The world’s biggest YouTube star has caused mayhem outside the Sydney Opera House with a promotional stunt that saw thousands of desperate fans try their luck at winning one of 10 cars, including a $450,000 Lamborghini.
YouTube megastar MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, took over the Sydney Opera House forecourt on Wednesday to give away 10 luxury cars to fans and buyers of his new chocolate brand, Feastables.
Donaldson, who featured in Forbes 2023 Top Creators List, is estimated to be worth $750 million.
“I just launched Feastables in Australia, as you can tell by the Sydney Opera House,” MrBeast told fans. “To celebrate, we’re going to be giving random people that buy Feastables the chance to win a Lamborghini and nine other cars.
Thousands of fans scanned the QR codes on their Feastables chocolate bars to try to win one of ten cars – which saw one young man drive away in a $450,000 Lamborghini Hurracan.
Other prizes included a Porsche, Tesla, Mercedes, the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine van and a Jurassic-Park-themed Volkswagen.
MrBeast boasts almost 290 million followers on YouTube and 60 million followers on Instagram.
Related
Full list of cars
- 2015 Lamborghini Huracan ($442,581)
- 2020 Ford Mustang R Spec ($157,570)
- 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL Convertible ($81,320)
- 2021 BMW 520i ($74,960)
- 2017 Porsche Macan ($70,320)
- 2015 Tesla Model S ($65,151)
- 2020 Tesla Model 3 ($55,725)
- 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan wrapped in Jurassic-Park-inspired design ($45,832)
- 1997 Volvo S70 Sedan wrapped in LazarBeam’s face ($21,930)
- 2010 Toyota HiAce wrapped in Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine design ($21,930)
Who is Mr Beast? (Jimmy Donaldson)
Stunts like spending 50 hours buried alive and attempting starvation for 30 days are well worth it when they net $54 million a year.
The predictably high viewership of antics like these explains why Jimmy Donaldson AKA MrBeast has made most of his money from ads on his YouTube videos.
MrBeast earned the No. 1 spot on this list not only because he’s making more than anyone else, but also because his restaurant concept, MrBeast Burger, is a truly entrepreneurial mechanism for the YouTuber to monetise his fame.
Rather than invest in cooking equipment or delivery infrastructure, MrBeast created the ghost kitchen operation in December 2020, in which people order a MrBeast Burger online and an affiliated restaurant with extra staff prepares the order for delivery.
Are you – or is someone you know -creating the next Afterpay or Canva? Nominations are open for Forbes Australia’s first 30 under 30 list. Entries close midnight, July 15, 2024.
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