“In my best interest:” Beast Games star Mia Speight shares why she chose the money over $1.8 million private island

Beast Games season 1, the reality competition series officially concluded on February 13, 2025. Mia Speight was one of the contestants who won a 60-acre private island in Panama which was awarded by YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson also known as Mr. Beast.

During her conversation with The Baltimore Banner on February 10, 2025, Mia Speight revealed the reason behind choosing the "alternative monetary value" for the island she won. According to Mia, she felt it was in her "best interest" to choose something more practical. Discussing the details of the island, Mia stated:

"Well, I thought of it as a literal blessing but it was more figurative than something I would actually be able to do anything with. It’s uninhabited — there’s no running water on the island. The electricity was [run by] all generators. I felt as though it was in my best interest to receive the alternative monetary value for the island."

As viewers already know, in this reality TV series, a thousand contestants compete in physical, mental, and social challenges in hopes of receiving the winning title and a five-million-dollar cash prize.

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Beast Games star Mia Speight opens up about her experience on the show

In her interview, the Beast Games star decided to join the show due to her "knowledge" and "athletic" qualities. Being observant was also one of the main qualities that helped her in the game. Mia opened up about her overall experience on the show stating she used her skills and capabilities. While talking about her personality, Mia said:

"I’m kind of an introverted extrovert, so sometimes I’m super talkative in settings and at other times I’m super quiet and I just observe. I did a lot of observing because a lot of people didn’t interact with me during certain parts of the game. I just watched them."

After her win on the Beast Games, Mia has plans to produce films with local filmmakers and fund creative projects that don't get a voice or the opportunity to share their art. She is interested in traveling as well and getting to know other cultures as well as documenting her journey in the form of a travel show.

Revealing her aspirations, Mia continued:

"I would love to do a travel show where I’m opening up to the world the perspective of me — a person from Baltimore — traveling to places that people probably would never see or hear [about], and giving those people a voice to understand what that culture is like.

Towards the end of the interview, the Beast Games star talked about people being more responsible for what they say on the internet. She encouraged users to be careful with their words as they affect the person they are talking about. The Beast Games star emphasized that people are not "cartoon characters" and should be given "grace."

Mia concluded:

"They’re humans. … So I would say to people out there in social media, and in the world in general, be careful how you speak into someone’s life because you don’t know the negative or positive effects that they can have, and we all make mistakes.'

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Fans can follow Beast Games star Mia Speight on her official Instagram account.