Jumping the shark

Jumping the shark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jumping the shark is an idiom used to denote the point in a television program's history where the plot spins off into absurd storylines or unlikely characterizations. These changes were often the result of efforts to revive interest in a show whose audience had begun to decline.

The phrase jump the shark refers to the climactic scene in 'Hollywood', of the American TV series Happy Days in September 1977. In this story, the central characters visit Los Angeles, where Fonzie (Henry Winkler), wearing swimming trunks and his leather jacket, jumps over a confined shark on water skis, answering a challenge to demonstrate his bravery. The series continued for nearly seven years after that, with a number of changes in cast and situations.

Jon Hein explained the concept as follows: 'It's a moment. A defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill. Some call it the climax. We call it 'Jumping the Shark.' From that moment on, the program will simply never be the same.'

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I AM PRAYING FOR A SHARK ATTACK!

Gordon Ramsay Is Getting Thrown to the Sharks - Slashfood:

No doubt there are plenty of chewed-out former contenders from Hell's Kitchen that would like nothing better than to send Gordon Ramsay swimming with the fishes. Well, Britain's Channel 4 is going one better: They're sending the famously ill-tempered chef to swim with the sharks.

And not just any sharks -- bull sharks, perhaps the most aggressive species of shark, prone to unprovoked attacks on humans. (Hey Gordon, sound familiar?)

What might otherwise seem a desperate publicity stunt designed to showcase another side of an overexposed celebrity (presumably Ramsay won't be able to launch into an expletive-laden tirade underwater) is ostensibly for a good cause: It's part of Channel 4's series of programs called 'The Big Fish Fight,' aimed at educating viewers about the impact of overfishing.

According to The Guardian, Ramsay's dramatic contribution will be part of a larger investigation into the controversy over shark-fin soup, which leads to the killing of nearly 100 million sharks per year and had caused significant declines in the population of the ocean-going predator.

And from.... Gordon Ramsay swims with sharks on new Channel 4 program

In the kitchen Gordon Ramsay makes it crystal clear that he is at the very top of the food chain, but on his new Channel 4 program “Gordon’s Shark Bait” the foul mouthed chef will find himself in a new position, potentially as dinner.

On the show Ramsay tackles his “scariest challenge to date” when he swims with bull sharks to coincide with his investigation into the impact of shark fin soup—a delicacy that results in nearly 100 million shark deaths per year.

The program is part of a Channel 4 series airing in January called “The Big Fish Fight” that features celebrity chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal and Ramsay.

The aim of the series is to educate viewers on the diminishing stocks of fish worldwide and how the depletion of ocean life impacts everyday life.

Hopefully the chefs learn along with the audience.

One thing is certain, Ramsay better pray that his bull shark counterparts hold the “Hell’s Kitchen” chef in higher regards than he does vegetarians.

Police dog braves shark infested river

Anything to do with Bull Sharks is big news on Queenslands Gold Coast (Australia), even if it has nothing to really do with sharks at all:

Police dog braves shark infested river to catch criminal | Dream Dogs Stud Dogs News
by Mark Glenning on November 26, 2010

In an amazing climax to a police chase, a fearless police dog sank his teeth into a fleeing criminal and refused to let go, even though they were swimming in a shark infested stretch of water.

The Hollywood style pursuit began at 3 AM in Ashmore Plaza, on the Gold Coast, when police were called to an incident involving a break-in at a shop. Officers arrived to disturb two men, one of whom fled on foot whilst the other leapt into a car and drove off. One officer opened fire on the vehicle, but the thief made good his escape.

Half an hour later, police spotted the vehicle again and gave chase. The driver crashed into a roundabout, blowing out a tyre before reversing into a police car. He decided to make a run for it, and officers released a police dog – a police dog who had no intention of letting the criminal evade him.

After a chase through the backstreets, the dog caught up with the fleeing criminal and sank its teeth into his leg, refusing to let its quarry go. In desperation, the thief tried to swim across the Nerang River, which is renowned as a hotspot for Bull sharks, which are notorious for attacking humans and whose bite is often mistaken for a Great White – the shark from the film Jaws.

As the wanted man was struggling to cross the river, with the dog still attached, police commandeered a passing jet ski, and headed out into the water to make an arrest.

Two men aged 33 and 30 are now in custody.

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