Kriti Mehrotra
As a reality competition series wherein a thousand contestants compete in a variety of challenges for a chance to walk away with $5 million, Amazon Prime’s ‘Beast Games‘ is unlike any other. That’s because it not only breaks all bounds in terms of the number of players involved or the cash prize distributed, but it also is a lot more physically, mentally, and socially demanding. Therefore, of course, we wonder whether those who went above and beyond to actually make this original production what it is were ever financially compensated in any way, shape, or form.
Although Not Initially Paid to Participate, Contestants Were Later Indemnified
According to reports, it was made clear from the get-go that no player would be receiving any sort of payment or salary to participate in the Mr. Beast-created show ‘Beast Games.’ In other words, besides the $5 million prize as well as the additional cash prizes in between, there was no plan to give out any money to contestants — so, it was understood by everyone that you only get paid if you win. However, later on, each eliminated contestant was reportedly given $1,000 in cash just for showing up and participating.
As if that’s not enough, things also changed when production learned about all the issues contestants faced while filming, which are now even documented in a class action lawsuit. As per the documents, five contestants are alleging “chronic mistreatment” and even instances of sexual harassment during filming, asserting there was chaos all around. There were logistical issues at every step of the way, per the lawsuit, spanning from not enough food to hygiene issues to players facing delays in something as simple as changing their undergarments and socks.
According to the New York Times, one player even went as far as to say that when she was eliminated, she “walked away feeling completely insignificant, mistreated, and traumatized,” owing to the intense competitive environment that had been created and no payment. Nevertheless, as per a fellow contestant, when the production team came to know of all these issues – way before the lawsuit – they went out of their way to give all players $1,000 for their troubles.
The product team tried their best to ensure each player walked away with at least some cash and happiness over the experience, even following long shoot days, but to no avail. After all, a lot of the players had gone to extremes to ensure they could even participate in the show, including quitting their jobs. So, although they were allowed to walk out at any point if any player felt uncomfortable, not a lot (if any) quit for that reason. As for the payment, although they technically weren’t meant to, each player walked away with at least $2,000 cash just to participate, which essentially served as a payout. MrBeast spent this on top of the $5 million cash prize, the additional several thousand dollars in round prizes, the island prize, and over $14 million to build Beast City.
Read More: MrBeast’s Crew: Where Are They Now?
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