Jackass star Sean McInerney was bitten by a shark while wakeboarding in shark-infested waters while filming a stunt for Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.
In case you’re not familiar, “jumping the shark” is an idiom that “refers to the moment at which a popular or critically acclaimed television show begins its inevitable decline in quality.”
The term is based on a famous Happy Days episode in which The Fonz jumps over a shark on water skis while wearing his leather jacket in a plot that wildly veered off from what fans loved about the show.
Jackass stars Steve-O and Chris Pontius hoped to recreate the idea by sending their friend Sean McInerney, aka Poopies, out wakeboarding in a stunt that was supposed to see him quite literally “jump the shark”.
While attempting the dangerous stunt, McInerney fell from his board, before being swarmed by sharks and pulled out of the water by the crew who witnessed the terrifying event.
McInerney suffered a deep bite to this hand, and artery and tendon damage, after he was treated by an onsite medical team.
Following the close call, McInerney said: “I definitely got a degree in shark college there.”
“I knew there was a chance I was gonna get bit by a shark but I didn’t think it was gonna happen.
He added: “No, I don’t blame the sharks at all. I mean, I was in their living room, and it was dinner time.”
Fellow Jackass star Steve-O added: “My buddy got his hand mangled by a shark, man.
“He would be fucking dead if they didn’t dive on him as fast as they did. Jesus, he got wrecked by a shark … for a Shark Week episode.”
Chris Pontius added: “It’s a reminder that yeah, like, we are pushing it pretty hard. And this could happen, of course.”
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Check out the Jackass star’s failed attempt to jump the shark below:
