Is Shark Week turning into a joke?

If you have just glanced at this blog than you know I am a bit obsessed with Sharks, so when Shark Week comes around each year it is like Christmas to me. But so far this year I am just not thrilled with it.

Rocking the Shark Week shirt I made - Ready for an exciting week!

Air Jaws: Finding Colossus was good, I have loved all of the Air Jaws incarnations. I was actually scared for the guys in this one - I mean did you see that one of the guys pushed a great white way when he was in the mobile cage. Not to mention the genius who decided it was a good idea to lay on ply-wood that looked like a female shark. But it was real, the sharks were REAL, the danger was REAL, no CGI, no actors, no dramatizations.

Showing my Shark Spirit at work with last years shirt and my DIY shark buddy

After that great show we got Submarine Shark. I was cooking dinner when this started so I missed the disclaimer that it was a dramatization. I thought this was real until they actually showed the shark, I mean are you serious Discovery Channel? Could you get any faker? I let last years Megalodon slip because I do love me some Megs (even though I know they are extinct)  but are you really going to continue showing us these fake shows just to get views?

This year's Shark Week nails - while eating shark gummies 

I use to love how Shark Week was about learning of shark and conservation. In the past we had the shark attack survivors who are now shark advocates. We learned the true story that inspired Jaws and how the author regretted the effect his book and later movie had on sharks. We even got Alien Sharks that intoduced many to goblin sharks. I would be happy with a bunch of Myth Busters episodes about sharks instead of the mockumentaries we are getting recently. I would be fine with the mockumentaries if they were not put on during this week or this channel. I loved Sharknado so I can handle cheesy movies but do not try to pass it off as a real event.

My (failed) attempt at painting a Hammerhead migration *note to self work on depth and perception*

That brings me to the new fad that is happening on educational channels - reality TV. Yes, it is cheaper to make. Yes, it can be entertaining. But is it educational NO! TLC is the worst, it is called THE LEARNING CHANNEL, what does Honey Boo-boo teach me? or what about Long Island Medium? It is getting ridiculous. History Channel does it too, what does Pawn Stars have to do with history? They did have the Hatfields & McCoys and they show real documentaries too but the whole reality TV thing is getting too bad.

Sharknado nails

I am still going to watch all of Shark Week and I will most likely watch it again next year but I hope they make it educational again. We want people to stop the slaughter of shark by finning and culling, but if you keep scaring them with these mockumentaries how do you expect anyone to take you seriously? I am a fan of teaching facts, it can be interesting but don't mix in lies to make it that way.

What are your feeling on Shark Week? Do you think they are going too far with the fake documentaries?