Shark Week kicked off yesterday with the long-awaited Phelps vs. Shark race. Hyped by the Discovery Channel as “the battle for ocean supremacy,” the event seemed poised to be full of excitement.
Until it wasn’t. Instead of having Michael Phelps race against an actual living Great White Shark, as the dramatic ads seemed to promise, Phelps instead “raced” against a simulation of a shark. Cue Internet outrage.
Here’s the top 11 from the subsequent Twitter monsoon:
1. Some viewers had pretty high expectations for Phelp’s abilities.
am i the only one who thought they literally were gonna throw phelps in the ocean w a great white to see what would happen or #SharkWeek
— lys (@lyskaye) July 24, 2017
2. It’s okay, we understand.
Me pretending to be ok with Michael Phelps not racing a real shark pic.twitter.com/QnCF98NfBB
— Gabi Palamone (@Yo_Gabi_Gabi__) July 24, 2017
3. It’s just not the same.
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
4. And disappoint abounds in just the same way.
Michael Phelps not PHYSICALLY racing a shark but still having a tv special is equal to having a meeting when it coulda been an email :/
— MacKenzie Huneke (@Huenke) July 24, 2017
5. Some were aware they may have set their hopes too high.
I know it's stupid to think michael phelps was actually going to be racing against a real shark but I'm stupid and upset
— Nicole (@nicoleee_adams) July 24, 2017
6. We’re ALL mad.
So you mean to tell me Michael Phelps didn't even race a real shark? It was just a simulation. I'm mad. More like Shark WEAK! pic.twitter.com/gwIGTe7Y9p
— Frank Costa (@feistyfrank) July 24, 2017
7. And it’s just as a big of a letdown as it sounds.
Turns out “Michael Phelps races a shark” was really just “Michael Phelps swims alone and then compares his time to a shark’s time.”
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) July 24, 2017
8. This guy is asking the real questions.
Very disappointed there was no qualifying round for the sharks to race Phelps. How do we know we're watching the Michael Phelps of Sharks?
— Maxwell (@maxwellklitzke) July 24, 2017
9. This guy put a positive spin on the entire situation.
I want to believe in myself the way Michael Phelps did in the moment when he decided to race an actual shark.
— Brian Baylor (@brian_baylor) July 23, 2017
10. Outrage, pure outrage.
They told us Michael Phelps would race a shark!!! #SharkWeek #SharkWeak pic.twitter.com/iJA3Tme6c9
— Bill Pollock (@missourisports) July 24, 2017
11. This woman had an…interesting solution.
Can't believe Michael Phelps didn't race a real shark. I feel robbed. Put him in the sea and start the clock #SharkWeek
— Abbie (@_Abbiewaardle) July 24, 2017
