What Was Fake And What Was Real In 'Michael Phelps Vs. Shark' Scam?

Despite a promise that Michael Phelps would race a great white shark during Shark Week 2017, the Discovery Channel sank viewers' hopes when the Olympic swimmer's competition in South Africa showed up as a computer-generated simulation.

Here are a few things to know about the "Great Gold vs. Great White" race between the Olympic gold medalist and a great white shark on the Discovery Channel.

The shark was a computer-generated image. The 100-meter race took place in Mossel Bay, South Africa, where Phelps reportedly swam for the show's filming in June. The shark did not swim next to him.

"Clearly, we can't put Michael in one lane and a shark in the far lane," Sharklab researcher Tristan Guttridge said on the show, which aired Sunday night. "We have to do simulation."

Experts calculated the shark's estimated speed, since it does not tend to swim in straight lines. Then, after Phelps scoped out the competition — coming head-to-head with a great white while he was in a cage underwater — he tried to beat its estimated time during a 100-meter race.

While the preview teased a great white shark "sculpted by 450 million years of evolution" racing the greatest Olympian of all time, the actual race was sculpted by humans who used computers to superimpose the shark's image next to Phelps on screen.

Viewers turned to social media to vent their displeasure, particularly because the race occurred in the last 10 minutes of the Discovery Channel's hour-long program.

While many claimed they were disappointed, there were warning signs along the way that Phelps and a great white would not be making waves in lanes next to each other in the open water.

Two minutes into the show, Guttridge said: "Michael will test his speed versus a white shark. Of course, we don't have a white shark next to him in a lane, so we need to measure their speeds in the wild." Around the eight-minute mark, the scientist repeated it would be impossible to put Phelps in one lane with sharks flanking him.

The race was no contest. Sharks swim an estimated 25 mph, according to Discovery, while Phelps can swim up to about 5.5 mph in a pool.

However, Discovery noted that Phelps has something the shark lacks; the Baltimore County native, who has won 23 Olympic gold medals, can swim 400-meter races at a steady clip and has the gift of endurance.

Meanwhile, sharks are more like sprinters.

"They're not just bursting around all over the place; they have to conserve energy," Guttridge said. He predicted the race would be like "the tortoise and the hare..."

Phelps was wearing a mono fin. To help even the playing field, Phelps wore a wetsuit made of dermal denticles that emulated a shark's skin, and he was equipped with a mono fin for his size 14 feet. The fin was designed by FINIS Swimming, a California-based company that creates products like underwater MP3 players.

A mono fin has a blade that can help swimmers with their technique and enable them to travel faster. It helped shave four seconds off Phelps' record time in the trial race with a hammerhead and reef shark. The hammerhead won through a 15-mph burst at the end of the race. Phelps had a 6-mph speed.

The Discovery Channel met its goal. While the computer-generated race may have upset some, those at Discovery saw the event as a success.

"The whole point is to get people excited about sharks," a spokeswoman for Discovery told The New York Times. Mission accomplished.

If people couldn't get enough of Phelps, the Shark Week 2017 schedule includes another show starring the Olympic champ: "Shark School With Michael Phelps."

"Next time...warmer water," Phelps tweeted after the broadcast. He said he was used to 78- to 80-degree water versus the temps in the 50s where he was swimming for Shark Week.

"I am high-maintenance when it comes to cold water," Phelps said during the Discovery program.

There is speculation that a rematch could take place in a pool.

In "Shark School With Michael Phelps," he will learn more about sharks and get schooled on how to dive with them, "including how to stay calm when a hammerhead swims two feet above his face," according to Discovery Communications. He will also get "up close and personal with the incredible power of a great white."

See Also:

• How Michael Phelps Gets His Coffee At Starbucks
• 5 Things You Need To Survive Shark Week
• 'Phelps Face' Trending After Olympic Qualifier Race
• Shark Week 2017 Begins - And We Think These Toothy Guys Know
• Michael Phelps Among Most Googled Names Of 2016

Image of Michael Phelps by Agência Brasil Fotografias via Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0.