Who is MrBeast? Meet the social media superstar driving Aussies wild as he gives away luxury cars

By Savanna Young For Daily Mail Australia 23:56 26 Jun 2024, updated 03:59 27 Jun 2024

MrBeast touched down in Australia earlier this week and sent fans into a frenzy by giving away several luxury cars, including a $450,000 Lamborghini.

The 26-year-old, real name is Jimmy Donaldson, is already the world's richest YouTuber, with an estimated net worth of more than $750million and over 288 million subscribers on his channel.

A lucky Aussie fan won the $450,000 Lamborghini during a major giveaway held at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday, while nine other cars were also up for grabs.

The flashy vehicles included a Porsche, Mercedes, Tesla, the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine van and a Jurassic-Park-themed Volkswagen.

MrBeast is currently Down Under promoting the launch of his Feastables chocolate bar, which is available to purchase nation-wide.

He's also offering Aussies the chance to win a car when they purchase the sweet treat.

But fans are already turning on the social media star, who has almost 60million Instagram followers, revealing issues with the giveaway.

TikTok user @gabenxoe shared a video showing that she won a car after purchasing several Feastables and spinning to win.

The woman's spin landed on three cars, but the result read: 'Sorry! Not this time.'

'I played your little game, and I won. And then you told me, "Womp womp",' she said in the video.

'When I reached out to your team, they said, "Sorry for the miscommunication. You're not one of the registered winners. Here's 10, free spins." 10 free spins?! I'd rather take the car personally.'

She continued: 'I found out I'm not the only one who's had this issue. There's actually been a lot of people on this app and other apps, sharing their experiences, sharing screenshots of them winning and being told, "Sorry, not this time".

'So what's going on? Because I don't understand how we can play a game, win, and be told we don't win.'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Mr Donaldson for comment on the claims. 

Born in Wichita, Kansas, before growing up in Greenville, North Carolina, MrBeast uploaded his first YouTube video in February 2012, aged 13.

His early content revolved around harmless pranks on friends.

His first hit was a video of him taking four hours to count to 100,000. As his following grew, MrBeast moved towards the lavish giveaways that have become his trademark.

It started small, giving away cash prizes to members of his community, but quickly gathered momentum and by 2018 he was donating $100,000 worth of products to a homeless shelter.

He has since given away cash to an Uber driver, a waitress, and people in parking lots.

In one video, he dropped $20,000 out of a drone and gave a pizza man the house he was delivering to as a tip.

Gareth Boyd, head of growth at Finty.com, said MrBeast outgrew other YouTubers because his stunts, which are not confined to charitable acts, 'were totally and utterly different to anything else anyone was doing'.

'Going to a football training ground and seeing who can hold onto an airplane the longest - what other TV show does that?' he added.

MrBeast himself has credited his success to innovative thinking and calculated risk-taking.

He also has an eye for new opportunities and brand deals, expanding his YouTube empire into the food and drink sector.

Most of MrBeast's giveaways are funded by brand deals and ad revenues.