People who tuned in to Discovery Channel Sunday night expected to see the naturalist and Amazon forest conservationist eaten whole by a massive snake while wearing a special protective suit.
But to the viewers' chagrin, the snake used in the stunt barely nibbled on the top of Rosolie's helmet before he pulled the plug on the dangerous experiment for fear that the snake would break his arm.
The original plan was to capture a 26-foot-long anaconda in the wild, but having failed that, the production team was forced to settle for a smaller, 20-foot snake raised in captivity and shipped in to complete the feat, reported TMZ citing sources close to the production.
Rosolie may not have been eaten alive by a hulking snake after all, but he was thoroughly chewed up by Discovery viewers and Twitter users who held nothing back Sunday night and Monday when expressing their disappointment with the overhyped experiment, which in the end failed to impress.
During a live Q&A session on Facebook Monday afternoon, Rosolie admitted that 'the hype around the show was misleading.'
He added: 'People seemed to assume that I already had gotten eaten. 'They seemed to forget that this was an attempt at 'entering the belly of the beast' not a promised outcome.'
In response to a user's question regarding the size of the snake, Rosolie conceded that that anaconda was 'on the smaller side,' and that his protective suit smeared in pig's blood made him even bigger.
'I'm very disappointed in you, Discovery,' wrote user Monica Marsh. 'This almost constant sensationalism is one of the reasons I've moved to the Science and Smithsonian channels.'
Joy Slack also did not mince words, writing: 'You lost every ounce of credibility with that televised stunt. Here's a suggestion, if you want to protect anacondas, stay out of their habitat and stop trying to fake capture one.'
In reaction to the avalanche of criticism, Paul Rosolie repeatedly stressed that the overarching goal of the experiment was to help protect the rainforest from destruction.
‘By doing this stunt and show we got MILLIONS of people all over the world talking about the Amazon, and anacondas,’ he wrote. ‘We are also doing the fundraiser, and the first study of anacondas ever in the Amazon. Its something. Definitely not enough, but its something.’
Rosolie insisted that he and his team, which included his wife, tried as hard as they could and made an honest attempt.
Speaking to NJ.com Monday, the New Jersey native said he launched the expedition with complete disregard for his own reputation and for his standing in the scientific community because he wanted draw the public’s attention to the shrinking rainforest.
‘I don't care if you're upset I didn't get eaten by anaconda,’ he said. ‘A, I tried, and B, there's a chance for me to do work with the Discovery Channel and bang my drum about the dangers, and I'll do that.’
In footage that aired on the Discovery Channel Sunday night - 27-year-old Paul Rosolie and his 10-strong team tracked down the 20-foot-long, 18st anaconda to the headwaters of the Amazon river.
Donning a black armored suit slathered in pig's blood, Mr Rosolie then moved tentatively 'on all fours' toward the enormous beast as the cameras rolled and his wife, Gowri, watched.
Seconds later, the female anaconda - one of the world's most fearsome creatures - pounced on its 5ft 9ins victim, latching on to his head, before constricting his arms and body.
