I’m going to be honest and say Beast Games is fun… but there’s one specific player I want to talk about.
If you're unfamiliar with the show, Beast Games is a new show from Amazon Prime created and hosted by Jimmy Donaldson—otherwise known as Mr. Beast on YouTube. He is, by far, the absolute biggest creator on the platform, known for his crazy giveaways and competition challenges that give people tons of money, so honestly, it was really only a matter of time before someone gave him a show.
While Beast Games is still ongoing as part of the 2025 TV premiere schedule, I have to talk about one contestant who is just…interesting and also getting on my nerves a little. Let’s get into it.
The Show Itself Is Fun – To A Certain Point
Is Beast Games going to be one of the best shows on Amazon Prime?
No, it won’t, but it’s fun, at least… to a certain point.
Let me preface this by saying that I watch Mr. Beast on YouTube, as so many people do when they go on the popular platform, and I am bombarded by his thumbnails when he uploads. I enjoy the challenges, and there’s a lot in those videos that, of course, draw me in like any other normal human being.
Beast Games is really a lot of that, but upgraded a ton, with bigger sets and a more significant amount of money that Donaldson is giving away. It was how he marketed the show in general. Now that it’s premiered, it’s fun to watch most of it. The challenges are entertaining, and some of the contestants are personable, and I like that about them. It almost reminds me of Squid Game, one of the best shows on Netflix to binge-watch.
But… that’s also a bad thing, too, because Squid Game is a clear commentary on the state of capitalism in this world and the amount that people will do because they literally can’t afford to live with how expensive everything has gotten, as well as the debts they must repay.
And that’s kind of how Beast Games has been feeling for me. The challenges are fun, but when you really sit down and listen to the reasons that these people are competing for, it certainly feels a little disheartening – student loans, intense debt, medical bills, former cancer patients, the list goes on and on. And then, when someone is eliminated, it really gets to you.
In order to truly enjoy this show, you really have to separate your mind from the actual reality aspect… and maybe that’s a good thing. However, there is one player that has intrigued me more than the actual games… and that’s Player 991.
Player 991 Has Me Interested As Heck, As Well As The People Who Follow Him
Player 991, also known as Jeremy, is one of the most interesting people in this show right now.
In any of the best reality TV shows out there, you really need to find reasons to root for these people. That’s why they tend to focus on their backstories and who they are as people to hype up audience engagement online and whatnot. Beast Games has certainly trended in that direction with Jeremy.
Don’t get me wrong—on the surface, Jeremy does seem like a great person. He’s very religious, which is totally fine, but he also did a great thing by not accepting a million dollars and eliminating his entire time. Any person in a game like this would have a following after that kind of sacrifice.
But I think what intrigues me the most is that because of this, Jeremy has developed a following in the games – so much so that plenty of people willingly gave up a spot in the next part of the competition for him to move on. And it feels a little… off. I won’t use specific words, but if you watch the show, you know what I mean.
And Jeremy just seems to eat it up. I mean, he’s not being obvious about it, but he’s also not denying the people who are pushing him up to this leadership position. It intrigues me to really want to get into the deeper complexities of who he is – as well as the people who find such goodness in him, which leads me to my next point.
I Also Hope I See A Lot More Pushback Against Him In Upcoming Episodes
I also really want to see more people fight back.
Here’s the thing with these reality competition shows, whether it’s a cooking competition series or a survival series or whatever – we need these complex relationships. With a series like Beast Games, where there are so many people included in the overall competition, it is really hard for us to cheer for a player when there are just too many people.
But now, Beast Games finally gave us something in terms of focusing on a specific player and the pushback he has also received from the few who don’t like him. And I need to see more. This is the kind of story that we want from series’ like this – digging deeper into why people do what they do, the reaction to it, and the fallout because of it.
Like I said, Jeremy seems like an alright-guy, and I’m not about to blast him, but it’s the people around him that really make me interested in what his true intentions are – and the ones who don’t like him. Why don’t they like him? What is his goal? I’m not sure. And that’s what I need to see.
There are still a few more episodes of Beast Games left, and honestly, I believe Jeremy is going to be a significant part of them. Maybe all my questions will be answered – perhaps until then, I’ll check out some of the best dating shows on Netflix or something as a palate cleanser. Either way, I have a feeling the next few episodes are going to blow our minds.
