MrBeast's Beast Games Season 2 has cast New Jersey resident Apollo Poetry out of over 400,000 applicants. Officially selected as one of the '100 Smartest People on the Planet' for the record-breaking Amazon Prime Video series, chess and poker player Apollo enters the arena with a staggering intellectual profile: testing in the top 1% for Memory Index, top 1% for Processing Speed, top 2% for Spatial Ability, and the top 6% for IQ.
The competition, which premiered on January 7, 2026, features a $5 million grand prize—the largest in television history. Apollo was cast specifically for his elite cognitive scores. A holder of two Master's degrees (including an MBA), Apollo has bridged the gap between high-level logic and emotional intelligence. As a public speaker, he has presented an EQ workshop for MENSA and has delivered three TEDx talks. He has also facilitated a social and emotional learning workshop in high schools all over the country for over 100,000 people (which was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show).
Apollo's accolades extend far beyond the screen: He is a Guinness World Record breaker, an Amazon Best-selling author, and a member of the All 50-State Club after visiting every state in the U.S. He has previously been featured on MTV, ABC, PBS, FOX, and NPR. In July 2026, one of Apollo's poems is scheduled to be flown to and permanently placed on the surface of the moon. He stated, 'I applied for this opportunity so that long after I'm gone, my daughter can look up to the moon and know that I am always right there with her.'
Apollo is known for constantly pushing boundaries and promoting an adventurous life. As Beast Games continues to trend globally on Prime Video, Apollo Poetry stands as a formidable representative of New Jersey's community, competing to bring the $5 million prize home. The show's official trailer can be viewed on Amazon Prime Video.
