MrBeast's 'Beast Games' Flops With Critics
YouTuber MrBeast's long-awaited 'Beast Games' reality show was released in December 2024. The ongoing series' Amazon Prime page describes itself as "the greatest show ever made" — however, recent reviews demonstrate that critics might disagree. Let's examine what audiences and publications are saying about MrBeast's latest project.
What is the 'Beast Games' Reality Show?
'Beast Games' is a reality television series hosted by YouTuber and entrepreneur Jimmy 'MrBeast' Donaldson. In the show, 1,000 contestants compete through various challenges to win a 5 million dollar cash prize. The series is exclusive to Amazon Prime, and its episodes are released weekly. There will be ten episodes in total and it is expected to have future seasons.
MrBeast has over 341 million subscribers on his main YouTube channel. His content primarily focuses on gaming, philanthropy and competitions where subscribers have the chance to earn large monetary prizes. In addition to his content creation, Donaldson owns Feastables, a snack bar company, and Mr Beast Burger, a virtual chain restaurant. In 2024, he also teamed up with fellow YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul to release Lunchly snack packs combining Feastables with Prime drinks and an entree.
After the brand's release, Donaldson faced criticism when streamers and YouTubers opening moldy Lunchly products. He later commented on this situation in an interview by saying "Every single Lunchly with cheese is USDA inspected; there is no mold when it leaves our factory... we have the highest QC [quality control] standards imaginable."
The Beast Games themselves have also garnered controversy. Several contestants filed a lawsuit against Donaldson during filming, alleging "physical and mental complications while being subjected to chronic mistreatment, degradation and, for the female contestants, hostile working conditions." MrBeast also responded to these claims in his interview with YouTuber Oompaville, noting he couldn't say much as litigation was ongoing but stating many allegations were "blown out of proportion" or "disinformation."
Related Article: How to Watch MrBeast's Amazon Prime Show, All Episodes Schedule
Beast Games Reviews Plummet
The Beast Games had a generally positive reception after Amazon Prime Video released the first episode, "1,000 People Fight For $5,000,000," on December 19 2024. The episode's follow-up, titled "500 People Trapped in My City" and released on December 19 2024, had similar decent reviews. Things looked especially bright for Donaldson when his first accompanying video about the series, "2,000 People Fight For $5,000,000," hit over 50 million views in just one day.
However, as Amazon Prime continues to release episodes, a trend is developing: Beast Games reviews are plummeting and critics are giving the show poor ratings. On IMDB alone, Beast Games' overall review has dropped 1.7 stars. Critics from major film and media publications are also tearing into the series for a perceived lack of creativity and shallowness.
Many audience members seem to see the series as 'out-of-touch'. As modern individuals struggle to afford groceries and rent in the current economic climate, they comment that it's hardly encouraging to watch contestants backstab and one-up each other to win such a large prize.
What Critics are Saying About the Beast Games: A Review Rundown
Let's examine what critics and publications are saying about the Beast Games.
IMDB
IMDB's Beast Games rating currently sits at 5.3/10 stars with over 5,700 reviewers. Its episode ratings vary — #1 and #2 clock in at 7.2 and 7.3 stars respectively, while #3 drastically decreases to 6.2 stars. It is currently #42 on the platform's list of the most popular TV shows.
This is a stark 1.7-star decrease from the series' 7/10 IMDB star rating as of December 20 2024. The show's first two episodes were also rated higher previously, with both sitting at 8.1/10 stars. Users reviewing the series comment that it is 'unoriginal' and too similar to the hit K-Drama 'Squid Game' and lament its 'advertisements'. In a particularly scathing comment titled "Very sad reflection of our modern times" with 105 'helpful' tags, user @racunzasmeti says:
It is not entertainment, it hurts to watch and I do not understand how a human with any empathy can stand this show. It promotes wrong values of greed and selfishness [...] More and more people struggle to afford basic needs like rent and food and so many people are willing to do anything for a little bit of money, regardless of how much it hurts others. And instead of addressing that, we are making a game show out of it.
- @racunzasmeti on IMDB
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is known for its critic-based Tomatometer, scoring media from 'fresh' to 'rotten.' Critics on the site rate Beast Games as solidly rotten with just 13/100%. However, audiences have left far more positive reviews in its Popcornmeter that place it at 63/100%.
The Guardian
The Guardian's Stuart Heritage calls the series "one of the most undignified spectacles ever shown on TV." He rates it just two out of five stars, and chastises its similarity to Squid Game: "Make no mistake, this show could not exist if it were not for Squid Game. The parallels are right there on screen, almost to the point of outright copyright infringement."
Heritage ends his review with a succinct remark:
It exists solely to show us the worst of the human condition, as obnoxiously as possible. In other words, it probably wasn’t worth getting sued for.
- Stuart Heritage
IGN
Chase Hutchinson of media publication IGN states: "MrBeast may be big on YouTube, but his Prime Video show Beast Games is a bust." Hutchinson's review also alleges that "Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson didn’t become the biggest YouTuber in the world because of charisma, cleverness, or creativity. The new Prime Video series Beast Games makes it abundantly clear he has none of these qualities." Like Heritage, he notes its unoriginality, saying it "follows the MrBeast formula" by "doing the most in terms of volume while doing the least when it comes to actual entertainment value."
The Telegraph
UK news organization The Telegraph delivered one of the series' worst critical ratings with just 1 out of 5 stars. Reviewer Ed Power called the show "$100 million worth of charmless YouTube nonsense." He shared Hutchinson's sentiments about MrBeast's hosting skills, commenting that "the biggest problem with this deafening, joyless cash-dash is the eponymous presenter."
Metacritic
Metacritic dubs Beast Games 'Generally Unfavorable' with a critic score of 38/100 and a user score of 3.7 out of 10. The site has no long-form user reviews yet.
As the series progresses, it remains to be seen if MrBeast can pull its faltering ratings back up. It's important to note that only four episodes are available as of January 2 2025 and six remain unreleased. Therefore, public perception of the show may change in the future.
