Viewers who tuned in to watch Michael Phelps race a great white shark on Sunday turned off the television feeling cheated, according to the Washington Post.
The decorated Olympian, who was billed to plunge into cold South African waters to take on the top predator, actually ended up swimming against a computer-generated version of the fish. Anyone watching had to wait 57 minutes into the program before an ecologist revealed that sharks don’t typically swim in a straight line.
“Clearly, we can’t put Michael in one lane and a white shark on the far lane. We’re gonna have to do a simulation,” said ecologist Tristan Gutteridge, one of the scientists on the much-hyped Discovery show.
The moment of glory for #TeamShark!!! #PhelpsVsShark #SharkWeek pic.twitter.com/NWYp1CwiRa
— Shark Week (@SharkWeek) July 24, 2017
To top things off? Despite the monofin strapped to his feet, Phelps lost the 100 meter by two seconds.
Here’s what people had to say about the let down online.
Call me crazy but I thought they were gonna put Phelps up against a real shark not a simulation. I feel robbed. #SharkWeek #PhelpsVsShark pic.twitter.com/XgdEphkl6m
— Meg Conley (@MegDownSouth) July 24, 2017
Should’ve called it Michael Phelps vs a Computer Generated Simulation. Huge letdown @Discovery
— Jimmy Kozeny (@jkoz19) July 24, 2017
I was so disappointed when I found out that Phelps didn’t actually race against a great white ? #SharkWeek
— Danielle Rae (@dxnirxe) July 24, 2017
IT WAS A FAKE SHARK. Phelps raced a fake shark….and lost.
I feel cheated #SharkWeek2017 pic.twitter.com/nEABV6PRNZ— Jessica Morrey (@JessicaMorrey) July 24, 2017
smh Michael Phelps isn’t actually racing a shark. He’s just racing a simulation of a shark. Biggest scam of 2017
— Marcus ¬ (@M_Frosti) July 24, 2017
Michael Phelps not racing a real shark is like being sold Kanye tickets and then watching a Kanye hologram perform
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) July 24, 2017
My face when I realized they weren’t going to put Michael Phelps in one lane and a shark in the other. #SharkWeek #PhelpsVsShark pic.twitter.com/ffFx32k1Nm
— Brooke Bond (@brookeashleyyb) July 24, 2017
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