section_path: Business ventures/Beast Games
section_name: Beast Games
paragraph_text: Beast Games
  
  In March 2024, Donaldson and Amazon MGM Studios announced their plans to create a new reality competition series Beast Games, set to air exclusively on Prime Video. It was set to become the biggest reality competition series, with 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million cash prize—the biggest single prize in the history of television and streaming. On December 19, 2024, Donaldson released Beast Games on Amazon Prime Video. The television show broke numerous Guinness World Records.
  
  The show faced criticism after contestants complained that they had been denied food, water, medication, and beds during production. Several contestants were hospitalized during the first filming sessions, with over a dozen contestants claiming that various injuries had occurred while participating in the challenges and that many had been seen being removed from the arena on stretchers. A spokesperson of Donaldson would blame external factors such as the global computer systems outage caused by CrowdStrike's update to its software, "extreme weather and other unexpected logistical and communications issues". Beast Games debuted on Amazon Prime Video on December 19, 2024, with it becoming Prime Video's most watched unscripted series ever and getting 50 million viewers in 25 days. Donaldson stated that his $100 million deal with Amazon was a "poor financial decision" as he lost tens of millions of dollars from Beast Games.
  
  In March 2024, Donaldson and Amazon MGM Studios announced their plans to create a new reality competition series Beast Games, set to air exclusively on Prime Video. It was set to become the biggest reality competition series, with 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million cash prize—the biggest single prize in the history of television and streaming. On December 19, 2024, Donaldson released Beast Games on Amazon Prime Video. The television show broke numerous Guinness World Records.
  
  The show faced criticism after contestants complained that they had been denied food, water, medication, and beds during production. Several contestants were hospitalized during the first filming sessions, with over a dozen contestants claiming that various injuries had occurred while participating in the challenges and that many had been seen being removed from the arena on stretchers. A spokesperson of Donaldson would blame external factors such as the global computer systems outage caused by CrowdStrike's update to its software, "extreme weather and other unexpected logistical and communications issues". Beast Games debuted on Amazon Prime Video on December 19, 2024, with it becoming Prime Video's most watched unscripted series ever and getting 50 million viewers in 25 days. Donaldson stated that his $100 million deal with Amazon was a "poor financial decision" as he lost tens of millions of dollars from Beast Games.