Michael Phelps has added another brushstroke to his already sprawling cultural portrait: Olympic legend, mental health advocate, golf guy, commercial pitchman, and now cameo player in season two of Netflix’s BEEF. The new season premiered April 16 and shifts the show’s chaos into a wealthy country-club ecosystem, where Phelps appears as himself in one of the season’s celebrity drop-ins.
I tucked into this series last night, Sunday viewing with my wife, because we loved Season one of BEEF. Seeing Phelps onscreen was surprising and a little odd. I almost missed him because he was so authentic, so real, he could’ve been any heavy-weight stealing a scene. Phelps delivered the moment required of him effortlessly. Sure, he was playing himself, but it felt organic, present, and in-the-moment.
Phelps shows up in episode two as part of a poker scene, seated in the sort of rich-people orbit that BEEF is trying to skewer. Netflix’s cast guide describes him as one of the club regulars whose friends casually send “@MichaelPhelps $10,000 on Venmo” without even standing up. Other reports on the cameo note that he appears alongside Benny Blanco and that the joke works because Phelps barely needs to do anything to own the scene.
Michael Phelps does not need dialogue-heavy range here. He just needs to exist on screen and bring with him all the power of being Michael Phelps. That means greatness, celebrity, and the untouchable aura that still follows him nearly two decades after he turned Beijing into a one-man show. In a show obsessed with status, he is shorthand for status.
Season two of BEEF is built around a new ensemble led by Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, with the story unfolding in and around an exclusive country club. Reviews have described the season as a broader, glossier, more class-conscious swing than the first installment, and the cameos are part of that machinery. Phelps is not there because BEEF suddenly became a swimming show. He is there because his presence instantly tells the viewer what room they are in.
For swimming fans, our sport has spent years trying to claw its way into mainstream relevance outside of the Olympics, and Phelps remains one of the very few swimmers who can walk into a prestige TV series and not feel like a forced cameo. He still reads as a real celebrity to a non-swimming audience. I think that is far rarer than our sport would like to admit.
And yes, it is just a cameo. And, no, Michael Phelps is not delivering a monologue about sacrifice or what a 4:03 400 IM does to the human soul. He is there briefly and effectively. Sometimes that is all star power needs.
SEE THE BEEF SEASON 2 TRAILER
He continues to elevate our sports to new heights and still d-bag conservatives try to bring him down. Such a shame.
Outside of his foundation and getting some football players in the pool, Phelps chooses to do anything that is literally not associated with swim. Feels like a famous ex boyfriend that keeps getting brought up even though he hasn’t been around for years.
He doesn’t have to do anymore! He brought this sport up from being one that no one cared about to the premier Summer Olympic sport. It is not his fault the Americans want to cry about getting food poisoning and then wetting the bed at World’s
Michael Phelps is fundamentally not an interesting person outside of swimming!
everyone (maybe Eunice is the exception) is a horrible human being on the show.
Of course MP isn’t. Bad script though, including what was the point of including Phelps?
I’m a huge fan of BEEF Season 1. I’m partly through Season 2. It’s not as strong as season 1, but still pretty strong. It’s an A24 production. A24 is the one production company that produces new innovation narratives. They take a lot of chances.
Hoping he’s sporting his beautiful man bun!
He is… watch the episode… If I find a clip, I’ll add it.
Dear Golden One: nothing (not even Phelps) can top your glorious — and I do mean GLORIOUS — appearances on that great 1990s TV sports program —-> THE AMERICAN GLADIATORS.
Did you ever see his arc on Baywatch?
…you really mean globally famous, world-renowned series drama, BAYWATCH, where I appeared in a two-part episode, the only two-part episode where the central character was a ghost? Yep. Did that. And I did THE AMERICAN GLADIATORS as well (and got my butt kicked so, so, so badly).
Dear Golden One: here’s how you can top Phelps on “Beef” and you on “Baywatch.”
Back in 1972 after his Munich Olympic glory, Mark Spitz was offered $25,000 (and later $1,000,000) by Schick to shave off iconic mustache. He refused, but in 1973, he did shave it off to promote Schick’s new “Fleximatic” razor.
Now, you’re the one with the beard (you love playing with it during your podcasts — nothing wrong with that!). Why not invite Spitz on to one of your podcasts and have him shave your beard off! Gotta be worth a ton of clicks, and perhaps Norelco or Gillette would pay you guys for the “influencer cache.”
this might be the thirstiest thing posted here since the height of Dean Farris.
Can’t I just like love the series and MP w/o someone invoking the swimming-god Dean Farris???
lol apologies, my first few drafts of that comment were uhh, more explicit so I thought I’d tune it down
Ha!!!!!
new Apple CEO is a Penn swim alum, I’m expecting an article about that soon
wait this article already exists lmao https://swimswam.com/is-former-penn-swimmer-john-ternus-the-next-in-line-to-be-apples-ceo/
I know. Big flex for swimming (and yes Braden was on that fast–like he always is)
lol Mel is to Phelps as Rowdy is to Dressel
Yes, I love Michael Phelps… I will until I die. He completes me (as a swimmer and a fan). And, he was great in that episode. Go watch it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH11uGf-Nk4
Ha!!!!!
I tried to find a clip on YT or IG, but could not. If you can, please drop it in the comments.