• A Bob Ross landscape painting is among $1 million in prizes in a Super Bowl game show giveaway on live shopping marketplace Whatnot.
  • The late artist and public television host, beloved for his “happy trees,” has become an auction star, with a new record of $787,900.
  • The giveaway is part of a live game show hosted by YouTube star MrBeast on the marketplace app Whatnot. 

 

Have you ever wanted to own one of the tranquil landscapes of Bob Ross (1942–1995)? Now’s your chance to get one for free, during a live game show airing on live shopping marketplace Whatnot ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday. The event is promising $1 million in prizes.

Ross, the late star of public television’s The Joy of Painting, has captivated generations with his soothing voice and cheerful, deftly executed landscapes. He has also become something of a market sensation over the last six months or so, with his auction record skyrocketing from $55,000 in July to $787,900 at Bonhams’ “Americana” sale last month, where nonprofit organization American Public Television sold a trio of paintings in the wake of its loss of $1.1 billion in federal funding.

Assuming you don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to shell out on one of Ross’s wet-on-wet oil canvases, this could be your best chance to own a coveted signed work by the afroed artist. The giveaway, which also includes a Lamborghini Spyder, a Hermès Birkin bag, and a sealed Pokémon Base Set Unlimited Booster Box, is being hosted by YouTube creator Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, as part of Whatnot’s “Big Game. Big Deals.” event.

Whatnot, which bills itself as the largest live shopping destination in the U.S. and Europe, reportedly did $8 billion in live sales in 2025. The hour-long sale with Donaldson will be taped in the Bay Area, where the Super Bowl will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Viewers can tune in on the Whatnot app at 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 8, for a chance to win prizes, and to see surprise celebrity appearances. There will be a Super Bowl ticket giveaway on Saturday at 7 p.m.

A photo of a smiling white adult man in his 20s or 30s with short brown hair and light facial hair, standing in a studio setting and holding stacks of cash in both hands. He wears a gray sweatshirt and black pants and poses in front of luxury items arranged on the floor, including large piles of bundled money, boxed electronics, designer handbags, sneakers, and a framed landscape painting. Behind him are brightly colored sports cars, a jet ski, a motorcycle, and large signs reading “Million Dollar Giveaway” with a date displayed, creating a high-energy promotional scene.

Items in MrBeast’s game show giveaway for Whatnot’s “Big Game. Big Deals.” event, including an original Bob Ross painting. Photo courtesy of WhatNot.

Based on a sales listing on Artsy, Donaldson’s Ross canvas, titled Authentic Mountain Retreat, comes from Modern Artifact, a fine art, antiques, and memorabilia gallery in Minneapolis that does a brisk business in the artist’s work.

“We have sold Bob Ross originals in a wide price range, from $10,000 to over six figures,” Modern Artifact owner Ryan Nelson told Artsy in May of last year. When reached by email, he said he did not sell Authentic Mountain Retreat directly to Mr. Beast.

The company made headlines in 2023 when it announced that it was selling the very first painting Ross ever made on The Joy of Painting, which Nelson equated to the artist’s rookie card. The gallery priced the 1983 work, titled A Walk in the Woods, at $9.85 million—but has yet to attract a buyer, despite numerous news articles erroneously announcing its sale.