Thousands Punked by Mermaid Doc
Discovery Channel discovers how gullible viewers are
Evidence has just been uncovered that many TV viewers are dumber than we imagined.
"Mermaids: The Body Found" is a "Blair Witch Project"-style mockumentary purporting to question whether the mythical half-men/half-fish actually swim among us. Using actors and a faked mermaid skeleton as "evidence," the two-hour special aired on Animal Planet over Memorial Day, and was then rebroadcast on Sunday to a wider audience on the Discovery Channel.
Bing: More about 'Mermaids: The Body Found'
Even though the show's description clearly identified it as "science fiction," hundreds of thousands of viewers Internet-searched "mermaid body found" after the latest broadcast, according to reports. And those disappointed to read that Ariel is not real took to the web to vent at the truth-hiders.
"Like 90% of the ocean remains unexplored and you're telling me mermaids don't exist," one Twitter user wrote.
"What should be upseting ppl more than anything else, is the FACT the Armed Forces keeps things like this from US All the Time!!!!!! " noted a commenter to Discovery's website.
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Having received hundreds of telephone inquiries about the mermaid body after the special's initial broadcast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration felt sufficiently compelled to officially declare that "no evidence of aquatic homanoids has ever been found."
Yeah, well that's just what liars would say.
ITS OBVIOUS THAT THIS POKE AT THE NAVY HAD 2 B EMBELLISHED WITH THE AQUATIC APE THEORY AND CGI CARTOONS BEFORE IT COULD EVER MAKE IT INTO YOUR LIVING ROOM-YOU CAN'T THROW MUD AT THE GOVERNMENT AND EXPECT 2 GET AWAY WITH IT!THIS WASNT ABOUT MERMAIDS U GLUEBAGS! THE REAL STORY IS WHAT THE NAVY IS DOING 2 THE MARINE LIFE-THE INVESTIGTORS OF THE BEACHED CREATURES ONLY STUMBLED ON THE HIDDEN AGENDA ANDNOW EVERYONE IS TRYING 2 COVER THERE ASSES AND DIVERT THE SUBJECT MATTER-EVER HEAR OF ROSSWELL?THEY'VE BEEN SEEING ALIENS 4 THOUSANDS OF YEARS-BUT HEY, THE GOVERNMENT SAYS WE ARE ALL CRAZY-ALIENS DON'T EXIST!
If this show was suppose to be a 'blair with project' but with mermaids then it should have not be aired on the discovery channel. i find it disgusting that the channel thinks this is funny to actually dope society. First of all, i never saw any disclaimer before the show, during or after. The government has lied to the pubic since forever, i wouldnt be surprised if they keep stating it over and over that they dont exist cause they are trying to hide the fact that it is or could be a possibility they do.
Unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of response that Discovery Channel is hoping to generate, because it generates publicity and "buzz". Seeing the number of people that were initally fooled during the first airing, a responsible media outlet would insert a 5-second disclaimer stating that it was a "dramatization" at the end of commercial breaks.
But, search hits mean revenue, and as has been said, nobody has ever gone broke underestimating the intelligence of the consumer. It's a sad commentary as to what the Discovery Channel has devolved into. It used to be about knowledge and education -- but there's no money in that.
It consistently amazes me how dumb people are. Maybe I am getting dumber as I continually believe that will eventually gain some modicum of common sense.
I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale if anyone would like to buy it, and a royal cousin in Nigeria who is rich but needs help getting money out of the country. Send inquiries to me@ you_are_an_idiot.
This mermaid idea is very similar to alien ideas. If you go and plug in the researcher's name (the man) from the mermaid show on the internet, you'll find that the Homeland Security has taken over the website. You can not get any information, just like the aliens huh? Anything that the Government is involved with, there has to be some truth too.
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Deanna Barnert | Los Angeles, Calif.
Entertainment journalist Deanna "TVDeeva" Barnert visits sets, interviews industry players and critiques the final product. Buzz's daytime TV queen covers it all for MSN TV, but loves her sitcoms, soaps and any juicy drama that doesn't call itself Reality TV.
