Shark Tank premiered with its first-ever live episode on September 23rd and continues to attract celebrities and a dazzling ensemble of sharks to test the waters with hopeful entrepreneurs. The 2022 season includes Goop founder and Oscar award-winning actress, Gwyneth Paltrow, who is set to this ABC hit reality show as a guest shark during its 14th season.
A testament that the American dream is alive and thriving, billionaireTony Xu, who immigrated with his parents from China at the age of five and is now founder and CEO of DoorDash, will also be a guest shark. Along with this exciting of guests, the main Sharks have the power to change the lives of budding entrepreneurs in a millisecond, but it is worthwhile to see how they rank on Shark Tank.
6 Daymond John
With a reputation of being risk-averse and tight-fisted, Daymond John is considered one of the less popular regular Shark Tank judges. Making his first fortune selling FUBU to the fashion label, Puma, John has a net worth of $350 million and tends to invest in fashion and food-related product lines.
John is the calm shark at the wheel, but is often relentless in his offers, offering little wiggle room for the contestant. In Season 13, Episode 23, for example, John counted himself out and then swooped back in to offer 100K as a “now or never” deal to the swimwear company Driftline. When the contestants attempted a feeble negotiation, he did not tolerate it, and jumped back, ultimately leaving the company with no deal from Shark Tank.
5 Barbara Corcoran
An original shark since the beginning of the show, Barbara Corcoran is an astute and sharp businesswoman and self-made mogul currently worth $100 million dollars. With the reputation of being a tougher shark to crack and often reluctant to enter into deals, she is not as popular as her fellow sharks though this could also be attributed to the fact that her net worth is the least of the on Shark Tank.
It is worth noting that Corcoran is encouraging and ive of female entrepreneurs on occasion. In Season 13, she invested in a female deodorant product, Curie, after hearing that the contestant aborted her hike having received a call from the studio just two hours earlier that she could be a contestant on the show. While other sharks were out, Corcoran encouraged Mark Cuban to come in on a deal to this contestant's “lucky call”.
4 Robert Herjavec
A shark with a heart of gold known for his generosity and spontaneity is Robert Herjavec. With a net worth of $200 million, Herjavec has captured audiences on the global stage and has been part of both the Canadian and British versions of Shark Tank, which is called Dragon’s Den. On Shark Tank, Herjavec is diplomatic and genuinely ive of the struggle of entrepreneurs, even if it is not a product that he plans to sell.
In vicious negotiations, he is a shark who values the inventor’s commitment and intention as much as the actual deal, for example, investing in the product Grill Charms created by a contestant who survived cancer and managed to promote her unique stainless steel grilling accessory from her home. In the current season (Episode 4, Season 14) he generously offered to double the investment requested by a dynamic duo for their college moving service, though ultimately the deal was secured by Cuban, illustrating his warmth and openness.
3 Lori Greiner
Queen of QVC with the heart to listen to new entrepreneurs, yet the strength to stand up to her male fellow sharks, Lori Greiner is a clear favorite on the show. Her popularity stems from her upbeat, sympathetic, and open mindset toward investing.
Her astute business sense has brought in over a billion dollars of retail sales singularly derived from Shark Tank deals, and she continues to invest in interesting, out-of-the-box retail ventures including a dog bed for adults pitched in the current season 14, episode 5. Her enthusiastic approach to investing is contagious and sets her apart from the other sharks.
2 Kevin O'Leary
The only shark to have the fond nickname, "Mr. Wonderful", Kevin O'Leary's generosity, sense of humor, and willingness to embrace a wide range of industries, make him a favorite shark on Shark Tank. Born in Quebec, Canada, O'Leary discovered his entrepreneurial spirit in high school and never looked back, investing in major winners over his career including The Learning Company which he sold to Mattel for 4.2 billion.
Creating a diverse portfolio of companies in his name, he is known as a tough negotiator with a penchant for investing in royalties. O'Leary is adventurous in his investment style, case in point, investing in a digital and physical sports art company where NFTs were part of the deal (Season 13, Episode 17).
1 Mark Cuban
A billionaire by the age of 37, Mark Cuban's entrepreneurial, inherently positive attitude makes him the clear Shark Tank favorite. He is gutsy yet encouraging and is beloved by his fellow sharks as well as budding entrepreneurs for his direct and killer business instinct making him the best shark on the show.
One quality that endears Cuban to the Shark Tank audience and contestants is his readiness to get behind a good cause. In the current season 14, Episode 2, for example, he ed a deal with fellow shark, Barbara Corcoran, investing in a medical Dopp kit developed for patients required to take vaccines on the go, providing a safe and stylish solution. From the episode, it was evident that Cuban's reason to invest was less about the bottom line, and more about impacting and offering a viable solution to the lives of patients facing diabetes, fertility, and other sensitive treatments in today's busy world.