Prime Video announces 'biggest reality competition series ever' from YouTuber MrBeast

MrBeast and his elaborate competitions are jumping from YouTube to Prime Video.

Prime Video on Monday announced it has partnered with MrBeast, the 25-year-old YouTuber whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, on what it described as the "biggest reality competition series ever."

The show, "Beast Games," will feature 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize, the "biggest single prize in the history of television and streaming," the streamer said. MrBeast will serve as host and executive producer.

Donaldson is known for his wildly popular YouTube channel, which has gained attention for videos that typically feature large-scale competitions or giveaways. His most popular video, released in 2021, saw him hold a real-life "Squid Game" competition featuring 456 contestants competing for a $456,000 cash prize. Two years later, Netflix turned "Squid Game" into its own competition show.

In another popular video, Donaldson recruited 100 contestants to stay inside a circle for as long as possible, offering $500,000 to the last person to leave.

Last year, Donaldson divided viewers with a video titled "1,000 Blind People See for the First Time," in which he paid for eye surgery for patients who couldn't afford it. Some praised Donaldson, while others accused him of exploiting the video's participants.

“Unfortunately nearly half the population with curable blindness doesn't have access to this surgery, so I wanted to provide this to as many people as possible," he said in the video.

MrBeastcured 1,000 blind people for a video. But is it performative altruism?

Donaldson has around 245 million subscribers on YouTube, more than any other individual creator.

Prime Video did not detail the nature of the competition in "Beast Games." But Vernon Sanders, the head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement, "When MrBeast first told us about his concept for the show, we were blown away by his ambition to make 'Beast Games' the biggest reality competition series ever."

MrBeast also said he hopes to make the "greatest show possible" while proving that "YouTubers and creators can succeed on other platforms." In a post on X, he claimed the "insane show" would break "many other world records."

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Notably, the $5 million prize in "Beast Games" exceeds the $4.56 million at the center of Netflix's "Squid Game: The Challenge," which the streamer boasted at the time was the largest cash prize in reality TV history. Based on the South Korean show that saw contestants compete in a series of deadly games for cash, "Squid Game: The Challenge" consisted of 456 real players. Netflix has renewed it for a second season.

Contributing: Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY