MrBeast lands deal with Amazon to produce TV series with 1,000 contestants and a $5 million prize

MrBeast has closed a reported $100 million TV deal with Amazon Studios to produce Beast Games, a reality TV series based on his YouTube content that will see 1,000 contestants compete for a $5 million cash prize.

We first heard about Beast Games back in January. MrBeast and his team reportedly spent less than a week pitching the series to various streaming services before Amazon closed in with serious intent.

Sources familiar with the matter told The Hollywood Reporter that Amazon beat out at least “one major streaming rival” for the rights, and that a significant part of the deal involved MrBeast being allowed to retain creative control.

“MrBeast has captured the attention and imagination of fans of all ages, from all walks of life, and all over the world,” Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement. “We are excited to work with Jimmy and his talented team to bring his brilliant, high production, and stakes-raising concepts to Beast Games for our global customers to experience.”

“When MrBeast first told us about his concept for the show, we were blown away by his ambition to make Beast Games the biggest reality competition series ever,” Vernon Sanders, Amazon MGM Studios’ Head of Television, added. “We’d like to thank Aaron DeBevoise, Nic Paul, and the Spotter team for the introduction and kickstarting this journey for us.”

In his own statement, MrBeast said, “My goal is to make the greatest show possible and prove YouTubers and creators can succeed on other platforms. Amazon gave me the creative control I need to try and make it happen. I hope to make the YouTube community proud.”

MrBeast followed up the formal announcement with a post on Twitter where he said the plan is to break “many other world records” with Beast Games. The $5 million prize has already set a record: it’s the biggest single prize in the history of TV and streaming, according to Amazon.

He also filmed a podcast episode with Colin and Samir about Beast Games:

During the ep, he answered some FAQ, including:

• Has Beast Games started filming yet? No, it’ll start filming in a couple months.
• Will it drop in weekly episodes or all at once? He’s not sure yet; he wants feedback and data from viewers about what they prefer.
• Will it “feel Hollywood”? It’s gonna be “kind of a hybrid,” he says. “It’s gonna be more how we do things the YouTube way. We’re not gonna take what we do and compeltely change it all and just adapt to what the status quo is. It’s gonna be kind of a hybrid. Becuase obviously there are things game show do well, but there are other things they don’t. One thing I don’t really like is where there’s a lot of action happening, and they just cut to someone in a takeaway room clearly filmed after and talking about it. Preferably […] we’d be able to get those kinds of emotions and thoughts in the midst of the challenge.”
• How much will it cost? He’s not sure. His average YouTube video right now costs probably $3.5 million to produce, he says. He can’t disclose the cost right now, but tells Colin and Samir “it’s going to blow your mind […] I might build a city. The constraints are not there for this show, so it’s gonna be crazy.”
• Is it like Squid Games? (A legit question, considering the name.) “No,” MrBeast says. “It’s a whole different universe than what they do. I mean, it’s like that but, I mean, on steroids. Times a billion.”

A projected release date hasn’t yet been announced, but Amazon did say that when Beast Games drops, it’ll be available in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.