Liberty Alumna Becomes Contestant On Prime Video’s Beast Games

What started as a joke within her Commons II residence hall turned into a decision that would put alumna Ivy Odom on TV screens in millions of homes. 

After applying on a whim, Odom was selected to be a part of the debut season of “Beast Games,” hosted by YouTube sensation MrBeast. As one of 1,000 contestants, she was given the opportunity to compete for a $5 million prize.  

“I pretty much had no clue what was going on,” Odom said. “It’s the first season, so we had no clue what on Earth we were going to do.” 

The “Beast Games” staff booked Odom’s flights, hotel and provided all meals. All she had to do was show up and prepare for up to six weeks of filming. From then on, she was determined to go the distance.  

Odom arrived in Toronto for filming and was taken to a large airplane hangar that had been turned into a studio for the show. She and hundreds of other contestants competed in multiple challenges that cut the group in half on the first day.  

“I was a mess the first episode because I just wanted to make it through. I wanted to have the full experience,” Odom said. 

Odom survived the first cuts and joined the 500 remaining contestants in the small-scale city MrBeast created specifically for the show. Odom described life in the city as an extension of college with a dash of “summer camp vibes” and the occasional internet celebrity.  

During her time on “Beast Games,” Odom participated in challenges that stretched her mental, physical and emotional abilities. There were many moments that she was in disbelief that she wasn’t eliminated.  

Her experience was a whirlwind. At one point during filming, the contestants rode in a helicopter, took a private plane to Panama, spent time on two private islands, dealt with paparazzi and traveled back to Toronto all within 24 hours. Odom said that she felt it was more like a vacation with her new friends than a game.  

“My mind at that point was so checked out competition wise. I was like, I’m here with all of these friends. And now I’m like randomly friends with these like YouTube celebrities,” Odom said in reference to her last episode.  

Odom’s exit from the game was due to a trivia challenge. She said that she believed her elimination was simply because she was having too much fun. Although her dismissal was earlier than she expected, she ended as one of only 60 remaining contestants. 

Odom said her most impactful experiences during filming didn’t revolve around the game; they involved her faith. She shared that many contestants were open to hearing about Christianity, and she was able to use her situation to glorify God. One especially memorable moment was a church service led by another contestant who is a fellow believer.  

“I think 200 people came to the church service out of 300 (remaining contestants). And because of that church service, four people got led to Christ in the game. And when we went to Panama, two people got baptized,” Odom said.  

Occasionally contestants asked Odom to pray for them because they knew she was a Christian. Odom said this was an incredibly special experience.   

“How cool of a God do we serve that he used a title, ‘Beast Games,’ and a game show about money to bring people to him. How crazy is that,” Odom said, paraphrasing fellow contestant Matthew Knowlton.  

Odom said she was honored to be a part of the show and learned to never underestimate how dreams can be accomplished with some hard work.  

 All episodes of “Beast Games” season one are available for streaming on Prime Video. 

Mullet is a staff writer for the Liberty Champion.