The Dark Truth Behind The Time Disney World Went On Lockdown

Sometimes guests at Walt Disney World don't always exemplify the ideals of "Disney Magic" that govern the Central Florida resort. Some apply the five-finger discount to merchandise, for example, while others get crabby with other guests or Cast Members (employees), sometimes resulting in fisticuffs, as Walt Disney World News Today reports.

Oftentimes, there's an underlying factor that plays a role in guests acting up: alcohol. The drug has been known for centuries to loosen inhibitions, and sometimes guests at Disney World imbibe so much that their inhibitions are not only loosened, but effectively lost, to the point that they make decisions that are harmful to them and everyone around them.

Such was the case in May 2018, when a guest had a few too many and then, for reasons that perhaps made sense to him at the time, began harassing and terrifying other guests, eventually leading to a lockdown of the resort where the incident took place.

For a time, as Slate reports, there was a trend on YouTube in which creators attempted so-called "social experiments" in which they would record the reactions of bystanders to a manufactured situation, in order to make some societal or political point. For example, people have harassed Black individuals in order to "raise awareness" about racism.

In May 2018, an Arizona YouTuber named Dillon Burch apparently had the same idea, as the Orlando Sentinel reported. After having had quite a few drinks (the Sentinel quotes the affidavit, which referred to Burch as "highly intoxicated"), he began running up to guests at the Contemporary Resort (pictured above) and told them that there was an active shooter (there wasn't) and they needed to evacuate. To his credit, he would then tell them that he was joking and wanted their reactions for "a school project." Despite his full disclosure, the entire resort was put on lockdown while authorities sorted things out. A drunken Burch was found hiding in the bushes, and he told police he was trying to film an "experiment" for his YouTube channel.

Burch wound up pleading no contest to charges of disorderly intoxication and disturbing the peace, and earned a lifetime ban from Disney World for his efforts.