Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice… I’ll probably still watch
There must be something in the water, besides the sharks, of course, because for over 20 years, people all across America have gone crazy for shark week.
What exactly is the allure of a week dedicated to these cartilaginous monster fish? Perhaps it is the thrill of glimpsing inside the life of these powerful predators, as it is narrated by an attractive Australian biologist. Or maybe it’s simply the pleasure and bite of a shark- themed drinking game. Whatever the reason, ever since the Discovery Channel baited its lineup with Shark Week, America bit down hard, and we’re hooked.
But after twenty odd years of programming, is the novelty of Shark Week beginning to fade? In the past, critics have slammed Discovery Channel for airing shark “mockumentaries,” and presenting fictional facts in a misleading way. Concerns have been surfacing that these fake documentaries have taken shark week from educational TV to a glamorized portrayal of sharks. Perhaps Discovery Channel has simply run out of shark attack footage and scientific facts.
With it’s recent simulations of mega sharks, Shark Week now comes across as more of an underwater version of Transformers than an educational program. But the problem isn’t just the dramatization and the campy Hollywood features. It’s the dispersion of facts and tales, that to some experts, seem just a bit fishy.Â
Last year, producers of Shark Week caught flack for airing a special called Megaladon: The Monster Shark Lives.  The program focused on the Megaladon, a 52-foot extinct prehistoric shark. Viewers watched in awe at the “live footage” of a Megaladon sighting. While this special was certainly entertaining, with realistic animations, it failed to mention one minor detail. This monster shark died out 1.5 billion years ago.
Hinting at the fact that the megaladon still may be there, Shark Week producers had a large portion of viewers believing that Megaladon was in fact still out there. It was later revealed that the alleged “footage” of this shark had been completely fake. The scientists and experts who had claimed to have seen this shark? Paid actors.
To put this hoax into perspective, think about what would happen if animal planet claimed to have footage of a living T-Rex. If you’re picturing a scenario in which the population suddenly starts preparing to live in Jurassic Park, then you get the idea. While there was a disclaimer at the end of the program, it was nearly impossible to read as flashed across the screen.
With the Megaladon scandal behind them and ratings as high as ever, Shark Week was on track to regain it’s reputable name with in 2014. However, in kicking off it’s the week with “Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine,” Sharkweek producers did just the opposite.
A special about an legendary 30 foot great white shark terrorizing the coast of South Africa, this program was based off of a fabricated shark attack, in which said shark allegedly attacked a boat, killing two people. However critics state that this boat simply capsized due to rough seas, not a monster shark. Like the megaladon special of last year, this show also contained a disclaimer, one that once again was easily missed.
While these “mockumentaries” are misleading, Shark Week continues to bring in monster ratings. The program bragged over 53 million viewers last year, and is on track to have a similar number of viewers by the end of this week.
Given these ratings, it seems that America is still fascinated with sharks. Whether real or simulated, something about these incredible fish forces us all to channel our inner Jacque Cousteau, and jump on the Shark Week bandwagon. However viewers are now cautioned to view documentaries with a grain of salt, so as not to get cat fished, or worse megaladonned
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