The CrowdStrike global IT outage, which brought down approximately 8.5 million Windows PCs, disrupted flights, impacted hospitals, banks, and more, has now seemingly become a scapegoat for the appalling conditions at the set of a reality game show competition organized by the highly popular YouTuber MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, with a whopping $5 million at stake.
The New York Times reports that when 2,000 contestants arrived at Allegiant Stadium in July, they were scarcely provided with sufficient food and failed to receive their prescribed medication or clean underwear on time, despite having provided these essentials to the organizers themselves. (The 1,000 contestants who make it through can return for the Beast Games Amazon show, but this particular segment is for Donaldson’s YouTube channel.)
The Times’ story is replete with accounts from over a dozen contestants who allege they were ill-treated by the organizers. For instance, one contestant claimed that she was initially denied the food necessary for taking her medication and was told by staff members that she didn’t actually need to eat. Only after repeated requests was she given half a banana.
However, MrBeast is not offering an apology, at least not as of yet. In fact, he isn’t even quoted in The Times. Instead, the NYT received a text message from a spokesperson for MrBeast, who blamed external factors such as CrowdStrike rather than any inadequate planning on their part:
“In a text message, a spokesperson for MrBeast said the shoot “was unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather and other unexpected logistical and communications issues.” The spokesperson said MrBeast had initiated a formal review and had “taken steps to ensure that we learn from this experience.”
This is merely the latest event of its kind that attracted fans to a location without adequate logistical support. Naturally, I instantly recalled accusations related to Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge, and of course, there was the infamous Fyre Festival.
It’s also not the first time in recent days that MrBeast has had an anonymous spokesperson deal with negative publicity. Just earlier this week, one apologized on behalf of his younger self to the Associated Press.