Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast on YouTube, is expanding his empire into reality television with Amazon. A creator and star of the largest channel on YouTube, with more than 310 million subscribers, Donaldson has built his audience with over-the-top challenges, such as staying in a nuclear bunker for 100 days or surviving prison , that test contestants’ mettle. Alongside his line of chocolate bars, action figures, and fast-food meals, his empire earns a reported $700 million a year in revenue.
Now, Donaldson and his team at MrBeast are taking the next step. With a $5 million prize and 2,000 contestants, Beast Games is set to be the largest reality show in history. The first 1,000 contestants were eliminated in a series of events in Las Vegas, with the tape filmed there reportedly cut into a video that will appear on MrBeast’s channel.
The show itself films in Toronto and Panama, and, according to one crew member who spoke to Rolling Stone, is expected to wrap in mid-September. “Amazon gave me the creative control I need to try and make it happen,” Donaldson told Variety . “I hope to make the YouTube community proud.
” In an interview with YouTubers Colin and Samir , Donaldson added that “six hours of content” should be “released later this year” for Amazon. “Money’s not a constraint and I could also just do anything,” Donaldson said. “From the first call [Amazon] was like, ‘Yeah that makes sense, you can have control.
’ They were literally like.