Number 42 / @Merch6903 (Mr. Beast Villain)

About

Number 42 or Mr. Beast Villain are nicknames for TikToker @Merch6903, real name Jimmy Merchel, who went viral after appearing in the April 2024 MrBeast video "Ages 1 – 100 Decide Who Wins $250,000" in which he was responsible for eliminating and influencing another contestant to eliminate numerous contestants in order to win the $250,000 prize, including an 11-year-old child. Despite this, Number 42 did not win the game. Following the episode, he became the subject of memes, edits and discourse about being a villain.

Online History

Number 42 started posting content on TikTok^[1] using the account @merch6903 on January 15th, 2017. He posted several notable videos to TikTok^[2][3] in 2023, including videos on August 19th and 24, 2023 in which he gave motivational speeches about not giving up to the viewers, garnering over 800,000 and 799,000 views respectively in eight months (shown below, left and right).

Appearance In MrBeast's "Ages 1 – 100 Decide Who Wins $250,000" Video

On April 20th, 2024, MrBeast posted a video titled "Ages 1 – 100 Decide Who Wins $250,000" to YouTube,^[4] garnering over 74 million views in three days (shown below). In the video, MrBeast puts 100 people between the ages of one and 100 in their own small cubes containing only a bed. If a player leaves the room, they're eliminated, with the last player standing winning $250,000.

Throughout the game, participants are encouraged to befriend each other, as there are periods of time when they must decide among themselves who of the 10 participants will leave the cubes. If they can't decide, 25 are randomly eliminated. On day two, MrBeast gives them the opportunity to choose one person to win the money but they refuse. So, each age group picks a "team captain," with Number 42 being picked as the captain of the 40s. The captains are offered various sums of money worth less than $250,000 at points throughout the game and if they choose to take it, the rest of their team is eliminated.

Number 42 consistently refuses the offered money, with 30 taking the money once it reaches $100,000. They then begin spinning a wheel, with the first number it lands on having to pick if they want to eliminate the second number spun or not. The wheel lands on 43 and 36 and 42 convinces her to eliminate 36 and several other contestants. He then convinces 43 to eliminate an 11-year-old, saying, "Now is not the time to develop a heart."

MrBeast then brings out another $250,000 and "blacks out" all the cubes so they cannot see each other. If only one player steps out of their cube, they get the money. If more than one steps out, they're both eliminated. Number 42 yells that he's stepping out, then steps out. However, another contestant, 58, also steps out, eliminating both the players.

Online Presence

Following his appearance in the MrBeast video, Number 42's TikTok page was discovered as people began making memes and edits out of his footage from the episode. For example, on April 21st, 2024, TikTokers^[5][6] @_asstra1 and @zandrox__ posted edits of 42, including footage where he convinces 43 to eliminate other players, garnering over 1.6 million and 5.8 million views, respectively, in two days (shown below, left and right).

The contestant's TikTok page, @merch6903, saw a boost in popularity following the release of the episode, garnering over 100,000 new followers over the next two days according to Social Blade.^[7]

On April 22nd, Merch6903 went live on TikTok to discuss the contest and the edits being made about him, expressing his happiness over the edits. That day, TikToker^[8] @itss.rudy posted a clip from the live, garnering over 1.8 million views in a day (shown below).

Search Interest

External References