PASADENA, Calif. -- Tomorrow night at 9 ABC premieres "Shark Tank," a new reality competition series from "Survivor" executive producer Mark Burnett. In the show, would-be entrepreneurs pitch their products/services to a panel of "sharks," multi-millionaire investors who will use their own fortune to invest -- or not.
The show originated in Japan under the title "Dragon's Den," but Burnett opted for a shark theme instead.
"You've heard of business sharks not business dragons," said executive producer Clay Newbill. "The show originated in Japan and dragons are big there. ... And it's the perfect description of what happens in the tank: If the sharks hear something they like ... they might fight each other and take a bite out of each other."
Barbara Corcoran, a real estate shark, also noted, "There's no one in America who's been attacked by a dragon."
We actually met with Burnett earlier in the week but he's now off filming "Survivor" and wasn't at the ABC panel. Interestingly, he objected to the show's logo, which showed a $20 bill on a fish hook. Burnett thought the logo should have a $100 bill on the hook; today it does.
Read a review of "Shark Tank" tomorrow in TV Week.
Posted
Aug 08 2009, 01:03 PM
by
Rob Owen