‘Would you risk dying for $500,000?’: MrBeast puts man inside burning building, responds after backlash

While many viewers applauded the sheer scale and spectacle of the production, others called it reckless, dystopian, and dangerous, warning that it could inspire copycat behavior. Some critics dismissed it as humiliating or a publicity stunt.

Responding to the backlash, MrBeast (real name Jimmy Donaldson) stressed that safety had been the top priority on set. Posting on X, he wrote: “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 is a professional stuntman. I take safety more serious than you could ever imagine.”

Check out MrBeat’s response:

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 stunt man. I take safety more serious than you could ever imagine.

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) September 29, 2025

A pinned comment on the video echoed that message, noting that fire experts oversaw every sequence and that multiple safety systems were in place but never had to be used. “Our stunt coordinator did an amazing job as always, and none of these systems were ever needed,” it read.

Still, plenty of fans were unsettled. Many compared the spectacle to Squid Game, Netflix’s hit thriller about desperate contestants risking their lives for cash. One user remarked, “I’d stay in the building and burn to death to change the trajectory of MrBeast’s life forever.”

I’d stay in the building and burn to death to change the trajectory of MrBeast’s life forever https://t.co/YqakIBRDPW

— Juno 🍐 COMMISSIONS OPEN (2/2) (@DewEnjoyer) September 28, 2025

Another added, “It’s actually going to take MrBeast killing someone for people to really understand how dangerous he is.”

With more than 440 million subscribers, MrBeast remains YouTube’s most successful creator. But controversy has followed him before, from allegations of exploitation in his large-scale challenges, to lawsuits tied to the Beast Games, backlash over filming at Mayan heritage sites, and criticism of poorly managed live events.