MrBeast Stages Feastables Cups Taste Test With Grandson of Reese’s Inventor

A video posted online shows MrBeast sitting down with the grandson of Reese’s inventor to ask a simple question.

How do Feastables Peanut Butter Cups compare to his grandfather's 100-year-old recipe? 

The video centers on a direct taste comparison between MrBeast’s Feastables Peanut Butter Cups and the latest version of Reese’s cups currently sold by Hershey.

In the clip, the YouTube creator and entrepreneur meets Brad Reese, the grandson of H. B. Reese, the man who created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups nearly a century ago.

Since then, the clip has received over 4.7 million views and nearly 3,000 comments in its first day online.

This latest meeting comes after Brad Reese publicly criticized The Hershey Company over ingredient changes in some Reese’s products.

In a LinkedIn post, he argued that the brand’s story and the product itself were beginning to drift apart.

“And that divergence puts REESE'S and the legacy behind it, at risk,” Brad Reese wrote.

MrBeast later shared Reese’s comments on X, adding his own perspective on why Feastables launched its own peanut butter cup product.

Since then, Brad Reese has publicly expressed his gratitude to MrBeast for bringing the issue to light. 

"Thank you, MrBeast and Feastables, for [...] calling attention to The Hershey Company's swapping out real Milk Chocolate + real Peanut Butter in REESE'S branded products for cheap compound coatings and peanut-butter-creme vegetable oil," he wrote in his latest LinkedIn post. 

The exchange shows how product transparency and legacy can quickly become part of the marketing conversation when creators and brand history collide online.

A Controversial Taste Test

The latest video starts with the two discussing ingredient differences between traditional Reese’s cups and newer formulations that critics say rely more on alternatives.

After talking through those changes, MrBeast presents Brad Reese with a box of Feastables Peanut Butter Cups and asks him to try them against the newer Reese’s formula.

Brad Reese takes the box from MrBeast and opens it as the creator explains what he believes makes the product different.

According to MrBeast, the cups are made with real chocolate and peanut butter instead of processed substitutes.

The exchange quickly circulated across social platforms, drawing attention to the wider conversation around ingredient transparency and product design in packaged snacks.

The debate is also notable because MrBeast’s Feastables brand was launched only in 2022.

Yet it has already positioned itself as a direct competitor to legacy chocolate manufacturers, even bringing in celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay for a public taste test.

However, not all netizens were happy. 

Many quickly went to Reese's defense, claiming that it was still better compared to Feastables, regardless of the ingredients used. 

One even referenced the viral clip of the McDonald's CEO taking a bite of its new burger, saying that Brad would have done something similar if the cameras weren't rolling. 

Whether the taste of Feastables lives up to its real-ingredient claims remains to be seen. 

But if one thing's for sure, using the most recent Reese's controversy has brought a lot of attention to the up-and-coming chocolate brand. 

The Marketing Value of Product Showdowns

For marketers, the Feastables vs. Reese’s moment shows how product debates can become viral storytelling opportunities:

• Public ingredient debates can spark massive attention when a challenger brand frames the discussion around authenticity and transparency.
• Inviting critics or insiders into product comparisons can create credible storytelling that audiences will believe is unscripted and honest.
• Social video can turn a simple taste test into a viral marketing moment that can amplify brand positioning.

Hershey, which acquired the Reese’s brand in 1963, continues to operate one of the largest candy portfolios in the U.S., with brands including Kit Kat, Twizzlers, and Jolly Rancher.

As for MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, he has built one of the largest creator businesses online through viral challenge videos and large-scale giveaways. 

The chart above illustrates how he has successfully translated his rise to fame into wealth and long-term brand equity.

Estimates show his net worth growing from about $1 million in 2018 to roughly $2.6 billion this year, driven by ventures such as Feastables and his broader creator business.

Our Take: Can a Viral Taste Test Challenge a Legacy Brand?

Watching this unfold feels more like a street-corner food argument that accidentally went global.

MrBeast knows exactly what he’s doing here.

Instead of launching a polished commercial, he stages a conversation with the grandson of the product’s original creator to create a narrative.

What makes it effective is its simplicity. 

The move positions Feastables as the scrappy challenger brand pressuring Reese’s, which plays the role of the legacy heavyweight.

Whether or not Feastables actually wins the taste test almost doesn’t matter. The real win is the conversation itself.

A similar brand rivalry surfaced recently when Burger King responded to McDonald's failed marketing moment with a video of its own president taking a huge bite out of the Whopper.