When it comes to ABC shows, few have had as much success and critical acclaim as Shark Tank, which has been a ratings juggernaut in its time slot (8PM on Fridays). It has won an Emmy for Outstanding Structured Reality Show not once, not twice, but four times. The Emmy-winning show stars Kevin O’Leary, Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, Lori Greiner, and Barbara Corcoran, as well as the occasional guest-judge.
Fans of Shark Tank already know the concept of the show: potential start-ups and product-makers get a chance to pitch their businesses to a roster of all-star investors in hopes of snagging a career-changing deal to bring their project to life. The panel of “sharks” are notoriously selective when it comes time to judge the pitches. But when a shark does decide to invest, usually it erupts into a bidding war to claim the business for themselves.
So far, there have been twelve seasons and 246 episodes of this hit ABC show (which actually originated from a Japanese TV series called Tigers of Money). Some of the businesses seen on Shark Tank have blossomed into massive empires – while others have struggled to get off the ground. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest successes and failures to come from the show.