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100 Subscribers, Four Challenges, One Private Island: Inside MrBeast's 100-Million-Subscriber Special

MrBeast ミスタービースト · ▶ 15:29 · 9 min read
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Overview

To mark the channel reaching 100 million subscribers, MrBeast says he bought a large private island and decided to give it away to one viewer. He brought 100 subscribers to compete in four challenges, with the last one standing winning the island. Each stage cut the field sharply: 100 contestants became 50, then 20, then 10, then five, and finally one. Along the way, the video adds twists: an elimination decided by the earliest subscriber, a plank drop that was pure chance, and a cash offer designed to tempt finalists into walking away.

9 min read

Challenge One: Start a Fire

The first challenge was the simplest. The first 50 people to start a fire and light their torch would advance to a waiting raft. MrBeast said the team had expected contestants to need about 20 minutes on average. The first contestant got a flame in roughly a minute, which prompted him to joke that "by 20 minutes I meant one minute."

For many others, the challenge was not quick. Contestants complained that their tinder smoked but would not catch. One said their flint was worn down but refused to quit. As the spots ran out ("only 10 spots remain," then three, then one), the pressure grew. One contestant called it their "one and only chance." When the last torch was lit, half the field was out. MrBeast pointed out that 50 people had lost their shot at the island after a single challenge.

While the challenge was running, he previewed what came next: a ship where the team had built a recreation of Squid Game, and a pirate ship where people would literally be thrown overboard.

Challenge Two: Red Light, Green Light at Sea

MrBeast explained that the second challenge brought back red light, green light because the channel's Squid Game video was its most viewed. This time the game took place in the middle of the ocean. The rules also changed. There was no time limit, and only the first 20 contestants to step on or cross the red line would move on.

Without a time limit, MrBeast could toy with the players. He said he could put the mic down and wait 10 minutes if he wanted. The first elimination came quickly when a contestant moved. Crew member Chris got to call one round and said "Green eggs and ham," which caught someone out. Contestants said their feet had gone numb from standing still, and MrBeast offered snacks to drag the game out.

The oddest moment was a finish "by technicality." One contestant crossed the line while everyone else stood frozen. Crew member Tareq pointed out that when MrBeast explained the rules, his last words had been "red light, green light," which meant green was technically in effect. MrBeast reviewed the footage, agreed, and admitted he was surprised more people hadn't caught it. After that he said he had to think through every word he spoke.

Other close calls were ruled more strictly. One contestant fell forward trying to reach the line. MrBeast said he would have given it to them if it had been close, but it was "quite a ways away." As the last two slots closed, he asked everyone not to hurt themselves. After the final spot was taken, he told the contestants they would each receive $3,000 as thanks for coming.

The Earliest Subscriber Decides

Twenty contestants remained, and the raft to the next challenge held only 10. Because this was the 100-million-subscriber special, MrBeast wanted to give the earliest subscriber in the group an advantage. That turned out to be Gabbie, and her advantage was the power to eliminate half the remaining players, choosing anyone she liked.

At first Gabbie thought it was a joke. MrBeast noted that she quickly started picking. It clearly weighed on her, and she kept apologizing as she named people. MrBeast asked whether she wanted someone else to choose instead. She said no and kept going. Eliminated contestants took it with a mix of good humor and disappointment, calling it "brutal" and "terrible." One told her it was not her fault. A contestant who survived compared each name she called to "a bullet." MrBeast told the final 10 that if any of them won, they owed it to Gabbie, since she could have eliminated them.

Challenge Three: The Pirate Ship Planks

The 10 finalists were towed to a pirate ship, where they could see the island in the distance. Before the next challenge, several shared their plans for it. One was already planning where a mansion would go. Another said they would sell it for as much cash as possible.

The challenge was pure luck. Ten planks were attached to ropes, and when a rope was cut, five planks would drop their occupant into the sea and five would hold. Contestants picked planks one at a time, and the odds got worse for each person as safe planks were used up. Somehow the first four people all picked safe planks. MrBeast called this "super statistically improbable," and it left only one safe plank among the remaining six.

Rather than continue with free picks, the team lined up the remaining contestants and started cutting ropes from the end. One contestant was carrying what they called "the carrot of protection." It didn't help, and they fell. After seeing someone drop, one of the early winners said they now knew the planks really worked and that the first four had just been lucky. Gabbie, the earliest subscriber, also fell into the water. The last two ropes were cut at the same moment. One fell and the other claimed the final spot. The five finalists noted they were what remained of the original 100.

Touring the Island

The five finalists sailed to the island and toured it on golf carts. MrBeast highlighted a cabana, a helicopter pad, and a pool. The contestant who had planned to sell the island reconsidered: "Maybe I won't sell the island anymore." Others called it "absolutely unreal" and "life changing."

The $50,000 Proposition

Before the final challenge, MrBeast handed each finalist a $50,000 check and offered a choice: keep the money and leave, or burn the check and keep competing for the island. He started with the contestant who had subscribed most recently.

That first contestant heard the crowd shouting "keep it" and burned the check anyway, calling themselves a competitor. Someone watching said it "could be the biggest mistake of his life." The second chose the island too. The third said $50,000 wouldn't even cover a year of their tuition and that they would take their chances. MrBeast reminded the fourth that staying in meant only a 25% chance of winning. That contestant called it the hardest decision they'd ever made, then burned the check as well. By then MrBeast joked that he had "just saved $200,000." The last contestant explained that they had nearly been eliminated earlier that day and had survived on luck ever since, so they wanted to keep going. All five burned their checks.

Challenge Four: Find the Play Button

For the final challenge, MrBeast used the channel's 100-million-subscriber play button, with the island's deed taped to the back. Whoever found it first would win the island. While the contestants were blindfolded, he drove far away so they would think it was hidden at a distance. Then he came back and hid it close to where they stood, burying it among some trees. Crew member Chandler joked about throwing it in the ocean, and MrBeast refused because it was their only 100-million play button.

The contestants tried to predict his thinking. One said they had to "get into the mind of Jimmy." Another suspected he would hide it right behind where they had been standing. Their search tips included looking for things that seemed out of place and for "new sand, anything fresh." One contestant said part of them wished they had kept the $50,000 but that their gut told them to keep pushing. Someone on the crew side warned that losing an island had given them nightmares for over a year and said this would haunt the losers for life.

The search stretched on. Contestants checked the pool, a treehouse, and the woods. MrBeast showed viewers that nobody was near the hiding spot, and then showed several contestants walking right past it. He pointed out that the island was four times bigger than the private island Chandler had won in an earlier video. As the sun began to set, MrBeast said he had no idea how anyone would find it after dark. Finally, a contestant began moving sticks near the spot and shouted "I got it!"

The Winner and the Play Button

The winner said it didn't feel real and called it the craziest video MrBeast had ever done. The other finalists congratulated her. One noted that they had all burned $50,000 in front of each other, and another added "like idiots."

In the closing scene, MrBeast opened the play button box, which Chandler noted was "fresh from the ground" rather than fresh from YouTube. MrBeast called the award "over a decade of my life represented in one item" and thanked everyone who had subscribed, saying the channel meant the world to him. Other crew members added their thanks, and one began to say the audience had taken them from janitor to something before trailing off. The video ends with MrBeast handing the deed to the winner, who celebrates having won an island.

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