**MrBeast Defends Trapping Man in Burning Building for $500,000 Stunt**
*By Tom McArthur | Published 7 hours ago*
MrBeast, the world’s biggest YouTuber, has defended his latest stunt video titled **“Would You Risk Dying for $500,000 (372,000)”** which features a professional stuntman escaping a blazing building while collecting bags of cash.
The fiery spectacle sparked fury online, with some viewers calling it dangerously irresponsible and expressing concern that it could encourage others to attempt risky behavior. In response, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, stated,
> “I take safety more serious than you could ever imagine.”
Donaldson has more than 440 million YouTube subscribers and is believed to be the platform’s highest-paid creator. Beyond YouTube, his business ventures include a fast-food chain and an Amazon TV gameshow called *Beast Games*.
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**The Stunt and Backlash**
The video, posted Saturday on YouTube, has already amassed over 45 million views. It features Eric, the contestant and professional stuntman, taking on seven “death traps.” These include being shot out of a cannon into flames, surviving massive explosions, and escaping from what appears to be a mock small house engulfed in fire.
Despite the dramatic and highly produced scenes, the stunt has received condemnation on social media. Some users described it as dystopian and “humiliating,” while others questioned the real danger involved, labeling it more of a PR stunt.
Eric successfully completed the challenges and won $350,000 (260,000).
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**MrBeast Addresses Safety Concerns**
Reacting to the backlash, MrBeast reassured fans on social media platform X (formerly Twitter):
> “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.”
A pinned comment on the original YouTube video further explained:
> “We also had a pyro team [specialists in fire effects] controlling the fires and multiple fire suppression methods on every challenge to ensure we could essentially turn off the fire if there was ever an issue. But our stunt coordinator did an amazing job as always, and none of these systems were ever needed. Just wanted to be transparent with you all since I saw some concern!”
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**Other Ventures and Controversies**
As one of the most popular content creators globally, MrBeast is involved in several business projects. Last year, he hosted *Beast Games*, an Amazon series featuring 1,000 contestants competing in elimination challenges for a $5 million (3.9 million) cash prize.
However, the series became the subject of a lawsuit where some participants claimed they had been “exploited” during filming. Donaldson dismissed these allegations as “blown out of proportion.”
Additionally, in May, the Mexican government accused MrBeast of “exploiting” the Mayan pyramids for a video. The previous month, he issued an apology after fans reported having a “horrible” experience at a Las Vegas event held in his name.
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**Conclusion**
While MrBeast’s latest stunt video continues to draw massive attention and millions of views, it has also ignited discussions about the fine line between entertainment and safety. Donaldson’s firm assurances about professional supervision and safety measures indicate a commitment to responsible content creation amid the theatrics that have come to define his brand.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cder5l8pw8lo