which was announced in March.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, had promoted Beast Games as featuring over 1,000 contestants and a $5 million prize.
The lawsuit, which spans 54 pages, details allegations of unsafe working conditions that allegedly led to several contestants being hospitalized.
The participants claim they were given inadequate food, lacked proper access to hygiene products and medical care, and endured unlawful employment practices.
Specific examples of sexual harassment were mentioned in the lawsuit, though many details were redacted.
According to the lawsuit, Beast Games had a production budget of $100 million. It also claims the show misclassified contestants as volunteers to receive $2.5 million in tax incentives from Nevada, based on false information provided to the state.
Last month, a New York Times report highlighted similar concerns, with unnamed contestants describing dangerous conditions on set.
They said several participants left in stretchers, while others experienced vomiting, fainting, and required hospitalization.
A spokesperson for MrBeast acknowledged “unexpected logistical and weather-related issues” during filming, and stated that a formal review of the production had begun.
MrBeast and Amazon have not commented on the ongoing lawsuit.
Beast Games is expected to be “the largest game show in history,” though it has no confirmed release date. MrBeast is one of YouTube’s biggest stars, with 245 million subscribers, known for his viral stunt videos and philanthropic efforts.
However, he faced controversy earlier this year over a resurfaced 2017 video in which he made an inappropriate comment.
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