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| Shark Tank can be seen Friday night's on ABC |
Shark Tank has become a staple of Friday night for many Americans. Seeing the products and innovations that people have made and how they plan on making it big has become addicting.
What does this show have to do in order to stay on the cutting edge? Here are my ideas, starting with the panel of sharks as a whole and then some general suggestions.
Mark Cuban:
I rolled my eyes when I saw that Mark Cuban was going to be added to this show as a guest a few years ago. As a Utah Jazz fan, the only thing I knew about Cuban was that he was loud, obnoxious, and a whiner. I couldn't have been more wrong. He is honest, straight forward, and seems to sincerely care about each presenter as a person. As the most wealthy shark, he is the most willing to invest. He is a must have going forward.
Barbara Corcoran:
She lacks the personality of some of the others, but one thing that can't be argued is that when she invests, she usually helps the business grow tremendously. To me, she seems clueless about a lot of things. But if a presenter can convince her of a product, she is a great partner to have. She should be on every episode.
Kevin O'Leary:
This guy is a buffoon. His only valid contribution is that he keeps the conversation moving. If someone has a large amount of sales AND are on the upward trend, he will offer to give them the amount of money they seek in exchange for no equity and a chunk of sales for the rest of their lives. He then points out what a big risk he is taking and how generous he is (the complete opposite on both points is reality). Otherwise, he dismisses the presenter as though they are a worthless person. If I were a presenter, I would avoid him like the plague, even if he were my only offer. As much as I don't like him though, the show would be boring without him.
Lori Greiner:
I don't see any value that she brings. She tries to sell the idea that she can get a product on QVC. To me, this is overrated. Sure, you can be on there for two weeks maybe, and then what? She values herself much more than she should.
Daymond John:
Daymond seems bored more often than not. It is as if he considers himself to be "above" the people who come before him. He usually responds with "I don't want to be in this space, Im out." or "I already have a similar group I'm with, I'm out". If he does make an offer, he demands that his offer be accepted immediately or he jacks up the equity he requires. It's as if the only amusement he gets from being on the show is in toying with people.
Robert Herjavec:
As soon as Mark came on the show, Robert became redundant at best and worthless at worst. He is the least desirable partner of all the sharks, and he doesn't realize it. Before Cuban came on, Robert was the "tech guy". With Mark on board, Robert is just a less interesting, less likely to invest shark with fewer connections. Wrap your mind around this: Robert's net worth is less than 5% of Cuban's. His tactic of throwing a tantrum when someone doesn't immediately accept his offer has gotten old.
If I were a producer, I would have Barbara, Kevin, and Mark on each episode and I would completely cut the other 3. I would get replacements who can bring something unique to the table.
As for other suggestions, I'd like to see more updates on how former presenters are doing. The one per week is decent, but why not put some more up online?
Finally, how about weeding out the trolls? I enjoy the random oddball with his hack product (the guy who wanted to implant phones into people's heads or the guy who wanted to create tornadoes in the ocean or whatever come to mind), but I get tired of the "I have a cool app, no sales, and I'd like $650,000 in exchange for 6% of the business!" presentations. They just want to be on the show for exposure and have no desire for a deal. I want to see people who really want a deal working to get one.
If done right, this show can have a long run.
