Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast, has been one of the most significant stars on YouTube since 2016. With 308 million subscribers to his main channel and almost 460 million across five channels, he is the most-subscribed YouTuber. This means big money: According to Forbes, he earned an estimated $82 million from June 2022 to June 2023.

Since making his YouTube debut in 2012, Donaldson has racked up millions of views with videos that often feature far-out stunts and cash awards running into hundreds of thousands of dollars. He is further noted for his showcasing of his philanthropic deeds, from funding cataract surgeries for 1,000 people to supporting underserved communities.

However, he said that such massive popularity has also invited its fair share of criticism. While some critics accuse him of raising ethical concerns by offering cash prizes for certain challenging physical or mental tasks, others accuse him of exploiting his “acts of goodness” as “content” for profit. Of late, there have been several controversies surrounding Donaldson and his team.

In July, his former collaborator, Ava Kris Tyson, was accused of inappropriate interactions with minors. Not long after, a former MrBeast employee accused Tyson of sexual assault; he denied these allegations. This summer has also brought allegations from participants of Donaldson’s Amazon competition show, “Beast Games,” who say it had unsafe working conditions. Old videos resurfaced online of Donaldson making racially insensitive jokes, which he apologized for.

In response to these allegations, Donaldson’s team released an internal memo, reviewed by TIME, announcing the hiring of a law firm to investigate the Tyson allegations. The memo unveiled a plan for a full review of the internal culture of “Team Beast’s,” an investigation into inappropriate behavior claims, and the hiring of a chief human resources officer, chief financial officer, and general counsel. It included plans for company-wide sensitivity training.

Beast Games” Participants Allege Unsafe Conditions

An announcement in March described Donaldson teaming up with Amazon MGM Studios to create a high-stakes competition series with a $5 million payout—the supposed largest ever on television. Filming in the Las Vegas area began mid-July, and several contestants have spoken out about less-than-ideal conditions.

In a video obtained by TIME, Donaldson corrected an earlier announcement to say that the show actually featured 2,000 contestants. Those people were originally competing for MrBeast’s YouTube channel, and the top 1,000 would move forward to the Amazon show. Early challenges included lifting a massive boulder, playing capture the flag, and more.

Speaking out about grave concerns with the production, several eliminated contestants, including Jenae Reidy, detailed some grave issues. According to Reidy, she was cut after only one day. There were major organizational issues and basic needs—lacking food and water, she said. She was provided very small portions of food for dinner, and there was barely any water available other than cans of Liquid Death and cans of MrBeast snack brand Feastables, both used for branded content.

Also problematic was access to one’s medication—some of the contestants reported having had to wait more than two hours for their prescribed meds. Dangerous conditions were also reported during team challenges. For instance, this jersey scramble turned into chaos, and in the process of it, people were hurt, some even hospitalized.

Reidy and others explained that once they were knocked out of the competition, they were given a $1,000 consolation prize, but were subsequently asked to return the same upon a promise that the full amount would be delivered later. As of the time of filing this report, funds were yet to be accorded to them.

The second round of filming was said to take place in Toronto in early August. Some rumors have swirled regarding dangerous challenges, and YouTuber Rosanna Pansino posted on TikTok that the production team might not have been unionized, citing an email from an IATSE branch in Canada that referred to the production as “unfair.”