In a corner studio in Greenville, North Carolina, Jimmy Donaldson is planning his biggest, most ambitious stunt yet. The 25-year-old YouTube superstar, better known as MrBeast, has announced a deal with Amazon and MGM to bring his viral brand of excessive giveaways and reality competitions to the streaming world.
The result is “Beast Games,” which Donaldson hopes will be “the greatest show possible” and a way to “prove YouTubers and creators can succeed on other platforms.” With a $5 million cash prize up for grabs, it will be the largest single payout in the history of reality television and streaming.
“My goal is to make the greatest show possible and prove YouTubers and creators can succeed on other platforms,” said MrBeast, who will serve as host and executive producer. “Amazon gave me the creative control I need to try and make it happen. I hope to make the YouTube community proud.”
Based on his already popular YouTube series of the same name, “Beast Games” will feature 1,000 contestants competing in a series of viral stunts and over-the-top challenges for that $5 million bounty. Donaldson and his team are tight-lipped on specifics, but if his YouTube videos are anything to go by, the competitions could involve everything from solving complex puzzles to eating absurd amounts of food.
While the budget is likely stratospheric, Amazon sees “Beast Games” as a potential viral hit, one that could draw Donaldson’s 389 million cross-platform subscribers to its Prime Video service for an exclusive look at his madcap antics on a massive scale.
“MrBeast has captured the attention and imagination of fans of all ages, from all walks of life, and all over the world,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios. “We are excited to work with Jimmy and his talented team to bring his brilliant, high production, and stakes-raising concepts to Beast Games for our global customers to experience.”
Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, noted it was MrBeast’s team that first brought the idea to Amazon after being introduced by Aaron DeBevoise and Nic Paul at the production company Spotter.
“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,” Sanders said.
For Donaldson, the Amazon deal represents his biggest venture yet after years of establishing himself as one of YouTube’s top creators. His MrBeast channel has over 135 million subscribers across YouTube and other platforms, while his viral stunts regularly rack up hundreds of millions of views.
While he’s experienced immense success online, cracking television has proven challenging for other digital stars. But Donaldson believes the massive scale and ambition of “Beast Games” could represent a new way forward.
“I don’t want to just put my YouTube videos on TV,” he said. “This needs to be bigger and crazier than anything I’ve ever done before.”
Donaldson and his team are currently hard at work planning the competitions and setting up production. He’s aiming for a debut sometime in 2024. When it does premiere, “Beast Games” will stream exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
As for MrBeast himself? He’s just aiming to put on “the greatest show possible.”
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