Man Vs. Shark
This week
marks the 77th annual “Shark Week” on the Discovery Channel. I love Shark Week, don’t know why, I guess
maybe it is because I find sharks to be fascinating. What I find to be fascinating this year, is
the amazing ability of human beings to be incredibly stupid!
This year,
Discovery Channel kicked of Shark Week with a swimming race featuring Olympic
champion Michael Phelps against a Great White Shark. The promotions for this “race” in no way
tried to indicate that Michael would actually be in the water with a Great
White Shark. It was clear to me that the
race would be some kind of simulation.
I found the
show to be fascinating. They used
several sophisticated methods to determine how fast a shark can swim, something
not previously explored scientifically, and then established a mark for Phelps
to attain in order to “theoretically” out swim a shark.
They did
give Michael a little assistance in the form of a super sleek swim suit and a
large prosthetic tail fin. In order to
win, Michael had to swim 100 meters in 36 seconds. The show then filmed Michael swimming next to
a simulated shark in a simulated lane.
Michael “lost” the race by two seconds.
I thought it
was fun stuff, well done; but then I did not expect a real side by side race. Apparently, the internet disagreed.
Twitter lit
up with complaints that the race was not real.
People bemoaned the fact that they wasted an hour of their lives
watching a bogus race.
AMAZING!!
What balloon
headed ignoramuses expected Phelps to swim in the water against a real live
Great White Shark? Did they think
Michael would be in the starting blocks and the Great White would be in a racehorse-like
starting gate, ready to swim after a seal on a rope ala greyhound races?
Well I guess
that would have made great TV.
“On you mark…get set…CHOMP”
I loved your last sentence!!
ReplyDeleteWell, if he did actually race agains a shark I imagine he might have found it in him to go a little faster. Then again, so might the shark.
ReplyDeleteI heard that there were complaints, but figured it was from the PETA loonies.
ReplyDeleteThese people that thought Phelps was going to be in the water with an actual shark....are they biologically able to reproduce, or legally qualified to vote? Please say no...PLEEEEEEEASE SAY NO!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Shark Week! Unfortunately, we don't have cable, so I don't get to watch them until much later. I haven't seen the simulation, but I want to. How dumb do people have to be to think he would have agreed to risk life and limb by swimming WITH a shark? Do they think real people go out and deliberately wreck cars for the crash test ratings?
ReplyDeletePhelps would have won if they had the shark swim it's normal zig zag pattern. Plus Phelps did beat the Thrasher. Wait, you mean it was a simulation?!
ReplyDeleteThey did it the only way they safely could, and anyone who wanted him in the water with a real shark, well, i question that person's decency.
ReplyDeleteWell, that just cracked me up. I somehow missed shark week as an event.
ReplyDeleteI know people were disappointed the shark was a computer generated versdion but did people really expect him to race a man eater?
ReplyDeleteWell that certainly proves this saying to be true: You can't cure stupid.
ReplyDeleteWait! You mean he wasn't really swimming next to a shark? That's false advertising! I'm glad I didn't watch. Duh! The lane dividers would have kept them apart...
ReplyDeleteHa! I burst out laughing and startled the neighbours. Lane dividers....ha ha
DeleteI love the way people are able to expound forever upon a subject about which they've not even bothered to actually do any research.
ReplyDeleteReally, did people expect that Michael Phelps would get into the same tank/body of water with a shark and do a swim off? Wishful unrealistic thinking on their part I do think!
ReplyDeletebetty
Ha ha ... I would love to see a shark in a racehorse-like starting gate
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding? "They" expected a REAL race??Some people are just unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteWasn't sure how they would accomplish it when it was advertised but was certain they would not share the same water. I mean, come on.
ReplyDeleteHeard Phelps promoting the show, but anyone with common sense would know he wasn't going to be in a situation risking his life. I choose not to have cable so don't receive Discovery channel. Wonder if they could train a shark to stay in its lane to get a reward at the end of the lane? Who would want to compete with the shark to see if it worked?
ReplyDeleteI heard that there were complaints, but figured it was from the PETA loonies.
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Hey Joe, just think had it been a real race, Phelps would have definitely been "retired" afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe anyone could think it would be an actual side by side race.
I am constantly amazed by how low the bar has become these days :)
ReplyDeleteHa ha ... I would love to see a shark in a racehorse-like starting gate
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Olympic champion Michael Phelps swam a 100m stretch of warm Bahamas water in 38.1 seconds but lost out by two seconds to a Great White ...
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Shark week totally was not on my radar screen...until I started hearing about the complaints that this was not a real race.
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