What happened to Shark Week?

[Splitlip]

It's been mostly "shark bite beach" sensationalism as far as I've been seeing. Over and over into the wee hours.Very disappointing.

Graphic recreations then interviews with the victims and their families saying " We love sharks".

It seems as if discovery putting this sensational brutality out there like some kind of slasher movie then adding the disclaimer that it is not "necessarily the views of this network".

The average viewer is only going to take away the "horror" associated with meeting a shark.

Guess it gets the ratings when they must compete with all the nonsense reality programming out there. :thumbdown:

 

[fire_diver]

I, for one, am glad that the series has taken a different direction than all the sensational hype. It's good to hear that it has become more educational and fact-based this year and I applaud that. Of course it may not make for "gripping" television... but then what would I know about that? I produce two dive-related cable TV shows and don't even have TV in my house!

Scott Cassell is here on Catalina this week to plan for his "Expedition Catalina" adventure this fall. I will be meeting with him and some of the people associated with this to discuss ways of possible mutual involvement.

Bill, are we watching the same shows? I have seen nothing except the typical "sharks are the silent killers of the deep" shows. The first show had the host chumming for sharks with bait on a rope. Then he let the sharks yank him around the water (holding the rope) and talking about how they will pull you down hundreds of feet in seconds. Everything has been about sensationalizing, nothing on education.

 

[fisheater]

Food Network executives proved that every time you dumb-down your shows, ratings improve. They did it by getting rid of true kitchen geniuses (e.g. Jacques Torres) and replacing them with B.S. "reality" crap like cake decorating contests and Next Food Network Star.

Shark Week is going through the same painful-to-watch process. It's getting worse every year. A former Green Beret trapping and fighting reef sharks? An obviously clue-challenged photographer mounting cameras on bizarre contraptions to have different sharks bite them? Really?!

 

[Splitlip]

Bill, are we watching the same shows? I have seen nothing except the typical "sharks are the silent killers of the deep" shows. The first show had the host chumming for sharks with bait on a rope. Then he let the sharks yank him around the water (holding the rope) and talking about how they will pull you down hundreds of feet in seconds. Everything has been about sensationalizing, nothing on education.

How about the reenactments with the fake entrails. Bloody hands on "stumps". The worst being the one where the woman lost "3/4 of her buttocks" and the actress wore a wetsuit with the bottom cut out like a pair of Dr. Dentins. It appears they then stuff the opening with what looked like scraps from a slaughter house and the actor playing the rescuer is trying to apply pressure. All the while the camera is moving around like in the Blaire Witch Project".

Sheesh. Over the top.

 

[drbill]

Bill, are we watching the same shows? I have seen nothing except the typical "sharks are the silent killers of the deep" shows. The first show had the host chumming for sharks with bait on a rope. Then he let the sharks yank him around the water (holding the rope) and talking about how they will pull you down hundreds of feet in seconds. Everything has been about sensationalizing, nothing on education.

I thought I mentioned that I've never watched "Shark Week" because I have no TV. My statement was based on the comments by others who have been watching it over the years. Sorry if the trend is not away from sensationalism to education. Friends of mine have tried to sell underwater video series to various cable providers and networks and been told they are "too educational." That bodes very poorly for the state of TV.

 

[merxlin]

Just to be clear, I do see a trend toward the educational in the programming. Much less bloody beaches, more interactive and informative shows about the animals themselves. It's still pretty amazing to see divers in the water with these creatures. My issue is the promotion (breaching sharks) and the lack of a true environmental message. Sure some of the programs will mention the devastation occurring, but it is never the focal point.

 

[Splitlip]

I don't know about that.

Here are this years episodes.


[ ULTIMATE AIR JAWS | Watch the Full Episode
Premiering Sunday, August 1, 9PM e/p
Off the coast of South Africa, massive great white sharks blast from the water, pulling a sneak attack on their seal prey. Shark expert Chris Fallows and filmmaker Jeff Kurr (AIR JAWS, AIR JAWS 2) arrive on the scene to investigate the aerial attacks using state-of-the-art technology including an HD camera that shoots in super slow motion - 2,000 frames per second. This enables the team to slow down a breaching shark from one second of real time to almost a minute, and in so much detail you can literally count every tooth in the shark's mouth. Fallows and Kurr also employ a submarine and remotely operated helicopter to capture this incredible footage.


VIDEO: Great White Sharks Jumping VIDEO: Great White Hot Spot
VIDEO: Great White Learns to Leap VIDEO: Air Jaws in Slow Motion
VIDEO: Sharks Patrol Crowded Beach VIDEO: Great Whites Off Seal Island
VIDEO: Great Whites Shift to Seals


INTO THE SHARK BITE | Watch the Full Episode
Premiering Sunday, August 1, 10PM e/p
Go on a wild ride as we show you the LAST thing you'd ever want to see in real life: close up views of attacks by the world's most deadly sharks — from INSIDE their mouths! Shark expert MARK ADDISON and underwater cameraman ANDY CASAGRANDE risk life and limb to get their special mini-HD cameras INTO THE SHARK BITE!


VIDEO: Inside a Tiger Shark's Bite VIDEO: Caught In a Shark Frenzy
VIDEO: Cave of the Sharks VIDEO: Great Whites Attack Bite Cam


SHARK ATTACK SURVIVAL GUIDE | Watch the Full Episode
Premiering Monday, August 2, 9PM e/p
In Shark Attack Survival Guide, host Terry Schappert puts his Special Forces training to the test to demonstrate to viewers how to survive devastating shark attacks. What do you do when attacked by a shark in shallow water? What's the one thing to remember when confronted with one Earth's largest predators while on a deep water dive? Terry immerses himself in these deadly scenarios and reveals the secrets to escaping these terrifying shark encounters alive.


VIDEO PLAYLIST: Shark Attack Survival Guide


DAY OF THE SHARK 3 | Watch the Full Episode
Premiering Monday, August 2, 10PM e/p
Shark attack survivors recall six bloody tales of what happens when humans unwittingly find themselves face to face with the ocean's top predator. Australian Navy Diver Paul De Gelder is on an anti-terrorist mission, when suddenly, he becomes the hunted. When a great white shark catapults him into the air, Paul Buckley lands on its tail and holds on for dear life. Paddy Trumbull loses 40% of her blood, and most of her "bottom," when a shark sneaks up behind her near the Great Barrier Reef. Champion Surfer Todd Murashige had promised his wife he would quit surfing and take care of his family. Now it may be too late, as he lies dying on a Hawaii beach.





SHARK BITE BEACH | Watch the Full Episode
Premiering Tuesday, August 3, 9PM e/p
In 2008, fear gripped beaches along the coast of California and Mexico in the wake of multiple horrific shark attacks. SHARK BITE BEACH returns to the site of the attacks to recreate the dramatic stories of survival and search for clues that might explain why sharks mistook humans for prey that fateful summer.


VIDEO: Shark Leaves Tooth in Victim VIDEO: San Diego Surfer Attacked
VIDEO: Sharks in San Diego?
VIDEO: Bite Marks on Surfboard


SHARK BITES: ADVENTURES IN SHARK WEEK
Premiering Wednesday, August 4, 10PM e/p
Late, Late Show Host, CRAIG FERGUSON has always loved SHARK WEEK. But when he gets the chance to get off the couch and be in the show, he gets in way over his head. Discovery wants him go to the Bahamas to swim with, touch, and, if he has the guts, FEED sharks. And Ferguson starts to have second thoughts about getting close to the apex predators of the sea. Especially since he will not have the protection of a cage. Everything Ferguson sees and experiences reminds him of what he has learned from watching the Discovery Channel. Woven into Ferguson's journey are clips from the scariest, most exciting moments of the last 20 years of SHARK WEEK. The results are funny, scary, and ultimately very moving. Terrified of getting in the water and too proud not to, Ferguson makes the leap into an ocean full of hungry sharks.

 

[fire_diver]

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Um, have you read that? Or WATCHED the shark week episodes?

Just to be clear, I do see a trend toward the educational in the programming. Much less bloody beaches, more interactive and informative shows about the animals themselves. It's still pretty amazing to see divers in the water with these creatures. My issue is the promotion (breaching sharks) and the lack of a true environmental message. Sure some of the programs will mention the devastation occurring, but it is never the focal point.

 

[merxlin]

Yes, I have watched, although not last night (but do record them so I can watch later). In years past, there have been numerous shows showing "World's Deadliest Beaches" and many other programs that only targeted shark attacks on humans, and portrayed sharks as mindless killers. Although the titles may be a bit misleading, and the shows still use the sensationalism of shark bites to draw attention, there is a lot more human interaction with the sharks, more explanation of them and their "lifestyle", and education about how they hunt. This is a drastic change versus the previous shows about how sharks randomly and indiscriminately attacked humans. Look at the description above (bold added):

In 2008, fear gripped beaches along the coast of California and Mexico in the wake of multiple horrific shark attacks. SHARK BITE BEACH returns to the site of the attacks to recreate the dramatic stories of survival and search for clues that might explain why sharks mistook humans for prey that fateful summer.

In previous years that disclaimer would not have been made. It also focuses on survivors, not just those who have died from shark bites.

In getting people to understand sharks we do need to educate them, and there is no way to avoid the fact that sometimes sharks do bite humans. We need people to understand why, and get them to understand that humans are not a preferred food source. I wish there was a way to get people to watch the shows without the sensationalism, but that is a tough battle. No one seems to want to watch educational, or worse yet, environmental enlightenment programming.

I'm not saying that they are doing all they can, but am saying I think there has been a step in the right direction.

 

[Splitlip]

Yes, I have watched, although not last night (but do record them so I can watch later). In years past, there have been numerous shows showing "World's Deadliest Beaches" and many other programs that only targeted shark attacks on humans, and portrayed sharks as mindless killers. Although the titles may be a bit misleading, and the shows still use the sensationalism of shark bites to draw attention, there is a lot more human interaction with the sharks, more explanation of them and their "lifestyle", and education about how they hunt. This is a drastic change versus the previous shows about how sharks randomly and indiscriminately attacked humans. Look at the description above (bold added):

In previous years that disclaimer would not have been made. It also focuses on survivors, not just those who have died from shark bites.

In getting people to understand sharks we do need to educate them, and there is no way to avoid the fact that sometimes sharks do bite humans. We need people to understand why, and get them to understand that humans are not a preferred food source. I wish there was a way to get people to watch the shows without the sensationalism, but that is a tough battle. No one seems to want to watch educational, or worse yet, environmental enlightenment programming.

I'm not saying that they are doing all they can, but am saying I think there has been a step in the right direction.

So, why did the attacks occur? What clues did they find.

I saw that episode. All I remember were the graphic depictions of shreaded flesh of the young victims. It was so grotesque, I almost cheered the Mexican fishermen on when they went out and decimated the local shark population.

All Discovery has succeeded in doing is propogating the image we so oppose and fueling the fires.