MrBeast has found himself in another piece of social media controversy, as fans have become enraged after finding out how much Amazon spent on a purpose-built town for the upcoming Beast Games.
Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson has been no stranger to internet pushback over the last few months, having accusations of crypto scams, faked videos, and slave labor leveled against him.
The YouTuber, who is currently the most subscribed to account on the social media platform, has pushed on regardless, and is soon to star as the host of his own high-production game show 'Beast Games' on Amazon Prime on December 19, 2024.
While the show itself has also not remained free of controversy, with allegations of poor set conditions during production, the latest news drop that has sent the internet into a frenzy shows the opposite side of things.
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It has been revealed that Amazon spent around $14,000,000 to build a town in the middle of a field for the game show, revealing houses for the participants alongside a number of on-campus events.
The grand cash prize of $5,000,000 sits proudly in the middle of the complex too, reminding all contestants what they're fighting for in the end.
When asked how both he and Amazon aim to get the money back, Donaldson claimed: "The goal is to make the best content possible not make money."
This is certainly something that MrBeast is familiar with when it comes to content creation, as he drives a lot of his videos through high-value prizes that are often within the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Some aren't quite as happy with the use of this money though, arguing instead that it'd be far better used to help those in need.
"Think of all the other things that money could go to," says one X user, whereas another asks: "Is it ethical for companies to spend millions on entertainment while so many people struggle with basic needs? Could this money be better spent elsewhere?"
While this issue is far from exclusive to just MrBeast, but it does certainly raise some questions about where money could be better spent.
"Meanwhile cities like Baltimore and Detroit can't get a block fixed up in a decade," says one commenter, and you can't help feel the double standard between this luxury purpose-built town and the real-life areas that have been struggling for years.
Many will also have their eyes on what happens to the town after filming is finished, as it could become the abandoned spectacle of your favorite YouTuber in 5 years time as they explore the multi-million project that was built only for the game show.