There are a lot of adjectives that accurately describe the first season of Beast Games. The Amazon Prime Video original series started out as an ambitious, high-stakes, controversial, ballyhooed, and expensive attempt to remake MrBeast‘s signature format for streaming distribution.
Beast Games is officially coming back for a second season, and there will be some changes from that checkered first go-around. As you might expect from a MrBeast production, the most prominent update concerns the prize pool. After doling out $10 million in season one, the Amazon original will offer $15 million in prizes in season two.
MrBeast confirmed the show’s return via an Instagram account he uses to cast contestants for his video. Visitors to the official Beast Games website will find a submission form for potential participants. If you want to be part of Beast Games, the producers want to know your favorite challenges and contestants from the first season, as well as your plans for the prize money if you take it home.
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It’s not surprising to see MrBeast increase the Beast Games pot for the second season. After all, he upped the ante in the middle of the show’s initial run, when he doubled the winnings from $5 million to $10 million.
Will any other changes reshape Beast Games upon its return? For that to happen, MrBeast and Amazon will have to evaluate elements from the first season to determine which ones should be left untouched. According to the Wall Street Journal, MrBeast is seeking a $150 million budget for the second season of his blockbuster show.
On the surface, Beast Games was a major success. It became Amazon’s most-watched unscripted series and inspired many more collaborations between popular creators and streaming platforms. Based on that data, the Beast Games team might want to consider an approach of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
But when you break down Beast Games, you find some questionable aspects. The show’s production was marred by allegations of cast mistreatment, which led to a class action lawsuit filed by a group of Beast Games contestants. The game design was uneven as well, with creators like SLYMER critiquing Beast Games for its reliance on bribes, random chance, and overly simplistic schoolyard games.
A new season will offer an opportunity for MrBeast and co. to tweak aspects of the show that riled up participants and viewers. Here’s hoping the next phase of production involves more enjoyable twists and fewer lawsuits.
