Popular YouTuber MrBeast Strikes Amazon Deal For Competition Reality Show

MrBeast, a renowned video artist known for large altruistic gestures and dangerous stunts, is transitioning from YouTube to Amazon Prime with a new reality competition show, Amazon stated Monday in a news release.

The show, titled “Beast Games,” will be released on Prime Video and will feature “over 1,000 contestants, a $5,000,000 prize, and many other world records,” the inventor, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, said Monday in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. In a podcast interview with “The Colin and Samir Show,” he stated that it would be “the largest game show in history,” with the most contestants and the largest cash prize.

Popular YouTuber MrBeast Strikes Amazon Deal For Competition Reality Show

Netflix has previously claimed both records for their “Squid Game: The Challenge” reality competition series, based on the enormously popular dystopian show of the same name. The show, which premiered in November, included 456 contestants competing for a cash reward of $4.56 million.

Donaldson explained that he chose Amazon to broadcast his show because other platforms would give him a different level of creative autonomy. According to Amazon, he will host and executive produce the show.

“MrBeast has captured the attention and imagination of fans of all ages, from all walks of life, and all over the world,” said Jennifer Salke, President of Amazon MGM Studios, in a statement. “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.”

While the show will have up to six hours of content, Donaldson hopes to inject YouTube-like authenticity into the non-scripted broadcast.

Popular YouTuber MrBeast Strikes Amazon Deal For Competition Reality Show

“It won’t appear like a typical game show. “It will have the Beast feel, but with a higher budget,” he added in the interview.

MrBeast is one of YouTube’s most popular channels, with 245 million subscribers. In recent years, each of his videos has easily surpassed 100 million views, with some reaching half a billion. In addition to his daredevil videos, Donaldson has gained notice for his unique philanthropic approach: in one video titled “1,000 blind people see for the first time,” he pays for patients’ cataract surgery. As the patients emerge from cataract surgery, some in tears, he hands them a suitcase full of cash.

“Here’s $10,000 to make your day better,” he offers one woman.

In recent years, Donaldson has expanded his business beyond content creation and philanthropy. In November 2020, he founded MrBeast Burger, a burger restaurant near his hometown of Greenville, North Carolina. Since then, the company has expanded into nearly every state in the United States and numerous Canadian provinces.

Popular YouTuber MrBeast Strikes Amazon Deal For Competition Reality Show

Donaldson told Time Magazine in February that he earns between $600 million and $700 million each year but reinvests most of his earnings in producing his high-budget videos.

SOURCE – (CNN)