MrBeast announces exploring 2,000 year old temples for new YouTube video

Survival challenges are not uncommon for YouTube megastar Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson, who often orchestrates videos around concepts such as the "deadliest places on Earth," or 24-hour challenges in extreme conditions like the desert heat, or high-altitude mountain tops. Recently, Donaldson announced that he had explored ancient temples for yet another survival challenge.

In an announcement post on X, MrBeast labelled this upload as "one of his favorite vids":

"We explored dozens of 2,000 year old ancient temples in the new video to see what’s inside. One of my favorite vids :D."

The photo posted along with this caption featured Donaldson and his partner, Thea Booysen, posing in front of El Castillo, or the Temple of Kukulcán, a Mesoamerican step pyramid at Chichén Itzá in Mexico, built approximately 1,025 years ago. The temple building is renowned for its astronomical significance and architectural precision.

Fans reacted to the announcement post, with many like @BigTXSteve expressing excitement:

"That sounds fun. Take me next time."

Others like @greg16676935420 acknowledged Thea's presence in the photo and praised the couple:

"Wow you guys are cute together you should get married (and invite me)."

More reactions to MrBeast's upcoming video, fans generally had positive remarks on the YouTuber's temple exploration adventure (Images via @MrBeast/X)

@jojolo549 appreciated MrBeast for providing viewers with an outlook on "the world":

"Thanks Mr. Beast for sharing and showing us the world thru your videos!"

@LoriLosk131511 asked for guidance on how to succeed on YouTube:

"My mentor. How do I succeed on YouTube?"

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Looking at MrBeast's latest video titled I Survived 100 Hours In An Ancient Temple

Soon after his announcement, MrBeast released the full, 15-minute survival challenge on YouTube. Within three hours of being uploaded, the video amassed nearly 7 million views.

In the video, Donaldson explored some of the temples that are home to Mexico's Chichén Itzá, one of the seven Wonders of the World. He started the video by calling on his crew to uncover secrets within these structures:

"Let's go discover the secrets of the Mayans."

Within the first 15 hours of their journey, the crew began their exploration, studied ancient wall engravings, reviewed artefacts, set up camp, and looked at local wildlife. Part of this specific video style is the immersion that Donaldson presents to his viewers. The YouTuber animated and reconstructed wall paintings and building structures using 3D rendering to better represent the Mayan lifestyle.

Donaldson's tour guides showed them around the compound, mentioning facts about the sports played, the king's palace, and more. Additionally, MrBeast and team ventured down into a cave swarming with bats, in search of the king's treasure.

40 hours in, the crew took a helicopter to explore more temples and structures, which were once home to the Mayans. Here, they delved deep into a cave that held the "tree of life":

"A cave which Mayans believed humans emerged from. ('The Maya believe that humanity came from a cave', said the tour guide). Deep inside of there is what they called the 'Tree of Life,' and they believed that all of us spawned from this very majestic, beautiful tree, deep in this cave."

The cave proved to be a challenge, with the heat and lack of oxygen. Regardless, the crew persevered. Towards the end, the team took a dip in a natural underground pool, ate some traditional Mayan food, and visited the famous Temple of Kukulcán.

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In other news, Donaldson discussed collaborating with James Patterson on an upcoming thriller novel project.