Popular YouTuber Mr. Beast created an elaborate real-life version of Squid Game, challenging 456 players to compete for a $456,000 cash prize. The idea, based on one of Netflix's biggest hits, revolves around a dystopian battle royale competition. Like the show, the winner will receive a prize, but unlike the Netflix drama, no contestants were harmed.
Mr. Beast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, painstakingly recreated each game in the series. The social media star said on Twitter that it cost him around $2 million to build and produce, while he spent around $1.5 million on prizes.
In addition to the six-figure first prize, Donaldson doled out $2,000 to every competitor and $10,000 to the runner-up.
Instead of being shot on sight like in the actual show, the players wore 'wireless bombs' with fake blood that detonated when they got eliminated. Losing contestants in the tug-of-war and glass bridge competitions were thrown into a foam pit rather than falling to their deaths.
True to the show, real-life Squid Game competitors were shown freezing as they attempted to carve figures out of honeycomb in the 'dalgona task'.
The Youtuber, who boasts 76.2 subscribers, received praise for the video. Top commenters were in awe of the ambitious project:
"Jimmy this is incredible. At this point you should take the next logical step and establish a movie/ tv production company -- you've pretty much already created one from scratch. I would love to see how you could shake up that industry."
Another user said, "The video was absolutely superb could have watched for another 2 hours! Well done and congratulations to you and the rest of the team phenomenal!"
The video did receive some backlash, with some calling out the fact that Donaldson, who has a net worth of $25 million, paid 456 people $2,000 for a video he knows will bring a lot of money. Critics called the video tone-deaf, as Squid Game is a direct criticism of capitalism, excessive wealth, and exploitation of the poor.
This isn't the first time Donaldson has created this kind of content. The Youtuber has a history of hosting games on his channel that typically come with a cash prize. Recently, Donaldson hosted an extreme game of tag at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the winner received $500,000.
Sources: New York Post
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