When it comes to getting 86’d, the cast of Seinfeld has experiences like no other. My original idea for this issue was to compile moments from the show that showcased multiple characters getting 86’d, but it happens so much to so many people that I’ve decided to just focus on one character – George Costanza. The anti-social, selfish, lying, narcissistic, low self-esteem, hot-headed man has a very strange track record when it comes to receiving the wrath of getting rejected. To keep this article short like George, I’ve somewhat randomly chosen five instances showing when he was denied something in one way or another throughout the run of Seinfeld.
Starting off with “The Revenge” episode from season two, George storms into his boss’s office saying he quits. Turns out, George had been using the private bathroom meant for just the boss. He ended up getting caught and received a memo saying how the bathroom was off limits. He was very distraught to learn that he had to use the public bathrooms instead.
In season five, George was in the locker room at a gym called the New York Health Club during “The Wife” episode when he decided to pee in the shower. He was caught in the act and kicked out of the club. He tried to return, but instead got banned and coined as the urinater.
There are two instances in season seven where George gets 86’d. The first time was in “The Soup Nazi” when all he wanted was to get some turkey chili soup. When he gets the soup, he notices that there isn’t any bread in the bag. When he mentions this to the worker they say it would be two dollars extra for the bread. George banters a bit and mentions how everyone before him got bread for free. By now, if he wants any, it’s three dollars. George eventually gets his soup taken. He sadly ends up leaving without anything.
In “The Calzone,” his boss tries his eggplant calzone from Paisano’s Pizza and loves it so much that he wants George to get him one everyday for lunch. One day while getting the calzones, he leaves a tip in the tip jar, but the worker turns around and doesn’t see him do it. The next time George is there, the exact same thing happens when he leaves a tip, but now he takes it out in an attempt to put it back while the worker is looking. Unfortunately, he’s caught with his hand in the tip jar and is accused of stealing. He gets kicked out and banned forever.
In “The Dealership” episode from season nine, George tags along on a trip to a car dealership. After being there for a while and with a vending machine in the waiting room, he decides to get a Twix bar. At first, he uses a crinkled dollar that the machine won’t accept. He then asks a mechanic for a dollar, but he doesn’t give him one. Eventually George is able to find a dollar that goes into the machine, but the Twix stops right before it’s about to fall. He was literally getting 86’d by a vending machine. By the end of the episode, he never gets to eat a Twix.
There are quite a few more instances where he gets 86’d, and strangely enough it always seems to have something to do with either food or going to the bathroom. He can be quoted in the show as someone who strives to be liked by everyone, but from everything I’ve seen, this goal sure isn’t working out that well for him. Poor George.
Featured image by Madison through Canva.
