Behind a sprawling red wall of shipping containers, a new development seems to be taking shape at the former Downsview Airport site in North York, featuring a tower and a collection of bungalows.
The faux palm trees give it away — the buildings are part of a set for a reality television show by Jimmy Donaldson, the controversial YouTube star better known as MrBeast, whose oddball challenges with large cash prizes have made him one of the platform’s most successful creators, with 312 million subscribers.
He has 90 million followers on TikTok.
“Beast Games” is being shot for Prime Video and will pit 1,000 contestants against one another for a $5-million (U.S.) prize, which Amazon Prime is calling the biggest single prize in the history of television and streaming.
Fame has also generated controversy for Donaldson, who has been accused by a former employee of rigging his cash giveaways and knowingly hiring a sex offender. His lawyer, Alex Spiro, has issued cease-and-desist order, accusing the employee of posting misinformation and false statements, according to dailymail.com.
One of Donaldson’s longtime collaborators, Ava Kris Tyson, has been accused of having explicit online chats with a 13-year-old boy, and Donaldson himself came under fire after old videos were unearthed in which he made racist and homophobic comments. He has apologized for the remarks.
Tyson has denied the allegations of grooming a minor, but has apologized for “past behaviour” that was “not acceptable,” the BBC has reported.
Donaldson has ordered a full assessment of the internal culture at his organization.
The first round of “Beast Games” in Las Vegas also faced complaints about poor conditions for participants, The Associated Press reported.
Drone footage taken by the CBC near the abandoned Downsview airport reveals a large cement tower facing a dozen houses, surrounded by a red wall.
The city confirmed the production, without providing details.
“The filming is on private property and does not involve a film permit issued by the City of Toronto,” said city spokesperson Alexandra Dinsmore.
Toronto police confirmed its explosive disposal unit has been consulted.
One of the production companies involved in the project applied for permission to take about 10 helicopter trips between Aug. 25 and Aug. 29, weather permitting, according to a letter, dated Aug. 20 and sent to residents of the Downsview area by The Northcrest Developments Team, which is leading the redevelopment of the 370-acre former Downsview Airport.
“As you likely know, we have various film productions underway on our site,” the letter reads. “These productions are an important source of employment and ensure that the site remains active while we continue working with the City of Toronto on plans for future development. We appreciate your support and understanding during this transitional phase.”
Ron Bothwell, who was in the area with a friend, said he wanted to check out the site after hearing something about MrBeast coming to Toronto.
“He’s got a lot of shows and they spend a lot of money on his sets. It didn’t happen overnight, they’ve been setting this up for a while obviously,” he said.
“If you watch Mr. Beast, he does all kinds of crazy stuff. In one of his first videos, he gives a pizza delivery guy 10 grand … who just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Bothwell added.
ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), the national union of professional performers working in recorded media in Canada, has issued a do-not-work notice to members, because the producers are not signatories to any ACTRA agreements, making the project a non-union production.
“ACTRA’s Constitution and By-laws prohibit union members from working on such productions,” according to the statement.
