Shark Week kicked off last night with an epic special titled Megalodon: The Monster Shark That Lives about the titular beast and its life and profile — and shark fan Wil Wheaton is displeased by this decision.
It isn’t just Wheaton angered at the Shark Week Discovery Channel trickery, the sort its “mermaids” special also drummed up a few months back.
In an angry blog post, the Star Trek star blasts Discovery for misleading viewers about Megalodon and links back to another blog on Discovery’s network ripping the channel for fooling Shark Week fans.
Christie Wilcox writes :
“There’s a ton of actual science about [Megalodon] that is well worth a two hour special. We’ve discovered their nursery grounds off the coast of Panama, for example. Their bite is thought to be thes trongest of all time—strong enough to smash an automobile—beating out even the most monstrous dinosaurs. The real science of these animals should have been more than enough to inspire Discovery Channel viewers.”
She continues:
“But it’s as if you don’t care anymore about presenting the truth or reality. You chose, instead, to mislead your viewers with 120 minutes of bullshit. And the sad part is, you are so well trusted by your audience that you actually convinced them: according to your poll, upwards of 70% of your viewing public fell for the ruse and now believes that Megalodon isn’t extinct.”
Citing a bunch of never-happened bits from the Shark Week Megalodon special, she concludes that “upwards of 70% of your viewing public fell for the ruse and now believes that Megalodon isn’t extinct.”
Wheaton piles on , adding in his own post:
“If this had happened on just about any other network, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. But Discovery Channel is more than just disposable entertainment on cable television. Discovery Channel inspired an entire generation to “explore your world”, and it is trusted to be truthful. Discovery Channel says its mission is to satisfy curiosity and make a difference in people’s lives by providing the highest quality content, services and products that entertain, engage and enlighten . There is nothing high quality or enlightening about deliberately misleading your audience during what is historically an informative and awesome week of programming.”
I think the guy in the video above speaks for us all when he says he “just wanted to see some sharks” and he’s “so disappointed.”
Did you watch the Shark Week Megalodon programming last night? How do you feel about the faked footage?