'Survivor 50' Episode 10 recap: MrBeast joined island to double the prize money—but was he paid for cameo?
When 'Survivor 50' teased celebrity guest appearances from the likes of Jimmy Fallon and Billy Eilish, fans didn't know what to expect. While these two didn't physically appear on the island, country singer Zac Brown and MrBeast showed up in Fiji to interact with the contestants face-to-face. The latter appeared in this week's episode, 'A Side Dish of Chaos,' which premiered on CBS on Wednesday and saw Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick's torch get snuffed out at the end. The famous YouTuber introduced the MrBeast Super Beware Advantage at the Tribal Council, which doubled the prize money from $1 million to $2 million with the simple toss of a coin. His appearances received a lot of hype ahead of the episode's release. Fans were not disappointed as MrBeast's twist turned the game on its head, leading to a truly spectacular episode.
MrBeast is one of the most prominent online creators, with the most YouTube subscribers in the world at 480 million. He is also popular on TikTok, with 126.5 million followers, and on Instagram, with 86.6 million. So, his time is definitely important. Hence, his appearance on the show made fans wonder whether he was paid for taking time out to be on 'Survivor 50'? The YouTuber, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, hasn't divulged whether or how much he was offered for his cameo. The answer came from host Jeff Probst, who had told Entertainment Weekly on January 7, "With this season, there was not going to be any big appearance fees." So there you have it! MrBeast wasn't compensated financially for his appearance, but he's walking away with a ton of publicity from his headline-making stint on the popular show.
Season 50 is a landmark season for 'Survivor' as the competition series pulled all the stops to turn it into a memorable one. It features seasoned players from previous iterations of the show who returned to the island to reignite old rivalries and form new alliances, while clashing over their game plans and personalities. Probst added in the same interview that the cash prize for the contestants isn't the real draw: "The prize money is slightly higher than normal ($1,000,000), and that’s it. We were very clear when we called each player: 'These are non-negotiable terms. You’re going to be here for 26 days and here’s the money. This isn’t a leverage situation. If the prize money is what you’re here for, then maybe 50 is not for you. We want people who want to be here to be a part of 50."
The social media mogul was seen at the Tribal Council, where Probst revealed the high-stakes twist to the tribe. Rick Devens took the gamble and won immunity for himself in addition to an idol. Staying true to MrBeast's brand, Probst announced that the prize money would be doubled, with the winner now walking away with $2 million. Stay tuned to find out who the lucky winner will be in the finale, which is just weeks away. 'Survivor 50' airs its latest episodes on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
