Shark Tank nearly got canceled after Season 2 — until Mark Cuban joined, viewership exploded, and ABC turned a flop into a Friday night hit.
Shark Tank was this close to getting the axe after Season 2, with weak ratings pushing ABC toward cancellation. But then came this Season, and Mark Cuban. His arrival flipped the script, spiking viewership and saving the show.
By Season 4, Shark Tank wasn’t just surviving, it was dominating Friday nights, with more episodes and bigger buzz. Total comeback move.
Kevin O’Leary says Shark Tank was almost scrapped, until one season saved it
According to Kevin O’Leary, the hit series was right on the chopping block until one season “exploded” in viewership and saved the day.
In a chat with ReasonTV about five years ago, O’Leary spilled that for the first three seasons, the network had no idea if Shark Tank would survive. The format was cool, sure, but it wasn’t exactly lighting up the ratings chart. He alluded,
I think a lot of what’s happened here was a surprise—originally to the format owners, Sony, Mark Burnett, and MGM, and certainly Disney owns ABC. We had no idea this would happen—and indeed, for the first three years, the show was right on the bubble, whether it would be continued or not. And then it went geometric in its fourth season—exploded.
Then came season four, and BOOM. Numbers went geometric. Just like that, Shark Tank went from bubble show to primetime cash cow. So why the obsession with boardroom banter and big bucks? O’Leary credits the show’s raw appeal:
You know, I always tell people, what are you watching when you’re watching Shark Tank? Because, you know, I tape those episodes and I watch it too, because I’m always interested to see how the editors cut that one-and-a-half-hour pitch down to eight minutes. You’re watching the pursuit of freedom—and it’s a visceral, powerful thing to watch people have dreams and pursue them.
And every once in a while, we make millionaires—not all the time, it’s very hard to run a business—but we’ve made many, many millionaires on Shark Tank, and that is extremely visceral and powerful and magnetic. And our fastest-growing demographic—right now—is 9 to 18-year-old women. And who would have ever thought that would happen?
It’s about dreams, drive, and sometimes, if the pitch is sharp enough, million-dollar deals. Oh, and the drama? Chef’s kiss. From his cold-blooded “you’re dead to me” exits to the eight-minute edit of real one-hour pitches, it’s reality TV gold.
Surprise twist: the fastest-growing fanbase was girls aged 9 to 18. Not exactly who you’d expect to be binge-watching business deals, but hey, entrepreneurship is in.
Love him or loathe him, O’Leary’s brand of brutal honesty helped turn a sinking show into a franchise empire.
Kevin O’Leary’s biggest Shark Tank deal came with a twist
Kevin O’Leary once called this pitch one of the biggest deals of his career, but yeah, there was a catch.
On Shark Tank, Andrew McMurray came in with Zipz — single-serve, BPA-free wine glasses so strong he could stand on them (via MarketRealist). He wanted $2.5M for 10%. Mr. Wonderful bit, but added a sneaky clause: if Zipz hit big with Costco, O’Leary could snag another 10% at the same $25M valuation.
The pitch had Walmart buzz, $130K in licensing fees, and even an $8.5M investor, which spooked most Sharks. But not Kevin. “You’re a smart grasshopper,” he said, loving the packaging, hating the $3.99 price tag.
They struck the deal. Flash forward to Beyond the Tank, and O’Leary was annoyed. No profit. No Costco deal.
