“Not a fan of the live”: Shark Tank fans are disappointed with Season 14 Episode 1 having a live studio audience
Season 14 of Shark Tank premiered on Friday, September 23, on ABC with a live studio audience. The episode marked the first time the show aired live, but fans were not impressed with the outcome.
In earlier seasons, the episodes used to be filmed days before their air date, thereby making the final outcome crisp and chaos-free. However, the live audience episode that aired on Friday was chaotic, since the clapping, cheering, and booing by audience members disturbed the continuity of the show.
The outcome was noisy, which made it difficult to hear what the entrepreneurs and sharks were saying. Fans, therefore, didn’t appreciate the Shark Tank Season 14 premiere having live spectators, since it made the episode difficult to follow for those watching at home.
Fans slam live audience concept of Shark Tank
Shark Tank fans were excited to see their favorite show return with a brand new season. This time, however, producers decided to make the first episode extra special by adding a live audience to the mix.
It was the first time the show ever went live. However, fans were not impressed with episode 1 and found it "lame," claiming that it was “worse than the taped ones.”
Shark Tank Season 14 Episode 1 recap
In Episode 1, three aspiring entrepreneurs appeared on the show to deliver their respective business pitches. By the end of the episode, all of them managed to walk away with good deals.
The first to arrive in the tank were Stacey and Jeff Grace from Los Angeles, CA. Their company, KENT, sells compostable underwear made from natural materials.
The pair offered $200 for 5% equity on Shark Tank. Barbara Corcoran wanted to make a deal with 20% stake, while Robert Herjavec, Lori Greiner and Daymond John offered the same deal of $200 for 15% stake.
Stacey and Jeff confessed that they were targeting Daymond John because of his involvement in the fashion business and thus, made a deal with him.
Next in the tank was married couple Nina and Sina Farzin, who came to showcase their business, oogiebear. It is a product that removes boogers from babies and helps them breathe easily. Apart from the booger picker, the founders showcased several baby-related products that the company was selling.
The couple wanted to grow their business and thus offered $400 for 5% stake. They clarified that they made millions and so they were not on the show for money.
They got an offer by Kevin O’Leary (Mr. Wonderful), then a Lori and Mark combined deal, and also, an offer from Barbara and Robert. Barbara and Robert eventually accepted oogiebear founders’ revised deal, stating $600 for 10% stake.
The last founder to come in the tank in the premiere episode was a returning entrepreneur named Tate. The Oregon native first appeared on the show in Season 12 to showcase his business, Pizza Pack. At the time, he didn’t get any deals, but Season 14 turned out to be lucky for him.
Not only was he offered deals by Daymond, Lori, and Kevin (with royalties), but Mark asked him for a price to buy his company. Tate asked for $5 million, which Mark brought down to $1.5 million. Things didn’t work out between the shark and Tate, so the latter decided to go with Lori’s offer — $100 for 13% stake.
Shark Tank Season 14 will revert back to its original format from the next episode, which means no live audience.
Shark Tank will air a new episode every Friday on ABC at 8 PM ET.
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Sushmita Sen