Shark Tank is an American reality series that works two different angles — it’s thought provoking and business oriented, but also driven as a form of primetime entertainment for viewers. Marketed as a launching pad for new businesses and American start-ups, similar to the Canadian version Dragon’s Den which originated from Japan, Shark Tank features hugely successful investors like Kevin O’Leary, Robert Herjavec, Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran who sit on a panel to hear business pitches from aspiring entrepreneurs. The panel of “Sharks” decide whether or not they want to invest in these new ventures. Shark Tank is now onto its eighth season on ABC and while it had a slow start gaining popularity, it’s now won four Primetime Emmy Awards and has become one of the most watched Friday night programs! Here’s a look at 14 behind the scenes secrets from the series Shark Tank!
14. A Typical Pitch Lasts an Hour
The viewers only get to see a small portion of what actually goes on. The production team behind the scenes will edit the footage so that each pitch is only 10 minutes, but in reality they average about an hour each. This is why the Sharks sometimes look uncomfortable or are eager to get engaged. Michael Tseng from season 4 holds the record for the longest pitch at 2 and half hours in the Tank. According to O’Leary his pitch took so long because “the guy was an idiot — he just couldn’t make a decision. The Sharks were interested, but getting him to do a deal was a huge problem,” he said. If a deal takes a long time it’s typically because a contestant doesn’t know their financial numbers or their pitch wasn’t thorough so the Sharks have to ask a lot of questions. Investors don’t get any background information on the entrepreneurs or their product so they must give a full presentation. This way the Sharks and the viewers can get a good understanding of who they are and what their company is all about. The editing process is very simple. Editors will basically only use what they call “sexy” footage of both the Sharks and the entrepreneurs which would be anything that provides valuable information.
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