NEW YORK – ABC's hit competition show "Shark Tank" (Wednesdays, 10 p.m. ET/PT) is currently in Season 18, and at least one of the sharks didn't expect to be here this long. Heck, he didn't think he'd make it past the first season.
"I had a serious cyber business," Robert Herjavec tells USA TODAY, recalling the early days of filming Season 1. "I was going to leave the show. And Kevin found out and took me out for dinner and said to me, 'Robert, you're an idiot. This show is going to be huge.'"
Herjavec, 64, is referring to Kevin "Mr. Wonderful" O'Leary, one of three other sharks joining him in the conversation. The two original show members sit alongside Daniel Lubetzky and Rashaun Williams.
For Season 18, those sharks will also be joined by longtime
show members Daymond John, Lori Greiner and Barbara Corcoran. Kendra Scott also joins as a permanent shark in Season 18, in addition to the largest group of guest investors in the show's history.
"We're ambassadors for the American dream now," O'Leary, 72, adds. "And you think about what the number one export of America is and the mandate of every president, regardless if they're red or blue, it's to preserve the American dream."
Of course, the irony is that both O'Leary and Herjavec are Canadians. As for Lubetzky, he was born in Mexico City before his family moved to San Antonio, Texas. And the newest shark, Williams, has deep roots in Atlanta and is a limited partner with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. Williams is the founder of Harbinger Sports Partners, where he works alongside co-founder and former "Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban.
"If you think it's shocking to see on TV, imagine sitting next to him real time, hearing the things that comes out of his mouth," Williams, 47, jokes about O'Leary. "Sometimes the people will laugh, sometimes they'll cry.
"In the real world, outside of 'Shark Tank,' you don't get to see the reactions of entrepreneurs when you choose to invest in their company or when you say no," Williams adds. "But for someone to cry and hug you after you help them achieve their dream is a level of investing that most Americans have never seen."
Is the U.S. economy impacting 'Shark Tank' deals?
"Shark Tank" launched on ABC in August 2009. In the nearly 20 years since, almost every aspect of the world has changed. Specifically under the Trump administration, tariffs have changed the economics of imports, with prescription drugs as possibly the next import to see a price increase. And on the inflation front, the increase on food and energy prices outpaced average hourly earnings from workers for a third straight month.
"We're two years ahead of the market," O'Leary says of how the show deals with current economic issues. "What you see in 'Shark Tank' Season 18 is going to be on the shelves in 18 to 24 months."
O'Leary points to the show's trends, one being pitches for companies that specialize in healthy food. That's right up the aisle for Lubetzky, the founder of Kind Healthy Snacks. In November 2020, the company was acquired by Mars with a valuation of $5 billion.
"What's interesting about the show is all of us have our own insecurities," Lubetzky, 58, says. He notes that during a recent taping, O'Leary called him "Mr. Food" as if to tell an entrepreneur that he wasn't the right person to take a deal from. O'Leary eventually got the deal done.
"He used my food expertise to actually downgrade me and get the deal," Lubetzky recalls. "Emotion is real. Mark [Cuban] explained to me and he was right. It's like a dysfunctional family, they hug and make up. But when it's happening, when they throw you under the bus or whatever, you're infuriated."
"Oh my gosh, Daniel, get over it!" Herjavec interjects as everyone laughs.
Kevin O'Leary knows immediately when a pitch is no good
With the new season of "Shark Tank," one of the sharks return to the tank having acted in an Oscar-nominated film. O'Leary starred alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Timothée Chalamet in "Marty Supreme," which was up for best picture at the 2026 Oscars. The other three sharks still rib on O'Leary for the scene in which his character, Milton Rockwell, spanks Marty (Chalamet) in the rear-end with a ping pong paddle.
O'Leary hopes to continue acting but says "Supreme" has taught him that good scripts are hard to come by.
He's learned a thing or two about showmanship in the tank as well. O'Leary believes that he can tell before the entrepreneur even says a word whether their pitch will be worthwhile or not. Before the entrepreneur speaks, a floor director on set tells them to "hold" so cameras can get a shot of both them and the product. O'Leary says that for some, it's a "nerve-wracking" 90 seconds and he can see if they're nervous or not.
"They're right in front of me," he explains. "I look at them and I lean over to Lori [Greiner] and I say 'Loser' without them even saying a single word."
Lubetzky immediately begins arguing with O'Leary, just like they're fighting over a deal on set.
"That's what makes this guy so wrong!" Lubetzky says. "We are actually there to celebrate [the entrepreneur's] courage and this guy says, 'Loser.'"
"And the key to this is," O'Leary continues, "I'm never wrong."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Shark Tank' cast on US economy, spotting a 'loser' and best Season 18 guests
