Shark Week Scam- The Megalodon "Documentary" BITES

Are you guys suckers for Shark Week, too?

Image Credit- (fakey fakey, friends)

We've been watching for years, marveling at these extraordinary creatures and at the progress of scientific discovery.

Because isn't that what the Discovery Channel and Shark Week are supposed to be ABOUT?
Awe-inspiring truth supported by scientific fact, right?

As 4.8 million viewers watched this year's season opener, Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, we became enrapt in the notion that scientists might really have reason to suspect this creature could still be chowin' down out there.

Image Credit- megalodon jaws

Hard to believe this claim was being aired on Discovery Channel during Shark Week, a time when I'd foolishly trusted I'd be presented with factual, scientifically supported information. Tsk.

About halfway through this "documentary" my fella and I started to smell the BS bubbling up to the surface, so we grabbed our laptop to start Google-ing.

Pfffffft! We KNEW that marine biologist was too young and sexy. Homeboy doesn't even EXIST! And there is absolutely no report of any mysterious South African charter wreck from April of this year.

Turns out, the whole (2 bloody hour) "documentary" was nothing but a bunch of chum.

How in the Seven Seas could the Discovery Channel get away with this?

Image Credit-Megalodon tooth

According to this article,

Discovery Channel kicked off Shark Week by taking a bite out of their fan support. The networked opened their 26th week-long series dedicated to sharks with a riveting documentary . . . that turned out to be fake.

On Sunday, Aug. 5, Shark Week debuted with the two-hour special, Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives. As noted by Gawker, the following disclaimer was briefly flashed onscreen at the end of the show: "None of the institutions or agencies that appear in the film are affiliated with it in any way, nor have approved its contents. Though certain events and characters in this film have been dramatized, sightings of 'Submarine' continue to this day. Megalodon was a real shark. Legends of giant sharks persist all over the world. There is still debate about what they might be."

You've gotta be kidding me.
Boo.

Image Credit- (another fakey)

I've got a pretty furled brow over this one. This was one of the only channels I really respected—in full support of fascinating information being presented in a clear, scientific light. But this stunt is a harpoon in the eye for me. Lame.

Why'd they do it? According to this article from NPR,
Shark Week executive producer Michael Sorensen tells Fox411 that "we wanted to explore the possibilities of Megalodon. ... It's one of the most debated shark discussions of all time, can Megalodon exist today? It's Ultimate Shark Week fantasy. The stories have been out there for years and with 95% of the ocean unexplored, who really knows?"

What are we gonna do, you know? Guess we should be grateful that we have the resources to investigate on our own to determine that it was bogus. And now we know, right? Now you know.

What do YOU think about the Discovery Channel airing this fake documentary?
I'd love to hear your opinions.

Have a fishy-free day, friends!
XOXO From My Hearth to Yours

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