Shark Week 2017 began with a dud.
One could argue the weeklong television event, which airs annually on the Discovery Channel, is overrated to begin with, although that’s neither here nor there. The internet was especially hostile Sunday night, though, when a supposed “race” between Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps and a great white shark turned out to be a complete waste of time.
Obviously, Phelps wasn’t going to just jump into the water and race a shark. There are too many variables involved — like, say, Phelps’ safety — for that to go off without a hitch. But most viewers expected a cool visual — a glass barrier separating the two, or something like that — and instead were left with a timed estimation, with Phelps going up against a computer-generated shark.
The whole thing was awful, especially given the build-up, and the Sharknado-esque “race” drew a whole bunch of negative reviews on social media.
Oh yeah, by the way, Phelps lost … in case you cared.
Thumbnail photo via Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports Images
