The star of Amazon's Squid Game-style show, MrBeast, is reportedly being sued by contestants for alleged abuse(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

YouTuber MrBeast sued by contestants on Amazon's Squid Game-style show over alleged abuse

MrBeast, the 26-year-old multimillionaire YouTuber, is reportedly being sued alongside Amazon by contestants of his titular reality competition show, Beast Games, over alleged abuse

by · The Mirror

The star of Amazon's Squid Game-style show, MrBeast, is reportedly being sued by contestants for alleged abuse.

Five anonymous contestants of the show filed a lawsuit against the multimillionaire, YouTuber, 26, Amazon and related production companies at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, claiming insufficient wages, unpaid overtime and “gross mistreatment and neglect” on set, according to a release from the contestants' lawyers.

Beast Games, made for Amazon Prime, was filmed in Las Vegas and saw more than 1,000 contestants completing various eye-watering challenges for an ultimate prize of $5 million. (£3.7 million). Amazon MGM touted the mega money as the largest prize in television and streaming history in a show, which has been compared to Netflix's programme, Squid Game: The Challenge, spawned from the smash-hit Korean series, Squid Game.

MrBeast is estimated by Forbes to be the platform’s highest earner( Image: Getty Images for MrBeast Burger)

MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, who is estimated by Forbes to be the platform’s highest earner, has a huge fan base after geeing up crowds to take part in extreme stunts or challenges on camera in exchange for lavish prizes.

The lawsuit against him and Amazon alleges that several participants were hospitalised or suffered physical injuries during show challenges, and that some were deprived of basic needs such as food, sleep and medical care. Reportedly, the lawsuit also mentions allegations of sexual harassment “throughout the production.” However, many details describing the purported incidents have been redacted for privacy and “to comply with defendants’ confidentiality provisions,” according to a statement provided by the claimant's lawyers.

It adds: “While participants knew upon signing the contract at the production’s inception that they were facing a potentially long and challenging competition, they allege getting a lot more than they bargained for,” attorneys for the anonymous “Beast Games” contestants said in a statement about the lawsuit. “Several contestants ending up hospitalised, while others reported suffering physical and mental complications while being subjected to chronic mistreatment, degradation and, for the female contestants, hostile working conditions.”

Beast Games was compared to Squid Game: The Challenge( Image: Netflix)

One of the female contestants in the complaint, identified only as “Contestant 5,” said in a statement: “I wanted to join because I was a fan of MrBeast and his videos made me smile during the COVID-19 pandemic. I expected to be challenged, but I didn’t think I would be treated like nothing — less than nothing. And as one of the women, I can say it absolutely felt like a hostile environment for us. We honestly could not have been respected less — as people, much less employees — if they tried.”

A spokesperson for MrBeast and Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by the Mirror.

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