‘Undercover Boss’: Yankee Candle CEO Shocked By Employee Saying They Want to Punch Kids

In light of some refreshed views on working and employment during the pandemic, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the CBS reality hit Undercover Boss is making a slight return. What’s old is new again for folks online, with Undercover Boss clips amassing millions of views in little under a month.

One of the latest to resurface follows the CEO of Yankee Candle and his reaction to an employee saying they want to just punch the kids in the store at times. The episode originally aired in 2012 and follows CEO Harlan Kent, who had been with the company in various positions since 2001 and was the top boss for two around when the episode was filmed.

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The clip joins Kent after he’s donned his disguise as Dan Johnson and headed for the company’s flagship store in Massachusetts. There he meets Blaze, who is instantly suspicious due to Kent’s knowledge of the store, the process of working with the wax, and his terrible choice of wig and facial hair.

But Blaze sniffing out his identity is not the shocking bit. Instead, it’s Blaze just openly telling the new hire how he sometimes just wants to slap the kids that come in and fool around in the wax.

“They’re just gonna do whatever they want. And they’ll just go…I dropped it, can I get another,” Blaze tells his undercover boss, noting how he would respond to the kid. “And there has been instances where you’re gonna wanna strangle and slap the kid.”

Blaze goes on to explain his temper and how he isn’t very happy in his job. The most important thing to him is keeping the smile despite hating existence. “As bad as this comes across, sometimes I feel like punching an 8-year-old.”

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Blaze ended up being the employee highlighted at the end of the episode, with Kent offering to mentor him and turn around his attitude. In a follow-up clip, it’s shown that Blaze has been moved into the manufacturing wing, doesn’t have to deal with people and is far happier with the company than he was at the store level.

Kent echoed this sentiment in a feature in the local news in Massachusetts, highlighting the episode’s premiere. “I have to say that my number-one takeaway was that we have to put a premium on our folks having a positive attitude,” he told the outlet. “Positive attitudes generate positive business outcomes.”