Key Takeaways:
– The reality series ‘Beast Games’, hosted by internet personality MrBeast, has announced its filming start.
– Production is set to begin this month in Canada, concluding in late August.
– The show, airing exclusively on Prime Video, involves 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize – a reality show record.
– Despite a call for contestant applications, the window has closed sooner than expected.
Start of “Beast Games” Filming
Popular YouTuber MrBeast, known off-screen as Jimmy Donaldson, is partnering with Prime Video on a reality series, ‘Beast Games’. According to sources, the competition is set to initiate filming on July 15 in Toronto, Canada. Canadian news platform Hollywood North Buzz first reported that the production should wrap up on August 23. Both Donaldson and Amazon MGM Studios are heading the project.
The Quest for $5M: What’s “Beast Games”?
MrBeast boasts nearly 300 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. His fame is now set to grow even more with the new reality competition show, ‘Beast Games’. The show is a colossal competition, involving 1,000 contestants aiming to win a whopping $5 million. Prime Video, the exclusive platform for the series, reported this prize to be the largest amount ever granted in a reality show.
Vernon Sanders, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of television, expressed his enthusiasm in a press statement, applauding MrBeast’s ambition in creating ‘Beast Games’. He claimed the goal was to make it the biggest reality competition series ever televised.
A Heavyweight in the World of Online Content
MrBeast rose to fame for his YouTube channel, earning the most-subscribed title in November 2022 with 244 million subscribers. He made his YouTube debut at the tender age of 13.
Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, praised MrBeast’s talent, noting his ability to captivate audiences of different ages and from all walks of life. She expressed her excitement to embark on the grand project of ‘Beast Games’ with him.
From “Squid Game” to “Beast Games”
MrBeast isn’t new to the realm of reality shows. After the release of the viral Netflix series ‘Squid Game’ in 2021, MrBeast hosted a “real-life Squid Game”. This competition involved 456 participants vying to win $456,000.
This isn’t his first high-stake production, either. The “real-life Squid Game” video cost $3.5M to produce, skyrocketing to 142 million views in just over a week. As of July 9, 2024, the video has attracted a mind-boggling 630 million views and over 633,000 comments.
Unprecedented Contestant Rush Shuts Down Applications
Contestants vying to become part of the ‘Beast Games’ faced disappointment as their window to submit applications shut down sooner than expected. MysticArt Pictures, responsible for the casting, announced that the applications closed on July 11, days before the initially scheduled date.
MrBeast looks determined to make ‘Beast Games’ an unprecedented spectacle. With filming beginning later this month and a massive $5 million up for grabs, viewers and contestants alike await the start of a reality show the world has never seen. It’s yet another testament to how far the boundary can be pushed in the world of streaming content and reality television.