Five unnamed contestants from the competition show “Beast Games” have been embroiled in a class action lawsuit against Mr. Beast and Amazon.
The participants claim they suffered sexual harassment and “chronic abuse” during their time on the reality show. VarietyThe legal documents were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on September 16 and obtained by the outlet.
The lawsuit alleges that participants were mistreated, neglected and denied wages and overtime during the contest ordered by Prime Video, which involved more than 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize. The lawsuit seeks Mr. Beast's company to pay the defendants' alleged unpaid wages and expenses, as well as monetary damages, which have yet to be determined.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 17: Mr.Beast and Mark Rober speak onstage during YouTube Brandcast 2022 at the Imperial Theatre on May 17, 2022 in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for YouTube)
Court documents allege that Amazon, Mr.Beast's company and OfOne's Base LLC failed to pay minimum wage or overtime, failed to protect the contestants from sexual harassment and fostered a work environment that “subjected contestants to emotional distress,” Variety reported.
According to documents published by Variety, participants claim they were denied uninterrupted meal and rest periods and “faced unsafe situations and conditions as a condition of their employment.”
“The participants allege that when they signed their contracts at the start of production they knew they might face lengthy and tough competition, but the results have far exceeded their expectations,” a lawyer representing the unnamed participants said in a statement obtained by the outlet.
“Several contestants were hospitalized, others reported being subjected to chronic abuse and humiliation, and, in the case of female contestants, poor working conditions that left them suffering physical and mental complications,” the lawyers told Variety.
The lawsuit claims contestants were lacking medical support, food, sleep and standard hygiene, according to the outlet. The sexual harassment allegations were reportedly redacted from the legal documents.
The lawsuit aims to “establish a pattern of sexually harassing behavior,” lawyers said, according to the outlet.
American YouTube personality Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr.Beast, arrives at the 36th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on March 4, 2023. (Photo by Michael Tran/AFP) (Photo by Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images)
The documents also cite instructions from what appears to be a work handbook titled “How to Succeed in Producing Mr. Beast,” which states, “If the talent wants to draw a penis on a whiteboard or do something silly in their videos, let them do that. Do everything you can to truly empower them while they're filming and help them create content. Help them be silly,” reports Variety.
“I was prepared for challenges, but I never expected to be treated as worthless, or less than worthless. As women, I felt it was a completely hostile environment for us. I honestly couldn't have been more disrespected as people, let alone as employees,” the female plaintiff, known as “Contestant No. 5,” told Variety. (RELATED: 'I'm sick of it': YouTube star MrBeast speaks out about child sex abuse allegations scandal)
MrBeast has not made any public comment on the matter.
