People Are Angry That Some Guy Didn't Actually Get Eaten Alive On TV
The Discovery Special Eaten Alive promised eager viewers that they'd be able to view a man, herpetologist Paul Rosolie, being eaten alive by a giant anaconda. For reasons we truly cannot fathom, Discovery Channel decided to call off the getting-eaten-alive bit halfway through the actual stunt. During the video, the anaconda did begin to constrict tightly around Rosolie's arm, and he called for help because the snake was actually going to break his arm. Therefore, the two-hour special, when it aired, did not actually show Rosolie feeding himself to the snake. And people were extremely miffed about this TV entertainment scandal.
"Ultimately, after the snake constricted Paul for over an hour and went for his head, the experiment had to be called when it became clear that Paul would be very seriously injured if he continued on. The safety of Paul, as well as the anaconda, was always our number one priority," Discovery said in a statement.
But that wasn't enough. The Internet (namely, Twitter and Tumblr) was ablaze with criticism of the disappointing show:
@finallevel such a waste of time! #EatenAlive pic.twitter.com/JFiKqTJL6M
— ☠ Donovan ☠ (@Thedreadpirate) December 9, 2014
Next time I watch something called #EatenAlive, somebody better get eaten alive.
— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattCSN) December 8, 2014
steve irwin would pass thru the digestive canals of a ball python & still be home for dinner that night this paul cat is a FRAUD #EatenAlive
— WinterPaganFestSaps (@heysaps) December 8, 2014
Even before the stunt failed, animal rights groups like PETA were not too happy with the televised event: "Making this snake use up energy by swallowing this fool and then possibly regurgitating him would have left the poor animal exhausted and deprived of the energy that he or she needs," PETA said in a statement.
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