Remember when game shows gave away TVs or CD players as a grand prize? Hell, the winner of Mastermind still only gets a bowl!
But the nature of TV game shows changed when networks realized that putting life-changing cash on the table for a winner made for compelling TV. Of course, those prizes have to get bigger and bigger if the shows are going to attract viewers. And Amazon has now commissioned a show where one lucky winner will walk away with the biggest cash prize in game show history – $5 million!
Bring on the Beast Games
While many of the details are still under wraps, Amazon has stated that the show will feature 25-year-old YouTuber MrBeast.
That’s because the entire premise of the show is based on games he’s featured on his YouTube channel.
Back in October 2021, MrBeast posted on TikTok promising to recreate Squid Game if his video got 10 million likes. Remember, this was when Squid Game was at the height of its popularity. And MrBeast already had a loyal following on his social networks.
So it was no surprise when the video achieved its goal.
One month – and $3.5 million – later, the video ‘$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!’ was broadcast on YouTube. The game featured 456 contestants facing many of the same challenges as the Squid Game, but with elimination instead of instant death for those who failed.
The video received the most views ever on YouTube in a 24-hour period, one player won the grand prize, and Mr. Beast received a message of support from Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk.
Who is MrBeast?
MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) is not new to YouTube. The now 25-year-old began posting mainly Let’s Play videos, primarily about Minecraft and Call of Duty: Black Ops II. He also posted videos estimating the net worth of other YouTubers. Nothing too special, eh?
No wonder it took him a while to build up the 300 million followers he now boasts.
If those kinds of videos don’t get your pulse racing, you’ll be amazed at what shot him to popularity – a 24-hour video in which he counted to 100,000. The stunt actually took him 40 hours and had to be sped up to fit into just 24. And it wasn’t just a young man counting – there were several challenges involved. If you have 24 hours to spare, check it out.
His most popular video to date has been viewed a whopping 588.7 million times.
And he seems like a pretty decent bloke. He speaks out on issues and does his bit for charities by raising their profile and donating cash.
It’s not the first Squid Game-inspired gameshow
In late 2023, Netflix aired Squid Game: The Challenge, which follows a similar format to the new Amazon show.
But there are some key differences. While Amazon offers a record-breaking prize pot, Netflix pays the winner a paltry $4.56 million. Perhaps more importantly, the Prime version of the show will include Mr. Beast.
After all, while his ideas and videos are popular, they have never been enough to make him stand out on YouTube. The key ingredient is his personality and the way he throws himself into everything he does.
That’s what could make Beast Games more popular and long-lasting than Squid Game: The Challenge.
