Page 1 of The Most Dangerous Games

The Players

(A Partial List)

Patrick Arrasmith

ALEK. A university student from a hard-hit city in Eastern Europe’s Carpathian belt, Aleksandra Andrich and her mother are the only surviving members of her family after years of sirens and forced evacuations. She’s a tough and crafty competitor, but deep down is a faithful friend and a compass. She’s also lived through the kind of coercion that hides behind “official” words. PLAYER #9.

AMOS. A celebrated veteran of an elite military unit from the Eastern Mediterranean Buffer Zone. A quiet and thoughtful man, Amos believes in peace despite his time in the field. Maybe because of that time. PLAYER #17.

ANT. A former British Royal Marine who now runs a military contracting firm, Ant Tipton is an opportunist who knows how to destabilize a room. He’ll seemingly do whatever it takes to win, including causing harm to his fellow players. PLAYER #3.

CARLOS. A former undefeated professional boxer from Colombia. Now, Carlos Lopez has worked his way up through the ranks of South American business, in an era when supply lines break and borders close without warning in the Northern Andes. Not all his connections are legal. PLAYER #39.

CONNER. West Point graduate, Rhodes Scholar, youngest congressman ever elected in Kentucky. Conner Lynch left politics to host a popular podcast, in the hope that he might do more for his country there. PLAYER #156.

ELENA. A celebrated newscaster from Madrid, Spain, Elena Torres is magnetic, capable, and caring. She has big plans to become her country’s prime minister when she’s done with her broadcasting career. PLAYER #87.

HANNAH. Born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, Hannah Wagner demonstrated tremendous intelligence from an early age and is already a junior at MIT at the age of eighteen. She’s not just a great engineer. She’s emotionally intelligent, deeply sympathetic, and wise beyond her years. The daughter of two former Hamburg police officers, she notices systems the way other people notice weather. Her father, after his retirement, became an instructor in self-defense. PLAYER #222.

JACK. Hails from Houston and is a former sergeant major in the Army Rangers. At age ten, Jack McHenry saved six other kids when his foster home caught fire. Jack’s a natural leader who has underperformed in life since his last overseas deployment, in a world that never seems to calm down anymore. PLAYER #711.

LUCA. A police inspector from Rome, Italy, Luca won a medal of valor for preventing a terrorist attack in the Vatican City. Despite his success, he thinks of himself as a husband and father first and a policeman second. Everybody loves Luca Tommasi. PLAYER #112.

MARCELO. Hails from Santiago, Chile, where he became an undefeated master of Brazilian jiujitsu. Quietly confident, Marcelo Oliveira never loses at anything—from soccer to romance. PLAYER #638.

REG. An Australian gold medalist in the decathlon and world-famous athlete. He also won another gold medal in rugby. Reg Drummond is one of the favorites to win these games the way he won Olympic Games in front of the world. PLAYER #2.

RUPERT. Born in a poor section of Manchester, England, Rupert Chadwick is a third-generation descendant of Indian immigrants. A brilliant student and impressive athlete, but most amazing, he’s only fourteen years old. Almost as much of a prodigy as Hannah Wagner. PLAYER #930.

SAAD. Volunteered and then served in his country’s Air Force, despite his royal status, in a region where heat and money shape everything. By far the wealthiest person in the competition. Prince Saad al-Harbi believes in fair play. Unless he’s about to lose. PLAYER #7.

WYATT. Nineteen years old and has lived in New York City his entire privileged life. Despite that, Wyatt Jordan has the highest scores on the aptitude test taken by all competitors. Resourceful and charismatic, Wyatt is a survivor and a born leader. He’s a polished speaker and good with words, but it’s more than that. He’s a brilliant and convincing liar when he must be. PLAYER #77.

ZHI. An adored Chinese gymnast, Lin Zhi will be forced to compete against his brother, Lin Jian (Player #21), a platform diver who has no problem competing against anyone. This contest puts the two of them in the same discipline for the first time in their lives. PLAYER #20.

THE HOST. This mysterious disembodied character strikes fear into the heart of every player. His words alone have the power to change the players’ lives and fortunes. Perhaps the most puzzling thing about him is his real agenda.

JIMMY. This is Jimmy Donaldson. Aka MrBeast. A world-famous content creator known for his games and challenges, Jimmy has been asked by the contest’s organizers to help make the games as demanding as possible. He was approached by the organizers and believes in the mission behind these games, at least the one he was sold. He believes the right person can help change everything for the better if given the right resources. Sharp, fair-minded, and deeply loyal, he isn’t afraid to stand up for the players when he suspects something has gone terribly wrong.

The Letter

The letter below was sent to the one thousand participants in the fifth competition seeking “The One” by its organizers. The envelope was gold and sealed with a blue-and-pink logo well-known to belong to YouTube creator MrBeast. The letter has never been seen by anyone who didn’t participate in the final competition. Confidentiality wasn’t about privacy, as believed then. It was control.

Courtesy of Adobe Stock

Patrick Arrasmith

Hey guys,

It’s me, Jimmy. MrBeast. This is me. For real.

First off: Congratulations!

I know what you’re thinking. I didn’t apply to anything. That’s true. But stick with me and let me explain because this is the most important letter I’ve ever sent anyone, and you’re about to get the chance of a lifetime, maybe of a dozen lifetimes.

You were selected—after careful screening—for a private competition that stays private. Not for the mystery. Because if this went public, it would turn into chaos overnight.

The competition is a series of tests that are harder than anything you’ve seen. And unlike what I do, this will not be recorded, televised, streamed, or uploaded anywhere for the world to see.