The recently published thriller The Most Dangerous Games is a collaboration between James Stephen “Jimmy” Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, and popular author James Patterson. It tells the story of 100 contestants competing for US$1 billion while enduring an escalation of increasingly brutal challenges.

The publisher explicitly markets the book as an extension of his Prime Original program Beast Games: “the games are more dangerous than ever.” Each book purchase gets the buyer a chance to enter an online game and potentially compete for US$1 million.

The book is the latest extension of a format MrBeast developed on YouTube years before Beast Games reached television. Beginning with challenges such as “Last To Leave Circle Wins $10,000” in 2018, his videos increasingly centred on contestants competing for large cash prizes.

The promotional language for Beast Games puts it bluntly: what wouldn’t you do for $5 million?

When money becomes the spectacle

The idea of making people confront their fears for money is not new to reality television. Joe Rogan hosted Fear Factor from 2001 to 2006, putting groups of contestants through three stunts for a chance to win US$50,000.

The program opens with the words: “imagine a world where your greatest fears become reality.” But contestants were not forced to confront common fears such as public speaking or cold-calling strangers. Instead, the program traded in shock, disgust and spectacle.

Despite being revived twice after its initial cancellation, Fear Factor did not acquire the longevity of other reality formats in which contestants compete for cash. Survivor, for example, has just celebrated its 50th season, while The Amazing Race has produced nearly........

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