So thoroughly did Gaston outdo Blake Platt that he must have left the resort feeling foolish for having challenged a Disney villain to a contest of strength.
The video posted to YouTube on Jan. 2, has gone viral online with over 3 million views. Blake handed Gaston, the only one “burly and brawny… with biceps to spare,” the opportunity to show the world that what looks like bulging muscles under his colorful outfit are real.
In the hilarious confrontation with the Disney World visitor, the boastfully loquacious villain, who describes himself as the world’s most “manly” man with a “neck incredibly thick,” engages in a contest of muscle power with the visitor who says, “You think you’re pretty strong? I think I’m stronger than you.”
Gaston responds, “You think you’re stronger than me? What’s the challenge? A push-up contest?”
Gaston easily outpaces the challenger with a series of quick and expertly executed push-ups. Noticing that Platt was losing, and not satisfied to defeat him with conventional push-ups, Gaston contrives to humiliate the opponent by converting his impressive two-arm push-ups into killer one-arm push-ups, while taunting the opponent like a true Disney villain.
Watch Gaston, in villainous self-congratulatory mode, gloating over his victory to the cheers of the audience.
“It looks like he’s struggling — perhaps he needs a hand!” He speaks aloud for the benefit of the audience but to the discomfiture of his challenger who tries to renew his effort to save face but simply couldn’t keep up.
Gaston spares no effort showing off, jeering at the red-faced challenger when he gives up.
Platt writes almost apologetically in the description of his YouTube video:
“If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you challenged Gaston to a push-up contest… We were just having fun and I thought a person or two might get a chuckle out of it… When my brother and I go to the Disney parks (which we love), one of our goals every time we enter is to make someone’s day, even if it’s just one person.”
Victory for the intolerably sexist Gaston comes soon after suffering humiliating defeat in a contest of put-down words with a plucky little girl who became an instant Internet hit after telling the villain without mincing her words what she thought of him and his chances of marrying Belle.
“Now that you’ve met me, you can see that I’m so most handsome man in town! I’m much better than that Beast!” he tells Isabella as he signs his autograph.
“No, no, no! The Beast is marrying Belle,” Isabella shouts back lustily.
For once, since we first met him on screen, Gaston seemed lost for words as he is chided by a quick-tongued little girl. All he could manage at the moment of defeat was lame sexist rant: “I don’t know where this girl came from, but someone needs to put her back in the kitchen right now! Go do what you’re meant to do in life. No more thinking for you, you’ve already done enough of that.”
But Isabella isn’t cowed by the inflated posturing: “You are not marrying Belle,” she repeats with conviction.”You are never, ever, ever, ever!”
Reduced almost to tears, Gaston croaks pitifully, “Forever ever?”
But as BuzzFeed observes, the actor playing Gaston at Disney World has been busy giving the Disney villain some online popularity. Despite being a detestable villain in the 1991 Walt Disney animation movie, the real-life counterpart at Disney World has become a YouTube star while we’ve heard nothing of the Beast and Beauty.
An appreciative viewer comments about the actor’s performance so far at the Florida resort: “I love this video. It shows that the employees at this park not only act like their characters but can back up their claims that it really is almost like the movies. Props to this employee who can do this!”
