What is MrBeast’s ‘death trap’ challenge that has sparked outrage?

YouTuber MrBeast is once again at the centre of controversy after a video showed him paying a stuntman to escape from a burning building.

The 27-year-old, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, runs the most-followed channel on YouTube with over 440 million subscribers. He is famous for pulling off big, dramatic challenges with huge cash prizes.

His popularity also landed him a reality show on Amazon called Beast Games, which has faced its own problems. Contestants have accused the show of abuse, and a lawsuit is still ongoing.

MrBeast has faced criticism in the past, but this new video has drawn more attention because of how extreme and risky it is. While the creator has assured that the video is filmed safely, many are still questioning whether his stunts are going too far.

Here’s what we know about the controversy

About MrBeast’s ‘death trap’ challenge 

The video, titled “Would You Risk Dying for $500,000?”, shows MrBeast challenging a stuntman named Eric to take on seven fire-themed “death traps” for cash.

“This man is literally in a burning building,” MrBeast tells viewers at the start.

The stunts range from being blasted out of a cannon to jumping through rings of fire. But it’s the very first challenge that has upset many people.

Eric, who MrBeast stresses is a trained stuntman, is tied to a chair inside a burning building, with $500,000 (Rs 4.43 crore) in cash sitting in front of him. He manages to free himself and get out with $250,000 (Rs 2.21 crore), though his shoes catch fire briefly before firefighters rush in to put it out.

Mr Beast makes millions out of these videos.

And they are just kind of sick aren’t they? pic.twitter.com/O69FjNKnHg

— BladeoftheSun (@BladeoftheS) September 28, 2025

The video went live on YouTube on Saturday and has already been watched more than 44 million times.

The backlash

The dramatic, highly produced scenes quickly drew criticism online, with many viewers calling the video dystopian and even “humiliating.”

Some went as far as branding MrBeast “evil” and a “sociopath.” One user on X wrote, “His brain is broken. Parents need to make sure their children are not watching this torture porn. And any adult watching this is not right in the head either.”

Another person warned, “It’s actually going to take MrBeast killing someone for people to really understand how f**ing dangerous he is.”* Others mocked the stunt, with one comment reading, “Dude out here discovering new ways to commit arson with a brand deal.”

Reactions weren’t all one-sided though. A few people noted that Eric was unlikely to have been in genuine danger, with some dismissing the whole thing as nothing more than “a PR stunt.”

MrBeast responds

As the criticism piled up, MrBeast stepped in to defend himself. In the comments under the video, he insisted that safety was his top priority.

“In case there’s any concern about the safety of the stuntman contestant, I just wanted to mention that we take safety extremely seriously,” he wrote. He explained that every challenge had been tested by multiple stuntmen, with a full rescue team on standby, including firefighters, EMTs, divers, an ambulance, and a fire truck.

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 serious than you could ever imagine.

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) September 29, 2025

MrBeast added that a professional pyro team controlled the flames and had multiple suppression systems ready, so they could shut down the fire instantly if needed. “But our stunt coordinator did an amazing job as always, and none of these systems were ever needed,” he said.

He also took to X to address the viral clip, writing, “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 stuntman. I take safety more serious than you could ever imagine.”

Interestingly, this isn’t the only time MrBeast has put himself in extreme situations lately. Earlier this month, while attending the Canelo Alvarez v Terence Crawford boxing match in Las Vegas, he agreed to take a punch from Mike Tyson. Tyson landed a brutal left hook to the body, leaving the YouTuber gasping for air on one knee.

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With input from agencies