MrBeast hunts for volunteers to test the viral question: who would win between 100 men and one gorilla?

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Published May 1, 2025 at 03:14 PM

Reading time: 3 minutes

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I wish I was joking about this one, but no. MrBeast has announced his plans for a new YouTube video that consists of 100 men physically fighting one gorilla. In April 2025, MrBeast chimed in on a viral thought experiment that was making its way across the internet, posting a mockup of one of his YouTube video thumbnails showing a large group of men opposing a massive silverback gorilla. Here comes another unhinged MrBeast experience.

No, this thumbnail isn’t code for a team-building exercise. It’s exactly what it sounds like: the infamous internet debate brought to life. And depending on who you ask, it’s either peak content innovation or the clearest sign yet that the human race is spiralling straight into idiocracy.

Where did the 100 men vs one gorilla question come from?

This online debate began back in 2020 on Reddit, when a user posed the question in the r/whowouldwin subreddit—a hub for hypothetical discussions about just about everything.

The question was simple but absurd: Could 100 men defeat one adult silverback gorilla? No rules, anything goes. And while most people would expect this to remain an idle internet thought experiment, the topic gained massive traction and became an internet phenomenon.

Flash forward to last week when the question was raised again on X (formerly Twitter). The debate has exploded across social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, sparking countless memes, videos, and even animated diagrams showing how a group of humans could possibly overpower one of the most powerful creatures on Earth.

@speedymorman

i wanna volunteer a couple guys as tribute

♬ original sound - speedy

Can they even fight? Is this even legal?

The online debate has taken on a life of its own, with some seriously bizarre arguments thrown into the mix. One user argued that “everyone’s got to be dedicated” to defeat the gorilla, while others pointed out that even with human teamwork, the odds are stacked against them. The silverback’s bite force alone is stronger than a lion’s, and that’s not even including its ability to lift and throw hundreds of kilos.

And now, here we are: MrBeast is stepping into the ring to bring this debate to life, recruiting volunteers to join in a real-world test of strength, strategy, and sheer madness.

Even the Chelsea football team got swept into the madness. Star player Cole Palmer, claimed that he—and 99 others—could take down a gorilla. At this point, it’s less about strength and more about the epidemic of male confidence.

@chelseafc

100 men vs one gorilla❓🦍 #ChelseaFC #CFC #PremierLeague

♬ original sound - Chelsea FC

The dangerous reality of MrBeast’s 100 men vs one gorilla challenge

Logically speaking, how could this even happen? Could a silverback gorilla really be put in this situation for “entertainment?” And why are people volunteering to face something that could easily tear them apart?

Even Elon Musk couldn’t resist jumping into absurdity, tweeting: “Sure, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Meanwhile, animal rights group PETA wasn’t having it. In a characteristically sharp clapback, the organisation posted: “100 men vs. a gorilla? Maybe try 100 reasons to leave animals out of your content instead…”

It’s a fair point. Because somewhere between Musk’s memes and MrBeast’s thumbnails, we seem to have forgotten: this isn’t a video game. It’s a living, breathing, 500-pound primate with no desire to star in a YouTube stunt.

As reported by Forbes, Tara Stoinski, president of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, noted that a gorilla brings far more strength, tougher skin, and a stronger bite, and even if the 100 men win, chances are not all of them would walk away alive.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right? Honestly, my ex could sign up for this challenge tomorrow and no one would blink. Let’s be real, this is the same demographic that thinks they could land a commercial plane with zero training, outsmart a bear in the wild, or win a fight wearing nothing but some Andrew Tate merch. It’s not so much men vs gorilla, as it is delusion vs biology.

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