The story goes that Jimmy Donaldson was a normal kid growing up in North Carolina who spent five years studying virality on YouTube. "There's a five-year point in my life where I was just relentlessly, unhealthily obsessed with studying virality, studying the YouTube algorithm," Donaldson told Rolling Stone in 2022. The thing he learned shaped a very specific kind of video format: quick cuts, over-scripted and heavily produced audio, big promises of prizes or stunts, quasi-game show featuring production value that would make network TV blush. And it paid off. With more than 479 million subscribers, MrBeast, as he's better known, is the most subscribed channel on YouTube. The algorithm and its tastes shaped MrBeast's creations. But looking around my YouTube feed, it's hard not to see how the platform has come to look more like MrBeast in form and substance. And for kids awash in the waves of content, there are concerns about how this landscape is shaping them. This week on DINGUS OF THE WEEK, LYZ LENZ and ZACHARY OREN SMITH dig into what's underneath the thumbnail. The lawsuits, the moldy Lunchables, and the charity this is less philanthropy than a medieval fiefdom. DINGUS OF THE WEEK is a weekly comedy news podcast where writers Lyz and Zach light a fire under the American rogue's gallery to see who comes spilling out. If you're tired of doom-scrolling but know ignoring the problem doesn't get us anywhere, this is your new weekend listen. New episodes every Saturday morning. SUPPORT THE SHOW by subscribing on Patreon.👑 $5/month - Not a Dingus tier (3 weekly newsletters, 1 podcast, and our entire archive) 👑👑 $10/month - Definitely Not a Dingus tier (all the above + polls and topic submissions, a chat community, weekly discussions, comment access, and our love) SEND US YOUR DINGUS. Record a voice memo and tell us who your dingus of the week is. Make it good and you'll hear your voice on the show. You can also email those to menyellatme@gmail.com. FOLLOW DINGUS OF THE WEEK YouTube Instagram LYZ LENZ is the HBIC of MYAM Media. ZACHARY OREN SMITH writes about politics for Iowa Starting Line. Follow his work on Instagram (http://instagram.com/zacharyorensmith) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@zacharyorensmith). MEGAN GREENWELL is a writer, editor, and newsroom leader. Her bestselling book, Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream, was published in 2025. She also writes narrative features, edits stories on contract, and works as a consultant to newsrooms ranging from local startups to major magazines. LAURA BENITEZ wrote the theme song. SHOW RUNDOWN: 00:00 — Mississippi liquor stores run dry, and Zach's mom is fine. Baby's first words. 06:15 — Intro. 08:30 — Who is the Dingus? Also: ceasefire, war, Spirit Airlines bailout. 13:00 — Dingus of the Week: MrBeast. 27:00 — MrBeast's origin story; drops out, gets kicked out. 33:00 — The algorithm loves him; people don't. 34:00 — 1,000 blind people; "will they subscribe?" 45:00 — Parenting through Beast Games. 46:00 — Break: Patreon plug 49:00 — Game: spot the fake MrBeast video title. 1:03:00 — Dinguses. Where are they now? Kash Patel can't find Savannah Guthrie's mom. 1:07:00 — Joy: Yakuza Zero has a beautiful, quiet soul. 1:18:00 — Joy: Liz's daughter drives solo. 1:23:00 — Outro.