MrBeast and Amazon named in lawsuit over Beast Games

4 days ago 5

Getty Images Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, has abbreviated mousey brownish hairsbreadth and a abbreviated beard. He wears a achromatic American shot kit with a reddish fig 1 connected his near shoulder. He looks implicit his near enarthrosis disconnected camera and is pictured successful beforehand of a reddish backdrop.

YouTuber MrBeast has been named successful tribunal documents which allege contestants were "shamelessly exploited" successful his upcoming bid Beast Games.

People who took portion person sued the accumulation companies progressive successful the show, which see MrB2024 and Amazon.

The series, archetypal announced successful March, offered 1,000 participants the accidental to triumph a currency prize of $5m (£3.5m) and promised to beryllium the biggest unrecorded crippled amusement successful the world.

But successful a lawsuit filed astatine a Los Angeles tribunal connected Monday, participants allege they weren't paid, were subjected to unsafe conditions and experienced intersexual harassment.

Documents accidental MrB2024 is "believed to beryllium owned successful full oregon part, straight oregon indirectly", by MrBeast - existent sanction Jimmy Donaldson - who is the biggest YouTuber successful the satellite with much than 300m subscribers.

BBC Newsbeat has contacted MrBeast and Amazon for comment.

Getty Images Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, pictured astatine the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. MrBeast has abbreviated brownish hairsbreadth and a abbreviated beard. He wears a achromatic overgarment implicit a achromatic T-shirt and poses successful beforehand of a agleam bluish hoarding with Nickelodeon's orangish branding.

In the ineligible papers, parts of which person been redacted, 5 anonymous contestants person brought claims connected behalf of everyone who took part.

They assertion the accumulation squad kept them nether surveillance, controlled erstwhile they slept, what they wore and denied them privateness and entree to the extracurricular world.

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

The 54-page papers besides details allegations of an unsafe situation with contestants being penned into tiny areas, unsafe sets and insufficient inheritance checks allowing convicted criminals to participate.

Some, it claims, were physically injured and were not fixed capable entree to aesculapian care.

'Culture of misogyny'

The acceptable was besides said to person "fostered a civilization of misogyny and sexism", creating a "hostile environment" for women which included intersexual harassment.

"This was not lone noticed but allowed," the papers says. "And seemingly this was allowed due to the fact that of marching orders from the top."

The contestants' lawyers accidental they should beryllium compensated for their clip which they accidental was "essential labour" for the production, arguing they were "not moving for free" and should person been classed arsenic employees.

All the claimants are seeking thousands of dollars for everyone who took portion to screen "unpaid wages".

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

Earlier this year, MrBeast announced helium had hired backstage investigators to look into allegations that a co-host connected his transmission had groomed a minor.

Ava Kris Tyson was accused by different YouTubers of sending inappropriate messages to the insignificant erstwhile she was 20. She denied accusations of grooming.

MrBeast removed her from the transmission and said helium did "condone oregon enactment immoderate of the inappropriate actions".

Representatives for MrBeast and Amazon person not responded to Newsbeat's petition for comment. Also named successful the papers is simply a accumulation company, Off One's Base LLP, which BBC Newsbeat has been incapable to contact.