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Michael Phelps loses race against great white shark, but that's not why fans are upset

Promos billed the event as "the great white shark meets the greatest of all time," but Phelps and his fishy foe didn't actually meet at all.
/ Source: TODAY

The most anticipated part of this year's Shark Week — "Phelps vs. Shark: The Battle for Ocean Supremacy" — aired on Discovery Sunday night, and it ended in a loss for record-breaking Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

However, that wasn't the part that left fans disappointed.

Promos billed the event as "the great white shark meets the greatest of all time," but as soon as the race started, it became clear that Phelps and his fishy foe didn't actually meet at all.

The much-hyped match turned out to be a total simulation.

Phelps really raced against a CGI competitor.

Sure, in hindsight, it might seem obvious that the 23-time gold medal winner wouldn't actually consent to a death-defying, open-water, 100-meter race against a massive ocean predator.

But when the special aired, viewers took to Twitter to vent their displeasure all the same.

The way the race went down came as a surprise to many; the results shouldn't have.

Phelps may be the fastest human in the water, with a top speed of 6 mph by his own estimation, but a great white can go much faster, with peak bursts approaching 25 mph.

The faux face-off turned out to be a close one all the same. Phelps only lost by two seconds.

And he's ready for a rematch!