Five contestants from “Beast Games” — YouTuber MrBeast and Amazon’s reality competition show — filed a class action lawsuit against the pair, citing allegations “chronic mistreatment” and “inhumane conditions.”
The redacted filing, which was brought to the Los Angeles Superior Court on Sept. 16, alleges mistreatment and sexual harassment, among other allegations. As of Sept. 18, at the time of publication, MrBeast has not released a statement about the class action lawsuit.
Beast Games involved more than 1,000 people competing to win the $5 million prize. It had a reported budget of $100 million, However, the contestants report that things quickly soured.
“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 contestants said in a statement to Variety.
“Several contestants ending up hospitalized, while others reported suffering physical and mental complications while being subjected to chronic mistreatment, degradation and, for the female contestants, hostile working conditions.”
What are the allegations against Beast Games?
Per the filing, those working for MrBeast and Amazon subjected the contestants to the “infliction of emotional distress.”
Other allegations from the contestants include a failure by the companies to prevent sexual harassment, a lack of meal and rest breaks, and unpaid minimum and overtime wages.
The contestants also claimed that they were exposed to “dangerous circumstances and conditions as a condition of their employment.”
The lawsuit also highlights a “pattern of sexual harassment,” with the filing referring to a production handbook that purportedly encouraged female workers to “flirt” with male talent. The plaintiffs seek compensation, damages, and unpaid wages.
It wasn’t just those in front of the camera who were struggling. In a Rolling Stone investigation, workers from the reality series said inexperience, disorganization, food shortages, and long hours plagued the production. There were also safety concerns, with a flooded set in Toronto.
