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Twitter blasted Michael Phelps and Discovery Channel after they announced in their hour-long special that the long-awaited race between Phelps and a Great White shark was simulated.
Discovery Channel's Shark Week is one of the network's most hyped weeks of the year, and this year was no different. The headlines read: 'Phelps vs. Shark,' advertising a race between the Olympian and a Great White in promos and on social media.
Many people who watched the special on Sunday night were disappointed.
More than 50 minutes into the hour-long special, ecologist Tristan Gutteridge said, “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.”
Folks on Twitter were pretty upset.
After a night of getting blasted on Twitter and losing to a shark simulation, Phelps was pretty optimistic that he and the shark would meet again for a rematch.
Based on the Twitter reactions, if a rematch is in the future, Discovery Channel might want to figure out a way to have Phelps race an actual shark.
Laurie Goldberg , Group EVP of PR for Discovery, Animal Planet and Science, released the following statement: