NC Updates Film Rules To Land MrBeast’s Beast Games Season 2

North Carolina changed its film incentive guidelines this spring to bring in Beast Games Season 2. Nine of the show's 10 episodes filmed in the state. The production spent at least $65 million filming between a Wilmington studio and locations around Greenville, where YouTube creator Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, graduated from high school and runs his company.

The state had a problem when trying to attract production. Under existing rules, the N.C. Film Office could not offer grants to game shows. Beast Industries came up with a solution in March by submitting a fact sheet that classified Beast Games as a competition show rather than a game show.

The state commerce department added new language to grant guidelines this spring. The updated text states that a reality-based competition series will not be considered a game show and may qualify for a grant under the program. After a 15-day comment period with no public feedback, officials finalized the change in June. Filming started the same month.

Trailblazer Events, a Beast production company, filmed over five weeks beginning in early June. Around 630 people in the state worked on production through a process that includes post-production work extending into 2026. One episode filmed in Nevada.

Guy Gaster, N.C. Film Office Director, said Season 1 filmed outside the state because of incentives. In a June 4 email to commerce officials, Gaster said Beast Games was a priority for Amazon, which operates the Prime Video platform that streams the series.

"There are certainly people who have asked, 'Why are you giving this production an incentive? They were going to be in North Carolina regardless,'" Gaster said, according to The News & Observer in a phone interview Monday. "And they have proven that, no, they would not necessarily shoot this in the state."

The Nevada Film Office approved a $2.5 million tax credit in June for Beast Games to film a Season 2 episode in Las Vegas. The state gave Season 1 production a $2.2 million incentive the year before.

Talks about filming in the state began in November 2024, public records show. Beast Industries submitted an intent to film application in April seeking to shoot at least 80% of the second season in the state.

Season 1 featured 1,000 competitors pursuing a $5 million prize. The winner doubled it to $10 million in a coin toss. Amazon Prime Video said it was the platform's most watched unscripted show ever. Season 2 will feature Jeff Probst and another $5 million prize across 10 episodes.