Who is actually killed by the shark in JAWS?

You can catch The Shark Is Broken from 25th July 2023 at the Golden Theater, New York, NYC. 

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Hello, Islanders!

It’s often the subject of high-spirited debates among JAWS fans.  What is the kill number for Bruce the shark in the original JAWS?  Guesses range from three to six.  Seven if you count Pipit the dog – though since he’s not a person he won’t be part of this equation.  Like a menu in a Chinese restaurant, you can choose from the following options:

Three

Some fans are very literal, and only count the victims they actually see perish on screen:  Chrissie Watkins, Alex Kintner and Quint.  They also maintain that they don’t know for sure if Ted Grossman (the Estuary victim) died or just lost his leg.  And how do we know the shark killed Ben Gardner.  Maybe he had a heart attack.  Or his boat flooded, and he drowned.  Seriously.

Four

Like the group above but they count the Estuary victim.

Five

The most accepted answer, with the following falling victim to the shark:  Chrissie Watkins, Alex Kintner, Ben Gardner, the Estuary victim, and Quint.

Six

The one I agree with.  The five victims named above and the unfortunate and unnamed gentleman who accompanied Ben Gardner on the hunt for the tiger shark. 

There is one controversial omission from this article…. everyone’s favorite paddling pooch, Pipit the black labrador! We have a special theory about Pipit - watch our video below and tellus your thoughts in the comments!

Words by Ross Williams and Michael A Smith. Michael is co-author of Jaws 2: The Making Of The Hollywood Sequel. You can order the book by contacting Michael at OsFanMike@aol.com.

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