Controversial “Beast Games” Causes Worker Injury

An investigation has been launched after a worker was hurt on the set of Amazon Prime’s new competition show ‘Beast Games.’ The Ontario Ministry of Labour reported that, on September 11, a worker was struck by a falling piece of wood on the set in Toronto.

Since production began, the show has faced a list of controversies with contestants getting injured, complaining of unsanitary conditions, and ‘chronic mistreatment’ from the popular influencer and his team. In September, five contestants filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon and MrBeast, alleging improper working-conditions on the Las Vegas production site, including sexual harassment.

The 54-page legal document alleges that competitors were subject to “unreasonable, unsafe, and unlawful employment conditions,” including finding that “multiple Beast Games Contestants were taken to the hospital” during production in Las Vegas.

The lawsuit alleges that the production team failed to provide the legal minimums required by labor law regarding “minimum wages, overtime, mandatory meal and rest breaks, workers compensation benefits, itemized wage statements and timely payment of wages and reimbursements, among other things.”

An investigation published by the Rolling Stone found that in Toronto, the situation was similar. Multiple crew members said they suffered injuries on set, including on September 11, when a crew member was reportedly rushed to the hospital in an ambulance after being hit by a piece of falling wood.

Across the country, Canada faces an alarming number of workplace injuries and deaths every year. The Workplace Health and Safety Centre (WHSC) estimates there are around five work-related deaths a day in Canada. Although Stats Canada reports around 1000 workplace deaths a year, the WHSC says thousands of workers deaths across the country are not counted in the Federal numbers.

In Ontario, for example, the WHSC found that in 2022 there were “well in excess of 2,000” work-related deaths, but only 220 were officially recognized by Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). Because compensation is an insurance, the government can deny workers and often does, meaning official data on workplace injuries and deaths is likely much higher.