YouTube’s MrBeast brings his epic stunts to downtown Raleigh’s skyline in viral video
This story was originally published Dec. 11, 2022.
From crushing a Lamborghini car with a hydraulic press to sending a fake meteor through a model house, YouTube personality MrBeast’s video released in December 2022 includes several of the impressive, viral stunts he’s built his brand around.
But keen-eyed viewers in the Triangle may be more interested in another stunt in the video, which — though arguably less shocking in comparison to others in the video — puts downtown Raleigh on full display.
The stunt, which begins around the seven-minute mark of the roughly 10-minute video, features a man only identified as Dave, “a professional Spider-Man stunt double,” climbing the 30-story Wells Fargo Capital Center on Fayetteville Street — attached to a rope and dressed in what MrBeast calls an official, “working Spider-Man suit,” of course.
Though it is unclear when the stunt was filmed, the Wells Fargo building has been used for climbing events, including the annual “Over the Edge” fundraiser hosted by Special Olympics North Carolina. The group’s most recent event took place on Dec. 3.
The stunt takes up about two minutes of the video, switching between views of Dave climbing and MrBeast and friends watching from inside the building and on the roof. Downtown Raleigh landmarks, including the State Capitol and the round Holiday Inn, are shown from above at various points.
About halfway through Dave’s climb, the weather turns rainy, causing some concern that the suction features of the Spider-Man suit might stop working due to the slick conditions on the building. Though MrBeast offers to let Dave down from the building and forgo the rest of the climb, Dave keeps going.
“’I’ve been the real Spider-Man many times,” Dave says as he climbs the tower, “and I don’t give up.”
In the end, Dave’s determination and spider-like skills pay off, with MrBeast meeting him at the top and gifting him $10,000 from a silver briefcase for completing the 400-foot climb.
“You deserve this,” MrBeast tells Dave, before the video switches to the final stunt.
The video, released Dec. 10, 2022, has over 221 million views as of March 12, 2024.
MrBeast is most popular YouTuber globally, has ties to NC
MrBeast, the 25-year-old whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, is YouTube’s most popular personality globally, claiming that title in November when he surpassed 112 million subscribers — the most of any individual user on the platform. As of Sunday, he has at least 117 million subscribers.
While he’s known for eye-popping stunts similar to the ones in Saturday’s video, he is also known for his charitable — and extravagant — acts, often giving away large sums of money or valuable items, such as iPhones, to strangers.
While the sky-high views of Raleigh in the latest MrBeast video may be an exciting sight for local viewers, the choice to film here likely doesn’t come as a huge surprise to those familiar with the YouTuber’s background.
Donaldson is from Greenville, and has based his wildly successful YouTube empire in the North Carolina city, performing stunts and filming videos there and in other places around the state.
In 2018, he ordered two waters at the popular Greenville restaurant Sup Dogs, then left a $10,000 cash tip. In 2019, he filmed a video with former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. In 2020, he filmed a video of him building a scale model of Raleigh — which he described as his “hometown” — in the Minecraft video game.
And last month, Donaldson and Greenville’s East Carolina University announced that they were creating “an exclusive partnership aimed at developing a credentialing program to help solve the creator industry’s growing demand for a skilled workforce pipeline.”
The online credential program, which is expected to launch within the next year, will not require students to be enrolled as traditional four-year students at the university. Students will gain skills in “camera work, editing, analytics and other needed creator industry skills.”
“This program will not focus on finding the next YouTube star, but instead will provide training and credentialing for employees who work for creator companies that produce content,” ECU’s announcement of the program said.
Part of Donaldson’s hope for the program, he told ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers, is to strengthen the creator workforce in his own backyard.
“I’m biased because it’s right beside me,” Donaldson said in a video announcing the program. “When they graduate, they can take 10 steps down the road and come get a job.”
Updates about the program will be available at creator.ecu.edu. Until then, MrBeast fans can keep an eye out for more North Carolina cameos at youtube.com/@MrBeast.
This story was originally published December 11, 2022 at 2:58 PM with the headline "YouTube’s MrBeast brings his epic stunts to downtown Raleigh’s skyline in viral video."
