Discovery Channel's "Eaten Alive" was getting attacked from all sides Friday.

Viewers of the special complained that conservationist Paul Rosolie did not follow through on his promise to get swallowed by a 20-foot anaconda in his crush-proof suit, while animal rights groups said the whole stunt was bad enough as it were.

"At the conclusion of the two-hour special, he had neither captured the 25-foot snake he went searching for in the Amazon nor gotten swallowed into the belly of the beast," the New York Post complained.

After a failed extensive hunt for the right animal and with about 20 minutes left in the program, Rosolie put on his custom-made protective suit and managed to get his body constricted by the snake. Although the anaconda did go for his head, which was protected by a crush-proof helmet, the animal eventually backed off.

Rosolie, likewise, backed off because he felt his arm break after he took off some of his armor to up his mobility. His rescue team stepped in and pulled the snake off.

The conservationist embarked on the stunt to raise awareness for "one of the most beautiful and threatened parts of the world, the Amazon Rainforest and its wildlife," the Discovery Channel told Entertainment Weekly. "He went to great lengths to send this message and it was his absolute intention to be eaten alive. The experiment had to be called when it became clear that Paul would be very seriously injured if he continued on. The safety of Paul, as well as the anaconda, was always our number-one priority."

Although the snake was not harmed in the filming, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a group that had vigorously objected to the stunt, renewed its criticism on Friday.

"[The animals shown in 'Eaten Alive'] were removed from their water habitat and transported to a filming location, and the chosen snake was deceived into using her precious energy reserves to constrict a human being pretending to be a pig, all for a publicity stunt," PETA said in a statement.

The Discovery Channel crew caused the anaconda "undeniable stress" PETA added as it challenged the genuineness of Rosolie's conservationist motives.

"Study after study has shown that entertainment features such as this one that show humans interfering with and handling wild animals are detrimental to species conservation," PETA argued. "Rosolie knows this. Discovery knows this. Yet they chose to contrive and air this shameful stunt for ratings anyway."

Viewers' frustration on Twitter, meanwhile, was mainly focused on the show's anticlimactic ending, according to the New York Post.

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