Update: This story has been updated to mention that MrBeast's team declined to comment on the lawsuit and that the firm that filed it, Pafundi Law, hasn't responded.
The disaster around YouTuber MrBeast's reality-competition show Beast Games gets worse with every report. But one contestant says the September 16 lawsuit might've been "hasty," while a lawyer believes the chance to be on the show is akin to American Idol.
The class action lawsuit, filed on behalf of five contestants of Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson’s reality show, claimed that while competing for the $5 million prize in Las Vegas, there were “bare-minimum-legal working conditions” for competitors that were “unreasonable, unsafe, and unlawful.” The suit contained 14 total complaints, including “Failure to Pay Minimum Wages,” “Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress;” and “Sexual Harassment.”
The Vegas leg of the Beast Games, which is reported to be for MrBeast's channel, had many issues that have been made public. Some contestants lamented to the New York Times “they had not received adequate food or medical care, and that some competitors had suffered injuries from the physical challenges.” Others told Rolling Stone they “slept on the ground” of the stadium and were “confined to their hotel rooms.” One contestant even explained to News 3 Las Vegas that “we had a guy come up to us with his sleeping bag, and [it] was covered in excrement.”
A MrBeast spokesperson shared similar statements to all outlets, blaming the CrowdStrike outage, “extreme weather, and other unexpected logistical and communications” for what went wrong. However, they declined to comment on the lawsuit for Complex.
These are serious allegations, so Complex wanted to ask a lawyer about what the lawsuit means for MrBeast and Beast Games.
A Lawyer's Take On The Beast Games Lawsuit
Franklin Graves, a lawyer and founder of Creator Economy Law, told Complex that “it’s unsurprising that after all of the news reports and contestant accounts that have come to light over the last couple of months, that we are now seeing the first, and potentially not the last, class action lawsuit” of the production. He added that the 54-page suit alleges that the Vegas production “doesn't align with the more experienced and kind of traditionally run reality show environments that we've come to expect from traditional media.”
A source close to production claimed that the “people that had filed the lawsuit had still not served it on anyone.” Pafundi Law, which filed the case, did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
One of the main arguments the suit tries to make is that the contestants were “employees” under California State law and that they were “wrongfully and willfully misclassified,” therefore, they needed to be paid a “minimum wage.” A Beast Games contestant contract seen by Complex cites sections of the California civil code but makes clear that contestants were not promised payment, only “prizes” from “playing of challenges.”
“I would equate it to waiting to audition for American Idol; a contestant has a claim they should be compensated for the seven hours they spent in line,” Graves said. “I think It's very similar here where you have just people showing up for an opportunity.”
Contestants Say Beast Games Was 'Magical' Despite The Danger
The suit is also heavily redacted, with claims around sexual misconduct and behavior on set almost entirely blacked out. According to the contract, sharing “any information or materials of any kind” related to the program like other contestants, challenges, or episode outcomes will result in contestants paying $500,000 before the show airs and $100,000 afterward. Graves thinks the redactions “related to gameplay” were a “protective measure to not rack up some other breach of contract claim.”
Two contestants Complex spoke to said this suit shared similar aspects to what they experienced while making new claims they'd never heard. Neither knew which contestants were part of the suit.
One contestant, who talked to Complex on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from production, said they first learned about the suit from the Variety article but “isn’t surprised” about it. “I feel like there are other reasons for them trying to do this because they're just unhappy,” they said. “We were there to compete in this massive game for a chance to win $5 million. I think people are upset that they didn't get a chance to go farther.”
Another contestant, who also requested anonymity, called the lawsuit “hasty,” claiming it “contained many mistakes and takes a reach.” This contestant said that, although they had a "positive" experience on the show, they noted that “we all knew we could go home with nothing, yet the lawsuit phrases it as if we were promised money and got nothing, but the reality is vice versa.”
In the aftermath of Las Vegas, contestants Rolling Stone spoke with said their conditions did improve and they were “overfed because they were trying to compensate for what happened.” A couple did end up getting “bruised” falling through a trap door.
As far as we know, Beast Games is still slated for release on Amazon in the future. Both contestants Complex spoke to said they would gladly return for a second season, feeling that the good of the community they found in other contestants outweighs the tragedy and danger they experienced in the competition. There’s a charm in being part of the largest reality show in history—even if you might have to suffer some to earn your prize.
“I genuinely do understand the contestants and crew who had the worst of it, but for a lot of us it was really a magical experience,” the second contestant said.