Beast Games Season 2 Player 148 Ian reveals what he did with $1.8m island

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Ian Weber, known as Player 148, won a $1.8 million private island on Season 2 of Beast Games. Now, he’s revealed whether he decided to keep the island or take the cash instead, and explained why he made that choice.

MrBeast previously gave away a similar island in the first season of his Prime Video show, and Mia Speight was the winner. This time around, in season two, the island was won as part of a special episode that combined elements from the show ‘Survivor’.

Okay, so MrBeast and Jeff Probst teamed up for this awesome episode of Survivor, and they dropped ten players onto an island in Fiji! It was the usual Survivor stuff – challenges, tribal councils, the works. But it all came down to a really exciting final two: Ian and JC, who you might remember as the villain from Season 1 – Player 566! It was so cool to see them both make it that far.

After the final eight players gathered for Tribal Council, Ian won in a unanimous vote. Be warned – this contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 5 of Beast Games!

Ian Weber (Player 148) on what he did with Beast Games Season 2 island

Ian Weber, also known as Player 148, has shared that MrBeast offered him a choice: he could have the island from the challenge, or he could take the cash prize. Weber decided to take the money.

Okay, so it totally makes sense why he did what he did, considering why he even went on the show. He basically told everyone at Tribal Council that he promised his wife he’d win some money to help the family live comfortably. It was a straight-up, honest move, and you could see he was playing for more than just himself.

For fourteen years, Ian dedicated himself to his corporate career, working six or seven days a week to support his family. Despite this dedication, he felt trapped and as though he had no other options. Ironically, he now says his bank account is lower than it’s ever been.

Honestly, it was wild. This guy told everyone that if he won, he’d actually quit the game and let someone else take the $5 million. Combine that with the fact he already won a good chunk of change – $650,000 – last season, and it’s no surprise he ended up winning! Everyone clearly wanted him to win, knowing he’d share the wealth.

In the end, Ian keeps his promise and bravely sacrifices himself during the cubes challenge in Season 2, Episode 5 of Beast Games.

Despite feeling like a recent development, the second chapter was actually filmed in June 2025. This gives Ian a significant amount of time to decide how to use his $1.8 million island.

He shared on the RHAP podcast, ‘I had a choice: keep ownership of the island or sell it, and I considered selling – it would have been a good outcome.’ He also clarified that while the Survivor island is in Fiji, his is located in Panama.

I still can’t believe Jimmy flew me all the way to Panama! When I finally got to my island, it was incredible. He gave me a tour of my villa – seriously, it had a king-size bed and my own private pool! It was like a dream.

I decided to leave and told him, ‘You know what? I’ll take the $1.8 million.’

MrBeast didn’t just agree to the deal, he offered Ian the chance to get paid immediately. Ian explained, “He let me skip the usual selling process and just pay me upfront, and I took him up on it.”

It’s easy to see why he chose the money instead of the island – it would provide financial security for him and his family for the rest of their lives. Plus, practically speaking, keeping the island wouldn’t have been feasible.

I had to travel a long way to get to this island – flying to Panama, then a two-hour drive and a three-hour boat ride. Once I finally arrived, I immediately realized it wasn’t going to work out. I wondered how I would even get back, as it was such a remote and difficult-to-reach place.

What did Mia Speight (Player 952) do with the island?

As previously mentioned, Mia Speight, known as Player 952, won the $1.8 million island prize in Season 1 of Beast Games. Like Ian, she chose to accept the money instead of continuing the competition.

Mia, a competitor on Beast Games Season 2 who was eliminated after the Captain’s Bribe, recently explained to The Baltimore Banner why she chose to leave the competition.

She initially saw it as a genuine blessing, but realized it was more of a symbolic gesture than something she could actually use or act on, according to Soap Central.

The island is deserted and has no running water. Everything was powered by generators. I decided it was best to sell the island rather than keep it.

Where is the $1.8 million Beast Games island?

Ian shared that the island featured in Beast Games is in Panama, specifically within the Pearl Islands, about 30 miles off the country’s coast.

La Vivienda Island, also known as Isla La Vivienda, is a beautiful, uninhabited island with lovely beaches and clear water. It’s located near other islands, including Bayoneta.

Because MrBeast and his team own the island, it’s not open to the public. While it has a villa and resort amenities, it doesn’t have the basic facilities like permanent buildings or staff, so all maintenance, personnel, and transportation costs are the responsibility of the owner.

Most lottery or contest winners find that actually owning and taking care of a private island is much harder than it seems, so they usually choose to take the money instead.

The sixth episode of Beast Games Season 2 will be available on Prime Video January 28th. Before then, you can find out what happened with Players 152 and 173, learn why Player 21 left the competition, and discover other new shows to stream this month.

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2026-01-22 16:20