MrBeast defends himself against criticism over a video where a man was almost burned to death for millions of dollars

In one of his most recent and extravagant challenges, popular YouTuber and Prime Video star Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, prompted a major controversy. The video featured a man risking being surrounded by fire to win a hefty prize of $500,000. The footage, which has since drawn intense public scrutiny, shows a man trying to untie himself and retrieve bags of money while flames rapidly engulf the room, escalating the perceived danger for the participant.

In the challenging scene, Donaldson and a crew member watch from behind a glass door as the man struggles against the clock and the heat. After untying himself, the man attempts to grab the money, but his shoes catch fire. Distressing images show the man, struggling with the heat and lack of oxygen, unable to retrieve the entire prize before ultimately giving up. Emergency personnel quickly move in to extinguish his burning clothes.

Safety concerns lead to public clarification

The video immediately sparked a wave of criticism across social media platforms. Viewers questioned the ethical limits of these challenges, asking if it’s acceptable to put someone’s life at risk for entertainment and a sum of money. The criticism also focused on what some perceived as the use of morbid curiosity to generate high viewing figures.

Following the backlash, Donaldson took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to address the concerns directly. He emphasized his commitment to safety, stating that the situation was tightly controlled and that the man featured was not an ordinary contestant but a professional stunt man.

“This blew up, if you’re curious obviously we had ventilation for the smoke and a kill switch to cut off the fires. We had professionals test this extensively and the guy in the video as stated is a professional stunt man. I take safety more seriously than you could ever imagine,” MrBeast wrote.

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