News 3 spoke with nearly two dozen people involved in the ‘Beast Games’ production, many under the condition of anonymity due to non-disclosure agreements, to learn more about how poor management of local production staff led to the chaos, disorganization and safety issues revealed in our previous News 3 investigation—and even a class action lawsuit.
Production staff and set medics, many of whom were Las Vegas-based, told News 3 that they have worked on various productions in and outside of Nevada. Across their years and decades of experience, they have contributed to box-office hits with big-name celebrities, large-scale reality TV series and other YouTube productions. As locals, they would often recognize each other from previous projects.
They all shared similar sentiments about the MrBeast affiliated production they worked on.
September 25, 2024
YouTube’s biggest icon drew 2,000 contestants to Las Vegas to compete in his upcoming game show. More than a dozen participants spoke with News 3, under anonymity, to share accounts of people experiencing hospitalizations from physical injuries, disorganized handling of medication and inexperienced production leadership.
One diabetic woman was denied her insulin for two days and exhibited signs of diabetic shock, said contestant Sally.
“It wasn't until she was passing out and becoming unconscious that they finally gave her her medicine and supposedly adequate enough food,” said Sally.
“That sounds like chaos to me. That seems like unabated chaos. And I did the wedding for [The Twilight Saga’s] Bella and Edward,” said Isaacs, describing the unprecedented scale of the Beast Games production. “That sounds chaotic and, yes, room for fault.”
August 2, 2024
RESPONSIBILITIES: Reporting, news writing, graphic design, digital production
In between the ponderosa pine and white fir trees on the Spring Mountains of Southern Nevada lives an endemic blue butterfly. Due to population decline and habitat loss, the Mount Charleston blue butterfly, Icaricia shasta charlestonensis, entered the endangered species list in 2013. However, efforts are ongoing to help restore the blue butterfly population.
December 25, 2024
RESPONSIBILITIES: Video editing, reporting, news writing, graphic design, digital production, pitched story, social video editing
Hiking through 16 miles of snow, ice and fog in Crocs, hikers Josh Macandog and Issay Dibaba recount their underprepared misadventure hiking the South Loop Trail to Mt. Charleston Peak so others do not repeat their mistakes. In the past three weeks, there have been four air rescues for hikers attempting the same trail.
December 18, 2024
RESPONSIBILITIES: Video editing, reporting, news writing, graphic design, digital production, pitched story, social video editing
To combat the wildfire threat, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is conducting aerial herbicide dispersals to help control the cheatgrass and create fire breaks that should stall and mitigate wildfires in the area, said BLM fuel specialist David Carrera.
December 8, 2024
RESPONSIBILITIES: Video editing, reporting, news writing, graphic design, digital production, pitched story, social video editing
Even with summer temperatures in the triple digits, Richard Galvin works his home garden nearly every day after finishing his day job remodeling homes. Galvin started gardening to provide pesticide-free food for his family and endured growing pains to enable his garden to thrive—even in the summer.
Despite the challenges, Galvin said the activity is worth the struggle.
September 6, 2024
RESPONSIBILITIES: Photography, videography, video editing, reporting, news writing, graphic design, digital production
Jonathan Brunjes has been with Nevada State Parks for nearly 15 years. Despite being a professional outdoorsman, even he exercises caution in the Mojave, where temperatures regularly exceed triple digits in the summer.
“It’s hard to really understand how quickly you can fall victim to those conditions,” said Brunjes of the extreme temperatures.
May 27, 2024
RESPONSIBILITIES: Photography, videography, video editing, reporting, news writing, graphic design, digital production
On March 10, 2024, business owner Beth Tom received a ban from Meta without warning, shuttering her store’s Facebook account with 51,000 followers. Overnight, Tom said she lost a cornerstone that has been “devastating” to their business over what she claims was an innocent mistake.
May 23, 2024
RESPONSIBILITIES: Photography, videography, video editing, reporting, news writing, graphic design, digital production
People with Down syndrome experience physical difficulties that can make it more challenging to live an active lifestyle. Researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas CArdiovascular Research and Exercise Lab (CARE Lab) are attempting to assess how a lower heart rate, a feature of Down syndrome, can impact people’s ability to move and exercise.
April 30, 2024
RESPONSIBILITIES: Photography, videography, video editing, reporting, news writing, digital production
Last week, the Arizona Supreme Court chose to uphold a 1864 law that would supersede the state’s former 15-week ban and enact a near-total ban on abortion. Following the decision, Vice President Kamala Harris made campaign stops to Arizona and Nevada to speak on reproductive rights, placing blame on former President Donald Trump.
April 16, 2024
RESPONSIBILITIES: Photography, videography, video editing, reporting, news writing, graphic design, digital production