YouTube superstar faces lawsuit stemming from Las Vegas shoot
Superstar YouTuber MrBeast, known for hosting videos predicated upon elaborate challenges, now faces one of his own: a lawsuit against his production company and Amazon resulting from a forthcoming reality show shot in Vegas.
The class action suit, filed in Los Angeles on Monday by five contestants on the Amazon Prime show “Beast Games,” alleges that the participants were subjected to unsafe conditions in an environment of misogyny and sexism and weren’t paid for their efforts.
A spokesperson for MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, told The Associated Press in an email that he had no comment on the new lawsuit.
“Beast Games,” filmed at Allegiant Stadium in July, featured 2,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize and was billed as the “the biggest competition in game show history.”
But controversy has swirled around the production ever since, with allegations of physical injury and a disorganized shoot, culminating in the lawsuit, which cites “unreasonable, unsafe, and unlawful employment conditions,” in addition to a lack of food and medical care and multiple claims of sexual harassment.
The five anonymous competitors also said that “limited sustenance” and “insufficient medical staffing” endangered their health.
The filing alleges that production staff created a “toxic” work environment for women who faced “sexual harassment” throughout the contest. Those sections are heavily redacted in an effort to comply with “confidentiality provisions” signed by the competitors, according to a press release from their lawyers.
The suit also contends that the production provided false information to obtain $2.5 million in tax credits from the state of Nevada.
“Beast Games” does not currently have a release date.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow @jbracelin76 on Instagram
