On Sunday evening, the Discovery Channel aired its heavily trailed Eaten Alive show, which involved American naturalist Paul Rosolie being eaten alive by a giant anaconda.
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The stunt had been heavily criticised by some animal rights groups, with an online petition calling on Discovery not to air the show – because it was “animal abuse to the highest degree” – receiving almost 40,000 signatures.
Rosolie though defended the show, saying it was designed to highlight the destruction of the rainforest.
For the stunt he wore a special protective suit to allow him to survive being eaten and digested by the snake.
Towards the end of the show the anaconda was shown biting Rosolie's helmet and wrapping itself around him.
The snake's crushing power proved to be too much for Rosolie and his protective suit and the stunt had to be called off before it tried to swallow his head.
The Daily Mail quoted him as saying afterwards: "The last thing I remember was her mouth open wide and everything went black.
"I went limp and let it constrict. All the while I was just thinking: 'Eat, eat, eat!' She wrapped around me and I felt my suit cracking and my arms ripping out of their sockets."
Some viewers though were pretty unimpressed by the fact that Rosolie wasn't actually eaten alive and on Sunday evening Twitter was full of people complaining that a human being hadn't been consumed by a giant snake for their entertainment.
Next time I watch something called #EatenAlive, somebody better get eaten alive.
Hey @discovery, can I have my own show? #EatenAlive
#EatenAlive is some of the dumbest stuff I've ever seen and I've seen Home Alone 3 AND 4
#EatenAlive should have been called #SqueezedAlive instead ... False marketing LOL @Discovery
You just wasted two hours of your life watching #EatenAlive and the guy didn't even get eaten... You okay? http://t.co/YCDjPfRZKF
Misleading title: #EatenAlive. Appropriate title: #BroHuggedByABigSnake.
Discovery letting me think Paul gets eaten by a snake and then not letting that happen is the reason I have trust issues. #EatenAlive
What kind of a world do we live in where the promise of a man getting #EatenAlive by an anaconda on TV goes unfulfilled?
WAIT THE SNAKE DIDN'T EVEN EAT THE GUY? I've been #EatenAlive by exactly as many anacondas as the host of this ridiculous show?
Next on Discovery..."Finding the Tooth Fairy" where I spend two hours looking for the Tooth Fairy, give up and get a burrito. #EatenAlive
.@Discovery I've never watched your show Naked and Afraid but after watching #EatenAlive I assume everyone is clothed and calm.
OH GOD I'M BEING CONSUMED HEAD-FIRST BY AN ANACONDA wait nope, just tried to put a hooded sweatshirt on backwards, nevermind. #EatenAlive
If you ever want to complain that #GhostHunters doesn't find enough ghosts - just watch #EatenAlive and know true disappointment. ;)
#EatenAlive - should have been called nibble my nose.
Two hours and they didn't do the one thing they promised.... #EatenAlive http://t.co/wJxMVJDNuz
BREAKING: "Eaten Alive" to be retitled "Eaten Alive: Just Kidding"