The allure of a bribe has changed the game.

As viewers eagerly awaited the continuation of Beast Games Season 2, Episode 4 (“The Survivor Takeover”), they were first treated to the resolution of the dramatic cliffhanger from Episode 3. The stakes were high: half of the remaining contestants were set to be whisked away to Fiji, where they would compete for a private island. However, before this dream could be realized, the drama surrounding Captain Bribe needed to unfold. The cash prize soared to a staggering million dollars, while contestants below proclaimed that integrity should never be compromised. Yet, within moments, an eerie silence descended over Beast City as JT (#126) abandoned integrity, opting instead for the hefty cash, leaving him an instant millionaire but appearing anything but triumphant.

“JT, you’re so slippery. I would’ve shared some money if you were that desperate,” quipped Mia, #952, the previous season’s island winner, addressing the betrayal by their captain as she and four others exited Beast Games. Meanwhile, as the eliminated contestants voiced their parting thoughts, the show aired JT’s previous statements about team unity, now sounding hypocritical. Was self-interest his true motive all along? Historically, some players have seized the opportunity when presented. Yet, when questioned by MrBeast, JT’s rationale faltered. Despite expressing disdain for being the villain, he claimed he could live with it—a contradiction in terms. He may have to reconcile with his conscience while counting his winnings, drawing disapproving looks from those who remain. Mia’s farewell message resonated beyond the game: “Ladies and gentlemen, remember this invaluable lesson: greed is idolatry. Peace!”

“Raise the wall!” The call heralded a new challenge, set in a secluded corner of the City where a line of cannons awaited. Participants embarked on a scavenger hunt to match cannonballs, with success securing them a chance to compete for this season’s island valued at $1.8 million. (Cue scenes of Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson giving a tour of the serene, island retreat as if auditioning for a real estate show.) With each cannon firing, another contestant joined the ranks of those heading to the island, while the rest remained in Beast City. Their dreams of island escapades dashed, they might rue missing the chance to meet Jeff Probst.

THE CULT OF JEFF

Indeed, the contestants were headed to the actual Survivor Island, where the iconic host of the famed reality series awaited them. Probst drew parallels between Survivor and Beast Games as social experiments, while noting the latter’s unique financial incentives. From the outset, the contestants, including Donaldson, were visibly starstruck in Probst’s presence. His legendary hosting prowess stood in stark contrast to MrBeast’s more exuberant style. As the challenges commenced, Probst effortlessly slipped into his characteristic Survivor persona, even gently admonishing Donaldson for his boisterous enthusiasm. The contestants and crew alike envied Jeff’s unparalleled composure and command.

With the players split into two teams of five, they’re fitted with trademark Survivor “buff” headwraps and presented with two heats. A relay course – tight-fitting net crawl, ball toss, table track; puzzle at the end – and “One of the most iconic challenges of Survivor,” the pole-holding Get A Grip. And it’s interesting how both favor neither the Strong nor the Smart, but instead demand personal fortitude, that most intangible and all-important reality show thing. “Jeff’s gonna get in your face and tell you how much you suck – just ignore him,” Sue (#91) tells her teammates. She knows: “Suenami” finished third in Survivor 47. 

With Nate already fallen in Get A Grip, Ian slipping, and JC holding on for dear life, Team Smart’s Ethan (#21) takes MrBeast’s bribe of 50 grand, which is trundled onto the beach in a wheelbarrow. “It’s guaranteed money, that’s really all I wanted,” he says, highlighting an aspect of what JT encountered as a captain during Bribe. The final two will stand at tribal council, held in front of the same shipwrecked galleon from Survivor 49, where the other eight Beast-ers will vote on who gets the deed to their own private island.

ALL TRIBE, NO BRIBE

It’s remarkably straightforward. With stakes still popping for everyone back in Beast City proper, where Beast’s five-million-dollar prize is still on the line, JC and Ian deliver speeches to the group about why they deserve to win this Survivor-infused game segment. Would you give JC an island after he grabbed $650,000 for himself last season? Nobody seems willing, and Jeff even gets in a dig. “It’s fitting when something else is on the line, now you’re sharing about being inconsiderate of others in Season 1.” 

It’s Ian, the bearded former Ninja Warrior, who wins out. His speech is all about how his family could really use a win, how validating his emotions as a man carried him forward. And he invests the integrity JT from Captain Bribe could never. “If you need me to self-eliminate,” he tells the tribal council made up of Beast players, “run through a wall, I’m there for you.” Ian wins the Season 2 island giveaway with an eight-vote sweep.

But as MrBeast signs the deed of ownership over to Ian, he also presents a final twist. As runner-up of the (“first…annual?”) Survivor–Beast crossover, JC is presented with a gold coin. If he makes it to the top 6 of the competition, he can flip the coin to potentially double the Beast Games grand prize to ten million bucks. MrBeast asks the OG what’s on his mind as Ian celebrates and all the competitors prepare for their return to Beast City. One word: “Leverage.” 

20 players remain.

Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.