The most subscribed Youtuber James Donaldson, more commonly known as Mr. Beast, created and hosted a new Amazon show called “Beast Games.” Reportedly costing over $100 million, the show pins 1,000 contestants against each other for a chance to win $50 million or a private island.
While similar to many other reality shows, this one is grossly close to the Netflix show “Squid Game.” The dystopian, satirical show explores the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy upper class set in a children’s game show where the cost of losing is death. The show is gripping, bloody and cruel, a stark message of the brutality of capitalism and moral turpitude of the ultra-wealthy.
“Beast Games” spends an overwhelming amount of time putting its contestants through psychological torment all for the amusement of a egomaniacal, self-aggrandizing Youtuber who seems to have lost all sense of morality through his meteoric rise.
Donaldson quickly ascended the ranks of Youtube to become the most followed channel at 352 million subscribers. Raking in viewers – and money – he gained popularity for his performative, boisterous philanthropic work, giving away cars, money and even houses. With popularity, Donaldson shifted his focus to game shows, making high-budget, flashy productions.
Donaldson didn’t seem to get the message of “Squid Game.” Inspired by the success of “Squid Game,” Donaldson began creating “Beast Games,” a show that pins people against each other in a callous, often psychotic way to see just how far they’ll go for money.
In the first episode contestants are offered money, all they have to do is sacrifice a number of other contestants. With the press of a button, one contestant walks home with thousands while the rest are dropped into oblivion with a cackling Donaldson – coming off as someone on a power trip.
Before “Squid Game” was released on Amazon Prime Video, five contestants sued Donaldson and Amazon for unsafe conditions – being deprived of medical care, food and sleep. The lawsuit also alleges sexual misconduct.
Unable to keep track of time without watches or phones, contestants shared with the New York Times that it was difficult to know the frequency in which they were being fed. Contestants also shared one of the typical meals “. . . included a tiny portion of cold oatmeal, one hard-boiled egg and a few pieces of raw vegetables,” reported by the New York Times.
The absurdity of this all is the absorbent amount of money that Donaldson gives throughout the entire show despite his contestants’ terrible sleeping conditions and a lack of a variety of fulfilling meals.
Contestants shared that the staff seemed to be overwhelmed and would push contestants to the side when approached with medical complaints such as needing insulin, menstruation and others.
While contestants grapple with their own morality, Donaldson stalks the arena -– wearing a coat eerily similar to the Front Man’s jacket from “Squid Game” -– he cackles and screams into the mic, coming off as a childish, apathetic host whose sole enjoyment comes from showing his absolute power. He practically squeals in delight anytime his plan to psychologically torment his contestants works, showing frustration when it doesn’t.
When several contestants opt to refuse a million dollars in order to save their team from being eliminated, Donaldson seems to grow frustrated, playing into a villain-like character who seeks exploiting the human condition through spectacle. His attempt at sharing in his villainy with the rest of the contestants fails and he seems at a loss for words.
Many reality TV shows utilize greed, jealousy and anger to create drama – often what viewers come to see. But watching Donaldson and his team dress up in “Squid Game” clothing and curate every game around betraying their “friends” or fellow contestants for money felt like that drama was forced down our throats.
It felt sickening to watch as contestants would cry and plead while their hopes to continue along could be ended by the person standing next to them’s decision to press a button for a couple thousand dollars.
I don’t blame the contestants for choosing money. I would do the same. But for a game show it was gross and off-putting to watch the same exact idea play out through each game.
Even in the show “Squid Game,” there were games that required skill and suspense. Instead “Beast Games” chose to do the one thing that Donaldson understands – how far we as humans will go for money.
His whole concept revolves around using money to cause psychological pain to contestants. He walks around flaunting his cash and curating games that are built not around skill but rather bringing out the worst traits of humanity.
In one game, people chose teams of three and were locked in a room, later told that one person had to sacrifice themself before the timer ran out to save the other two. As contestants sat in a room with the friends they had bonded with through the show, they cried, struggling to decide who would sacrifice themselves. Others decided to try and force the other person to quit through embarrassment, fear or threats.
I can’t believe that Donaldson and his team thought it was a good idea to dress up the staff — including the control room staff — in black suits and masks that were similar to “Squid Game,” and put their contestants through psychological torment for money.
The show ran like an experiment, reminding me of the Stanford Prison Experiment -– a study that was performed to examine the effects of authority and power dynamics in a prison setting. But, for a game show it was nauseating to watch. With a colorful backdrop and a host that was all-too excited to push people to the extreme, I spent the entire time wanting to turn off the show.
The show’s games just showed the worst of humanity — maybe that was the point. It works for a fictional show like “Squid Game,” but for a reality TV show it’s appalling. One of the most shocking events in “Squid Game” was the red light green light game in which people were shot by a sniper if they moved on red light.
During the first episode of “Beast Games,” they attempt to create the same type of cruel, callous shock for the audience and contestants by dropping them from a platform when they lose. Donaldson would scream out a row and they would all fall, he laughed and beamed with joy as he lived out his disturbing fantasy of being the heartless, apathetic, wanna-be dictator.
Donaldson created a real-life “Squid Game” in the way he became the very thing that the show was attempting to critique: a rich, egomaniacal man who utilizes people’s necessity for money to make them perform for him. He treats his contestants as jesters while he stands upon a platform high above the disgusting world he created.
Chris Hutton can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]