NEW YORK — MrBeast’s ambitious reality show, which the YouTube megastar hopes will expand his giant online reach and turn the corner on recent controversies, is already raising questions from consumer advocates over a partnership with a fintech company.

Amazon Prime Video’s premiere Thursday of the record-setting “Beast Games” capped off a tumultuous year for Jimmy Donaldson and his production company. Shortly after reaching never-before-seen YouTube subscriber totals, MrBeast began facing heightened scrutiny over past “inappropriate content,” the channel’s philanthropic efforts, its workplace culture and allegations of dangerous on-set conditions that Donaldson has denied.

As MrBeast’s loyal following tunes in to watch 1,000 contestants compete for $5 million on “Beast Games,” they are invited to scan a QR code during the show for a shot at winning their own life-changing money. It’s a $4.2 million sweepstakes run by fintech company MoneyLion, an app that sends cash advances — often for a fee to workers living paycheck to paycheck.

The collaboration is billed as a way for MrBeast, who has sought to regain brand trust in recent interviews with alternative-media personalities, to give back to his fanbase while presenting MoneyLion’s personal finance tools to them.

But consumer advocates warn that MoneyLion’s early payments — which are also promoted to giveaway entrants — operate as payday loans that could trap needy users in earnings- depleting borrowing cycles with additional fees.

Watchdogs find that those services are not recommendable for younger audiences, making it an unusual partner for MrBeast to introduce to his persuadable fandom.

“These types of high-cost, fintech payday loans, wrapped up in fancy apps, just put people in a debt trap where they have to borrow this week’s pay to pay last week’s loan and sets them back in their financial goals,” said Lauren Saunders, a director at the National Consumer Law Center who specializes in small-dollar lending.

MoneyLion’s partnership will bring “fans closer to the action than ever before,” according to a company news release. More than 1,000 prizes will be awarded to MoneyLion account holders across eight drawings over the next year. Additional entries can be earned through daily log-ins on the MoneyLion app, where users are promised exclusive, behind-the-scenes content from the series.

Consistent with sweepstakes law, participants must be legal U.S. residents who are 18 or older. Upon entering the giveaway, a popup asks “Want more ways to get money?” with an invitation to borrow money through MoneyLion’s loan services. Consumer watchdogs say cash advancements can come with steep costs despite casting themselves as “no interest” loans.

Users must pay a sliding “turbo” fee to get their “Instacash” advancements “within minutes” instead of waiting the two to five days that MoneyLion estimates it would otherwise take to hit an external checking account. The company charges $8.99 for the maximum advance of $100.

That makes MoneyLion one of the “more expensive options in this market,” said Andrew Kushner, senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending. Considering the products are geared toward cash-strapped people who need money now, most users end up paying the fees.

A 2022 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lawsuit alleges that MoneyLion misled users to believe they could easily end monthly memberships necessary to access some installment loans but then refused to cancel those with outstanding loans.

A representative for MrBeast declined to comment.

In an emailed statement, a MoneyLion spokesperson said the company pairs financial tools and products to support “long-term financial health and stability.”