Gaston push up challenge...

[Monkee Girl]

Wait...what? So I stumble back into this thread to see why it is still going on only to find out Gaston's been suspended for this?

Aaahh....

What miserable behaviour. There was so much win in that video. Is everything I like about WDW abhorred by management?

I know it's sad. But this is still a fun thread because I like that we are posting the best of the best Gaston videos.

I'm gonna add one...to keep the thread positive.

It's not Our 'Push Up Gaston' but this guy is probably my favorite after him. And this video cracks me up. Oh, and if this family is on this board, You're daughter is 100% the cutest kid I have ever seen on a video.

 

[mergatroid]

In tears watching this

 

[Monkee Girl]

In tears watching this

I am starting to wonder if I go to the 'make a shirt' store at Down Town Disney, if I can get a picture with Gaston with the phrase 'Smile like you're making me a sandwich' on it....

 

[mergatroid]

I am starting to wonder if I go to the 'make a shirt' store at Down Town Disney, if I can get a picture with Gaston with the phrase 'Smile like you're making me a sandwich' on it....

Might say this to Mrs Merg tomorrow some time, see how it goes down

 

[ItlngrlBella]

This friend is fantastic as well. And he is adorable, just straight up adorable with littles.

That must be he best job ever - just making little ones happy, sweet hugs from littles all day. I'd imagine they meet many special needs and Make-A-Wish kids too - it may not pay tons but I'm sure it pays in other ways that are priceless.

 

[jloucks]

Sooo, how do we know viral Gaston was suspended? Is it normal on this forum to believe things without any substantiating evidence? I am going to assume the posters asserting this fact are known and proven insiders.

All that being said, this is hilariously stupid management. Sends a weird message to all CMs about their true value.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

Sooo, how do we know viral Gaston was suspended? Is it normal on this forum to believe things without any substantiating evidence? I am going to assume the posters asserting this fact are known and proven insiders.

All that being said, this is hilariously stupid management. Sends a weird message to all CMs about their true value.

@akayw0718 stated something regarding this - nice person on the boards so I'd take her at her word (forgive me if I mis- posted this reference). You're exactly right, totally sends the wrong message.

I worked for an attraction where we hired improv actors to interact with guests. We rewarded this kind of talent and effort, and gave them a bigger spotlight not a cooling down. It motivated our other actors to be better.

 

[Monkee Girl]

Sooo, how do we know viral Gaston was suspended? Is it normal on this forum to believe things without any substantiating evidence? I am going to assume the posters asserting this fact are known and proven insiders.

All that being said, this is hilariously stupid management. Sends a weird message to all CMs about their true value.

We don't know for sure because it's not something Disney would advertise. But the poster is a well known member so I give them the benefit of the doubt. I didn't believe it either when I heard and it would be amazing if we heard otherwise. However, I also believe AKAYW due to hearing other inside information about the entertainment side of the company. The 'Confessions of a Disney Princess' vlogs are great and they mention things about weight and even how ONE complaint about a character interaction would mean pulling the actor off the part. One complaint. So I can completely see if a guest made a comment about this Gaston ("he did push ups with that guest but not me!"..."He told me to make him a sandwich and I was offended because I'm a feminist!", etc. ) Disney pulling them.

If you have information on the contrary, please share.

 

[Victor Kelly]

Lunacy. Our Gaston was really good on our trip. Shame these cast members are treated like dirt.

 

[friendofafriend]

Sooo, how do we know viral Gaston was suspended? Is it normal on this forum to believe things without any substantiating evidence? I am going to assume the posters asserting this fact are known and proven insiders.

All that being said, this is hilariously stupid management. Sends a weird message to all CMs about their true value.

I know it to be fact, you can chose to believe it or not. Disney management make it clear to us on a daily basis what they feel our true value is. It's no secret to any of us, we are not valued by the company we work for. We do what we do for the guests!

 

[ItlngrlBella]

@jloucks, I forgot to mention this member as well ^^^^.

Again, very nice, credible person who seems to have a very strong working knowledge on how things go on there.

What these contributors post in forums I have faith and trust (and a little bit of pixie dust). Sorry, couldn't help myself).

 

[habuma]

If, as Monkee Girl suggested, it only takes one complaint for an friend to be pulled from a part, then how many complaints does it take to get them back? Two? Ten? Hundreds? Thousands? Is it hopeless?

There are certain characters that are especially fun meet-n-greets. Gaston, Peter Pan, and the Tremaine family come to mind. If one guest complains that Drizella's voice was too shrill and made their child cry, does this mean that she must go and a more soft-spoken (and completely out-of-character) Drizella takes her place?

What Gaston was doing is completely within character and anyone who is familiar with the character should know that. If someone complains because Gaston suggested that they make a sandwich or that Gaston didn't do push-ups with them, then it says more about the complainer than about Gaston.

So I ask again, if one complaint is all it needs to ruin an otherwise magical experience, how many complaints does it take to restore it? I'm inclined to make such a complaint. Who's with me? It may not make a difference...but then again, it might.

And while we're discussing awesome Gaston experiences, here's a fun experience that my daughters had with him last month:

 

[ItlngrlBella]

Very cute. That looks like a different friend of Gaston. I love how your smallest one was having none of that!

change.org is your best bet. I helped a military vet friend create one for repeated incidents he had with ADA rules for his PTSD service dog and it went well over 100,000 signatures plus he had a meeting with Administrators to enact positive change. Could you imagine if everyone who smiled from one of those viral videos signed?

... it could definitely garner media attention (which it did for my friend), but in this case, it may hurt more than help. It's a "catch 22."

Here's what we did for my friend:

https://www.change.org/p/fernando-rivera-va-please-abide-by-ada-regulations-concerning-service-dogs

 

[friendofafriend]

This was not a result of guests complaints. Gaston was talked to about doing push ups in the past, he was caught doing it again so he was disciplined. I don't agree with it, but its the way it is. The company does not want us getting down on the ground. They make it blatantly clear. I think the interaction was brilliant and he's great but as soon as I saw it I said, "he's going to get in trouble for that."
It would take more than a few complaints about a character to have any changes made. I doubt any complaints to the company will cause him to be placed back in the role either. I'm still hoping that in a couple months when this all blows over he'll be put back. Its a very good thing he's still with the company- that gives me a lot of hope.

 

[habuma]

I agree with your end statements. I think it just needs to blow over and he'll be let back on a tighter leash at first. And the getting down on the ground as a pushup is totally different from a princess crouching. I know a friend of Tigger who laid on the ground last week and got himself in hot water. It happens.

As far as I know, they're still arm wrestling, playing games that include, "my eyes are up here," etc. They just have to be more careful about the line between appropriate and inappropriate, and above all stay off the ground!

Sure, letting it blow over is fine, I suppose. If it was for safety reasons and not a guest complaint, then I guess that's okay. (I still think the push-ups were well within character and made for a more awesome experience...but I also recognize the liability concerns.) I just wouldn't want to see one or two complaints ruin the magic for the multiple thousands of others who aren't bothered by such character behavior.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

As far as I know, they're still arm wrestling, playing games that include, "my eyes are up here," etc. They just have to be more careful about the line between appropriate and inappropriate, and above all stay off the ground!

Thats fair, fun, still interactive and harmless but I'd hope they still have some freedom. That "line" can be fine too. As I posted earlier in the thread (from a haunted attraction I had worked), you have to worry about guests crossing that line more - it's one thing to police yourself but you can't always know what someone will do. Some of the stuff that happened to me was crazy and hysterical (but some unfortunately disturbing) and I'm sure these friends have some crazy stories as well - that would be whole separate thread.

And... I was surprised that women can be worse than the men.

I had to deal with drunken frat boys and creepy dads, but some of the crazy cougars and pre/teen girls were almost worse on our guys - some have no boundaries...

 

[Phil12]

This was not a result of guests complaints. Gaston was talked to about doing push ups in the past, he was caught doing it again so he was disciplined. I don't agree with it, but its the way it is. The company does not want us getting down on the ground. They make it blatantly clear. I think the interaction was brilliant and he's great but as soon as I saw it I said, "he's going to get in trouble for that."
It would take more than a few complaints about a character to have any changes made. I doubt any complaints to the company will cause him to be placed back in the role either. I'm still hoping that in a couple months when this all blows over he'll be put back. Its a very good thing he's still with the company- that gives me a lot of hope.

Considering his disobedience and insubordination it's a wonder he wasn't fired for cause.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

Considering his disobedience and insubordination it's a wonder he wasn't fired for cause.

This guy seems to really love his job, the guests love it and that's why those videos are fun to watch.

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life"
- Confucius

I'd hate to see people fired who live that quote. Few people have that kind of passion these days.

 

[Monkee Girl]

This was not a result of guests complaints. Gaston was talked to about doing push ups in the past, he was caught doing it again so he was disciplined. I don't agree with it, but its the way it is. The company does not want us getting down on the ground. They make it blatantly clear. I think the interaction was brilliant and he's great but as soon as I saw it I said, "he's going to get in trouble for that."
It would take more than a few complaints about a character to have any changes made. I doubt any complaints to the company will cause him to be placed back in the role either. I'm still hoping that in a couple months when this all blows over he'll be put back. Its a very good thing he's still with the company- that gives me a lot of hope.

I didn't mean to make it sound like this particular guy was fired due to a complaint. I was just stating that I understood Disney's strictness in the entertainment section because I have heard of it before. The 'Confessions 3' video talked about how guests would complain that a certain princess didn't look like the cartoon, whether because casting pushed them through or whatever, and they would be removed immediately. I had also heard about weight limits and things like that. All Disney's right to maintain appearance of course. So it wasn't unheard of to hear a friend was pulled for something minor like doing a push up.

And I think the floor thing is minor and ridiculous but at the same time can appreciate Disney's stance on the matter. I work where there are some stupid rules too. But it's your job and you agreed to those rules when you accepted. So if he was warned and still did it, then yea, I guess I really can't say anything. But at the same time, again, it's a double edged sword: Make the fans happy by giving them an enjoyable experience and get sin trouble or get a complaint from a guest for NOT giving them an enjoyable experience and get in trouble.

 

[Monkee Girl]

If, as Monkee Girl suggested, it only takes one complaint for an friend to be pulled from a part, then how many complaints does it take to get them back? Two? Ten? Hundreds? Thousands? Is it hopeless?

There are certain characters that are especially fun meet-n-greets. Gaston, Peter Pan, and the Tremaine family come to mind. If one guest complains that Drizella's voice was too shrill and made their child cry, does this mean that she must go and a more soft-spoken (and completely out-of-character) Drizella takes her place?

What Gaston was doing is completely within character and anyone who is familiar with the character should know that. If someone complains because Gaston suggested that they make a sandwich or that Gaston didn't do push-ups with them, then it says more about the complainer than about Gaston.

So I ask again, if one complaint is all it needs to ruin an otherwise magical experience, how many complaints does it take to restore it? I'm inclined to make such a complaint. Who's with me? It may not make a difference...but then again, it might.

And while we're discussing awesome Gaston experiences, here's a fun experience that my daughters had with him last month:

Best part is Gaston not knowing who Elsa is and then replying "It doesn't matter, let it go"