Consumer News

Phelps v. Shark: A Fishy Tale

The Olympic great and the great white go head-to-head?

Consumer News

Phelps v. Shark: A Fishy Tale

With 23 gold medals in his trophy case, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps is the undisputed king of the pool.

… but could he top the king of the ocean, the shark?

As part of its popular “Shark Week” programming, The Discovery Channel challenged Phelps to a race in “Phelps v. Shark: The Battle for Ocean Supremacy.” Naturally, people were hyped.

But when the time came for these two to face one another, many viewers were sorely disappointed.

Phelps would not be literally jumping in the ocean with a Great White.

Nor would a Great White be donning a swim cap and goggles in its lane in a pool.

Instead, Phelps faced a computer generated aquatic foe.

People who were expecting this:

Instead found this:

Still reeling from the collective sense of disappointment, viewers took another blow when Phelps, even aided by a wetsuit and a monofin, proved no match for the shark. In the simulated time trial Phelps came in second.

But there is still hope:

And maybe said rematch could give viewers what they hoped for all along. A Phelps victory…

… and a side-by-side shot of the Olympian and the fearsome fish swimming together.


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