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YouTube star Jimmy "MrBeast" is hosting his biggest-ever project — Beast Games. For those unaware, the YouTuber partnered with Prime Video to launch this game show. It features 1,000 participants and has a whopping $5 million prize money, dubbed as the biggest cash prize in the history of any game show. With an episode being released every week, the series currently has three episodes available to stream, as of December 27, 2024.
Fans have also compared MrBeast's project to Netflix's hit show Squid Game. The latter is a South Korean dystopian survival horror television series that was first released in 2021 and launched its second season on December 26, 2024. This article will focus on the differences and similarities between the two shows.
NOTE: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.
Exploring the differences and similarities between Beast Games and Squid Game
Differences
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The most significant and obvious difference is that MrBeast's version is a game show in which participants must personally tackle technical challenges to advance to the next round. In contrast, Netflix's Squid Game follows a scripted narrative, with characters portrayed according to the fictional storyline.
Another key difference lies in the number of participants featured in the two shows. Jimmy's project begins with an impressive 1,000 participants (narrowed down from an initial pool of 2,000 before Episode 1 aired), whereas Squid Game features 456 participants.
Both shows feature distinct challenges. In Beast Games, there are unique challenges, such as in Episode 1, where players were offered bribes to voluntarily eliminate themselves and their entire teams for a set amount. In Squid Game, eliminated contestants are depicted as dead.
The prize money depicted in both shows is starkly different as well. In MrBeast's show, the winner will get a whopping $5 million in cash prize. As mentioned, Squid Game is a fictionalized show, meaning there is no actual cash prize, but for those wondering, the season 1 winner, Gi-hun, received 45.6 billion won.
Similarities
One of the major similarities between the two shows is their setup. Both portray a game show format — one as a reality competition and the other as a fictionalized version, with players competing for a substantial prize.
In both shows, participants are identified not by their names but by numbers assigned to them. In Beast Games, the numbers range from 1 to 1,000, while in Squid Game, they range from 1 to 456.
Both shows feature participants from diverse backgrounds, ages, and ethnicities, emphasizing that these games are open to everyone. In Squid Game, the oldest player is 001, Oh Il-nam, portrayed as an 80-year-old terminally ill man. He is later revealed to be the creator of the game in the series.
It's important to note that Squid Game is a scripted show designed primarily to entertain while also highlighting themes of financial inequality and capitalism in society. Beast Games, on the other hand, was created to entertain a wide audience.
Beast Games has also faced criticism. Both MrBeast and Prime Video (Amazon Studios) are currently facing a class action lawsuit from some participants. Allegations include failure to provide payment, instances of sexual harassment, and not ensuring adequate rest for the contestants.
