Lions, Ice, Death Road, and Snake Island: MrBeast's Tour of the "Five Deadliest Places on Earth"
MrBeast ミスタービーストJimmy (MrBeast) frames this video around one escalating challenge: he and his friends visit what he calls the five deadliest places on Earth. Each stop is meant to be more dangerous than the one before, ending on an island full of venomous snakes. There is also a bonus stop in shark waters. The video runs from a night in a cage on an African safari to an overnight stay on Snake Island, where the group ends up helping scientists collect snakes for anti-venom.
A Night in a Cage on an African Safari
The first location is a cage in the middle of an African safari. Jimmy lists lions, cheetahs, hippos, and "a dozen other species that could kill us" as the threats. To make sure the lions actually come, he brings meat and spreads it around the cage. His companions question the plan as he does it: "Oh, man, are we trying to die?"
Jimmy says the real danger is the darkness. When the sun goes down, the humans lose their sight but the animals don't. After nightfall the group hears and sees more animals. Someone spots two lions, a large animal makes them wonder whether it's a rhino, and eventually they say they are surrounded by lions about twenty feet away. The lions keep circling, and one participant says they "might actually die in this video." Jimmy uses that moment to set up the rest of the video: each later place will be "progressively more and more deadly than the last," leading up to the snake island.
Climbing a Frozen Waterfall
Next, the group ice-climbs a large frozen waterfall using bladed boots and ice picks. Before they start, Jimmy calls it possibly "the scariest thing we ever do," and one of his friends says there is "no chance" of climbing the whole thing. Jimmy admits that he wasn't sure they could pull it off either.
Partway up, Nolan quits. He shouts for everyone to stop, says "I'm out," and answers "Watch me" when told he can't quit. The others keep going. The climb gets steeper as they rise. One climber loses grip with a foot and nearly falls, and Jimmy says he has about "ten percent left" and is "fighting the urge to cry." He also says in narration that he "definitely shouldn't have been doing this." They reach the top and celebrate. Afterward Jimmy concedes that "Nolan had the right idea," and sets up a question: can Nolan handle the third place on the list?
Bolivia's "Death Road"
The third location is a road in Bolivia that Jimmy calls the deadliest road on Earth. According to the video, the road caused nearly 300 deaths per year and was shut down about a decade ago because so many people died on it. Jimmy says he got the government's permission to reopen it just for their visit. He describes one rock drop beside the road as "literally as tall as a skyscraper," and the closing recap mentions driving inches from a 1,000-foot drop.
Most of this segment is the tension inside the car. Nolan complains about Jimmy's driving and about him reacting with "Oh!" while driving. At one point the steering wheel jerks and Nolan begs, "Hands on the wheel, please!" Jimmy estimates they are about seven inches from falling to their deaths.
The narration says they then reach the first of the three deadliest spots on the route, where the road becomes very narrow. Jimmy worries that a tire will go off the edge and asks Nolan to get out and guide him. Nolan gladly leaves the car and points out the steep drop into a ravine with a waterfall. His directions don't help much; he says he feels like he's mostly running away from the car. Jimmy calls him "useless" and tells him to get back in.
Jimmy also points to fog as a hazard. Parts of the road are fairly normal, but he explains that the extreme elevation changes in Bolivia can bring in sudden, blinding fog, which he calls "a silent killer." In thick fog they stop near the edge, and Nolan says the wheels look "about ready to fall." Later Jimmy asks Nolan to walk across a bridge first because the road has been closed for about a decade and he wants to be sure it doesn't collapse with him on it. The bridge holds, and they finish the road: "We survived Death Road!"
Bonus Stop: Swimming With Sharks Without a Cage
After the land locations comes a bonus stop at sea. Karl and Nolan are in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by sharks, and they get in the water without the cage normally used. The narration says the sharks in these waters are notorious for unprovoked attacks, which it says makes this the most dangerous water in the United States.
In the water they react to how big the sharks are. One warns the other about a shark behind him, Nolan refuses at first to get in, and someone says, "Hopefully I don't die." Their quick verdict is "I'm good on sharks." Jimmy then says this was "nothing compared to" the second most dangerous spot.
The Gocta Cataracts and an Amazon Flash Flood
The second-ranked location is the Gocta Cataracts waterfall in the Amazon rainforest. Jimmy says the forest's beauty is matched by its danger: a small rainstorm can make the rivers flash flood and overwhelm the whole area. At this waterfall, he says, a flood could sweep someone down more than 1,000 feet.
Jimmy brings two people from earlier videos: Hase, who spent seventy days in the wilderness, and Bailey, who spent 100 days in a cube. When Jimmy says the chance of death is "low," they immediately ask whether that means it isn't zero. The group spends hours trekking over slippery and sometimes very steep terrain. A guide helps them cross the river, and roped in, they look over the edge of the waterfall.
Then a heavy downpour starts. Jimmy says this is exactly why the place is so dangerous: the waterfall gets wider and wider and flash flood conditions set in. He suggests using the ropes to go down beside the waterfall, but a companion calls that a bad idea. Mud is pouring down on Jimmy's line, and the narration adds that they could be struck by lightning at any point. Jimmy describes the shoot as a "YouTube video turned emergency operation."
The only way out is back over the same steep, slippery ground they came in on, now during a flood. The flooding blocks the path, and they have to rope off several sections, which takes hours. One participant notes that he laughed crossing this river on the way in and now is "actually scared," with the waterfall right next to them. After hours more of trekking through floodwater and mud, Jimmy says, they "walked away from this mountain with our lives."
Snake Island: An Overnight Stay and Helping With Anti-Venom
The top spot on the list is Snake Island, which Jimmy calls the most dangerous island on the planet. The boat drops them off, and they are stranded there overnight until the next day. Specialized shin guards are their main protection against bites. When asked what happens if one of the snakes bites them, Jimmy says the venom entering the bloodstream makes "your skin melt off," and that you could be dead in under an hour.
Jimmy also explains a point that runs against expectations. With a name like Snake Island, you might expect thousands of snakes in the open. According to the video, though, the snakes killed off all the ground animals and now hunt birds in the trees, the only prey left. Once the group enters the jungle, they have to worry about snakes dropping from trees as well as snakes at ground level. One person spots a snake right next to his face.
The video explains the visit's purpose this way: scientists capture the snakes so they can extract venom and make anti-venom. During one attempt, a juvenile snake gets away. Jimmy jokes that the handler is "as chill about dropping that snake as I am when I drop my phone." Deeper in, the bushes get too thick to see two feet ahead, and they find more snakes. When Jimmy asks how many lives the anti-venom from one snake could save, the answer is "thousands of lives." The narration adds that this anti-venom can treat 90 percent of all snake bites in Brazil, so each snake caught could mean thousands of lives saved.
For the rest of the day, Jimmy says, the group helped find snakes and assisted the scientists' research. In one case, the scientists suggest shaking a tree to bring down a snake about 15 feet up. Someone objects that he would never camp under those trees, while another argues that they need the anti-venom because it can save lives. As it gets dark, the focus shifts to survival and setting up camp. Jimmy admits, "I have no idea if these tents are snake proof." Before sleeping, people say they hope no snake gets into their tent, that it's terrifying, and that they can't wait to be home.
Getting Out Alive
In the morning, everyone's only goal is to get off the island as quickly as possible. In the closing recap, Jimmy lists hanging off the side of a huge ice mountain, driving inches from a 1,000-foot drop, and swimming with sharks without a cage. He ends with: "We survived Snake Island, and no one died!"
I am currently on an island infested with snakes! But I'm visiting way deadlier places. Like scaling a mountain covered in ice...
I'm gonna die! Let me down!
Driving a road that has killed thousands of people...
We're like seven inches from falling to our deaths.
Swimming uncaged with vicious sharks... And so much more. All starting in this cage in the middle of an African safari where there are lions, cheetahs, hippos and a dozen other species that could kill us.
Why are we doin' this? Because we're visiting the five deadliest places on Earth. Oh, I see one of them. Oh, my God, why are we doing this?
And to make sure the lions actually visit us, I brought a bunch of meat to spread and surround the cage with it.
Oh, man, are we trying to die?
But what actually makes this place so deadly is that when the sun goes down and we lose our sight, the animals do not.
Jimmy, there's two lions. That sound. Is that a rhino? No! Bro, it's huge. Dude, everything's coming out at night.
Bro, we're surrounded by lions. They're literally twenty feet away from us. Oh, my God... These lions will not stop circling us. We might actually die in this video. Well, let's see if we do!
Because the next places we'll be visiting in this video will progressively grow more and more deadly than the last. All leading up to an island riddled with poisonous snakes.
And next, we're going to be ice climbing on this massive, deadly, frozen waterfall. And now there is no turning back. One way or another, we are going to climb this massive cliff using these bladed boots and these ice picks.
This might be the scariest thing we ever do. Wish me luck. Jimmy, you really expect us to climb this whole thing? Yeah. There's no chance.
Truthfully, I wasn't sure if we could pull this off, but what happened next with Nolan did not make me feel any better.
No. All right, guys. Guys, stop! I'm out. I'm out. You can't quit! Watch me.
I can't believe Nolan chickened out. That is insane. Nolan truly left us. We're really high up right now. You're almost halfway!
Oh, Jimmy, don't look down! Oh, my God. It's gettin' steeper as we go. Oh, my foot! I'm losing grip.
Oh, did you almost fall? Yes! Oh, God. I see the top, Jimmy! This is the scariest thing I've ever done.
I'm doing this. I'm gonna get to the top. Show 'em how steep it's gotten. We're in too deep, I can't quit! I got like ten percent left. I'm fighting the urge to cry, man.
Even though I definitely shouldn't have been doing this... You're almost there, Jimmy! I somehow made it all the way to the top of this waterfall.
We made it to the top. Let's go! You know what? Nolan had the right idea.
But we'll see if he can handle the third place on our list. All the way in Bolivia, where we'll be driving a road where few make it off alive.
And now we are on the deadliest road on Earth. This rock drop is literally as tall as a skyscraper. I am regretting this. I really am.
No joke, so many people died on this road that they literally shut it down a decade ago. This road was causing nearly 300 deaths per year. But I got the government's permission to reopen it just for us.
I really wish they hadn't done that. It'll be fine. I'm not sure that it will.
I'm startin' to understand why they call it Death Road. You're not driving like it's Death Road, I'll tell you that.
Yeah, when your life is in my hands, I don't like when you say, "Oh!" No, your life is in my hands. And look, the steering wheel just jerked. Hands on the wheel, please!
We're like seven inches from falling to our death. You're getting too close to the edge. Please. Please, please, please, please! Oh, my God, my life is flashing! It's flashing over and over and over again!
And if you thought that was a close call, we're about to hit the first of the three deadliest spots on our route.
This is where the road gets very thin! This is the part you gotta be really careful on. Oh, my gosh. Dude, the tire is going to go off right up here. Do you see that? Yeah, I see what you're saying. Oh, my God! Look how far down that is.
Here. Nolan, can you guide me? Gladly. I'll get out of the car. Gladly, bro! Don't fall, please. No way! Look at how steep the drop is. That's a whole ravine. There's, like, a waterfall. Yo, help me get through this. All right.
Dude, this looks crazy! Look how close we are to the ledge. Your tire is literally right next to this giant ravine. That is crazy. Watch out! It goes down. It's very slippery. Keep comin'!
Nolan, you're not really good at this whole "directing" thing. I feel like I'm just running away from the car at this point. Not much direction that I can give. All right, get in the car. You're useless. Okay. You get in, too. I'm 'bout to speed up.
Nolan, you know what might make this ride a little more fun? What? Our brand new Feastables Creamy Peanut Butter Cup! Oh, I thought you were going to say you driving slower. No. Oh, jeez!
It's getting so foggy coming up. I can barely see.
At some parts, the road is actually pretty normal, but due to extreme elevation change here in Bolivia, sudden blinding fog can roll in as a silent killer.
All right, stop, stop, stop. It's the edge. Am I good, Nolan? No. It actually looks like they're about ready to fall. It is so close. Okay. So, like, right here? Good? Just stay as far away. Ah! What's that noise? It's closer than I prefer, but...
I thought, why don't we mix things up and come out with our own Feastables cups? No!
You see, the best part about these cups is that we use peanut butter straight from a jar, and look how jam-packed it is. These things taste amazing.
And on top of that, we use Feastables chocolate in this. Which, if you don't know, at Feastables, we pay all our farmers living wages. We use Fairtrade certified beans. We remediate child labor on our farms...
Oh, my gosh. This is very bumpy. All three of which no big American chocolate company does.
Nolan. It's been like a decade. Can you go make sure that bridge still works? All right. I just really want to make sure if it collapses, I'm not... on it.
All right, Nolan, test the bridge! Am I good? It's good.
Big Chocolate pays farmers so little that they're forced to literally use child labor. No joke, there's over a million kids in illegal child labor in West Africa just on cocoa farms. So not only should you try the new cup because it tastes phenomenal, but also help me send a message to the chocolate industry. Pay your farmers a living income and do more to get rid of child labor on your farms.
This was crazy! We survived Death Road!
So far, we've survived on the land. But for this next bonus place, Karl and Nolan are in the middle of the ocean surrounded by sharks.
And we're gettin' in the water without a cage for some reason. Yeah, we usually use this thing, but now we're not going to.
The sharks in these waters are notorious for unprovoked attacks, making this the most dangerous water in the United States.
I can't believe this is happening. Oh, my gosh. These are gigantic sharks. Oh, my God! Dude, why are we doin' this without a cage? Dude, behind you, behind you! Oh, my God, it's huge.
Nolan, get in now! I don't want to! Hopefully I don’t die. I don’t wanna die today. Oh, my God, that thing is so big.
Okay. All right. All right. Karl, the sharks are twice as high. I'm good on sharks. I'm good.
But that was nothing compared to our second most dangerous spot, which just so happens to be in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, the beauty of which can only be paralleled by its danger. Because in a matter of moments, the forest can go from this... to this.
Just a little rainstorm can cause the rivers to flash flood and overwhelm the entire area. And today we're visiting the Gocta Cataracts waterfall, where a flash flood could send us down over 1,000 feet... to our watery grave.
And to join me on this cloudy day... I brought these guys! You'll remember Hase, he spent seventy days in the wilderness, and Bailey spent 100 days trapped together in a cube. What we're about to do seems more up his alley.
They said the chance of death is low. Wait, what? Not zero? Come on, boys, let's hit it.
And after hours... and hours... of trekking through some of the most slippery and at times, steepest terrain mankind has ever set foot on...
Nothin' to see.
We finally made it to our destination.
That's a waterfall... right there! If you slip, you're dead.
And with the help of a guide, we were able to cross the river safely.
Hey, look!
And then we were secured to some ropes so that we could look over the edge of the waterfall.
Can you see over? Wow! This is so gorgeous!
But as I said before, for how beautiful this place is, at only a moment's notice... it can be just as deadly.
And it just started downpouring like crazy. This is why this is one of the most dangerous places in the world. This waterfall is now becoming wider and wider, which are creating flash flood conditions. So we're literally getting flooded out of the Amazon right now. We gotta go!
Should we use the ropes to go down the side of the waterfall?! I don't think so. That's really a bad idea, Jim. We're going to be in the woods. Isn't that just equally as bad? What's the risk?
There's mud coming down on Jimmy’s line. A lot. And at any point, they could be struck by lightning. And I really don't want you to die.
So with our YouTube video turned emergency operation, the only way out was through the same steep and slippery terrain that got us here, and now we had to do it while the entire forest was flash flooding.
You can see the flash flooding. Now the path is blocked off. We’re gonna have to rope off multiple parts 'cause it’s gonna take us hours to get off this mountain.
Do you remember when I crossed this river and I was laughing? I'm not laughing anymore. I'm actually scared. And if I fall, that's the waterfall right over there! Look at this water. Seriously, no joke!
Grab the rope and pull yourself up. Don't let me die.
And after hours and hours of trekking through the floods and muck, we walked away from this mountain with our lives. Now we're headed to the most lethal corner of Earth. The number one spot on our list of the world's deadliest places.
And what better way to end this video, boys, than the most dangerous island on the planet... Snake Island!
Why are we going to an island filled with killing machines? We might die. Bye-bye!
And we are now officially stranded until tomorrow. That's right. We will be spending the night on the most deadly island on Earth, and with lethal snakes hidden beneath our every step, these specialized shin guards were our only hope of protection from their venomous bites.
So there could just be snakes anywhere here. Yeah. Jimmy, what happens if one of these snake bites us? Basically, as soon as the venom enters your bloodstream, your skin melts off, and you could be dead in under an hour.
It's kind of terrifying to think that I could just die at any second. This is wild, bro. For an island full of killing machines, this is actually very pretty.
This is so beautiful from up here. Man... If you fall right here, you're dead. Yes. I see that. Boys, be careful.
You'd think that with a name like Snake Island, there would be thousands of snakes out in the open. But after killing all of the ground animals, the snakes now hunt the birds in the trees, the island's only remaining prey.
We are officially entering the jungle. At any point now, a snake could jump from the tree and bite us. I was just worried about my legs, but now we've gotta be worried about them falling from trees, too! This is insane, bro.
There's one right here. There's one right here right next to my face.
By capturing the snakes, scientists can extract their venom and create antivenom with it.
Wait. That's venomous. Yeah. So if that bit me, I would die. Yeah. Hey, make sure you got a good grip. It's a juvenile.
Oh, no. No! It's gone. You... dropped it. No, it escaped. It escaped. But... He’s as chill about dropping that snake as I am when I drop my phone.
And the further in the jungle we get... These bushes are too thick. I can't see two feet in front of me. A snake could pop out any second.
I can't see two feet in front of me. A snake could pop out any second.
The more snakes we see. Here and there...
This time, let's not lose 'em, okay. Okay. Scoot back. Scoot back.
How many lives will the antivenom from that snake save? Thousands of lives. That's insane.
The antivenom they create can be used to treat 90 percent of all snake bites in Brazil, which means every snake we catch could mean thousands of lives saved.
Hey, Jimmy, there's another snake up there. Oh, my God. That one's huge! We’re finding 'em all now. They're coming out.
So for the rest of the day, we helped find these deadly snakes, and we even assisted the scientists with their research.
So that snake is about 15 feet in the air, and the scientists propose we shake the tree so we can get it.
There's no way I'm campin' under those trees. That thing ain't moving, dude. We need that antivenom. They can save lives.
At this point, it was getting dark, and we needed to focus on survival. Time to build camp.
Camp is now set up. Full disclosure, I have no idea if these tents are snakeproof. We'll be sleeping among the snakes. A little bit scary.
About to go to sleep. Hopefully a snake doesn't slither in my tent tonight. This is terrifying. I can't wait to be in the safety of my own home.
So, we woke up with one thing on our minds: getting off this island as fast as we can. I just wanna go home.
From hanging off the side of a massive ice mountain to driving inches away from a 1,000-foot drop, swimming in shark-infested waters with no cage, and lastly... We survived Snake Island, and no one died!
Thanks for watchin' the video. Make sure you go try the brand-new Feastables creamy peanut butter cups available at these retailers, and help us send a message to the chocolate industry that you care how your chocolate is sourced.
Scan the QR code on the back of the pack to learn how to win one of 50 available contestant spots on season 2 of Beast Games.
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