ABC's Shark Tank is a reality television series which aired weekly beginning in August of 2009. The show is produced by Mark Burnett, who has previously introduced reality fans to hits such as The Apprentice and Survivor. The show starts out with a variation of the song by Janet Jackson, "The Best Things in Life Are Free" as its theme song. The first series of shows attracted about 5 million viewers each episode, and aired for 14 episodes.http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/tank_mogul_works_magic_lf0cdP4SQJXfA7O4tuaVQO The show received great notice, yet did not captivate the audience of such shows as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire which captivated an audience of about 7 million.http://celebrifi.com/gossip/Reality-premieres-fall-flat-645447.html On March 10, 2010 it was reported that Mark Burnett and ABC has ordered a newer game show called, Trust Me, I’m a Game Show Host, which would feature aspiring game show hosts chosen from a studio audience to go head to head, with one host speaking the truth and the other not being truthful, and the contestants would need to figure out which one to trust.http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i755f10fb8f89b626e1ce8c41d1bd24d7

On March 12, 2010 one of the five investor sharks Barbara Corcoran has showcased a full color brochure filled with 340 pages that included testimonials on the show along with statistics and quotes from the people who she invested in.

Some of the shows contestants who were recipients of investments had received outside investors later. Such contestants as Notehall where college students could buy and sell class notes have been noticed and have gained recognition and awarded funding from DreamIt Ventures, a Philadelphia based incubator for technology startups.http://www.readwriteweb.com/start/2010/03/philly-based-startup-accelerator-accepting-applications.php

The basic premise of the show is to give various entrepreneurs, inventors and people with big ideas their 15 minutes of fame. This once in a lifetime opportunity will put select entrepreneurs and business visionaries on national television to pitch their big idea to five prominent venture investors known as the "Sharks." If a deal is made, the Sharks will facilitate funding in return for an equity stake in the business. Inventors and entrepreneurs on ABC's Shark Tank give up a small 2 percent royalty to the show for all revenue earned within the first 3 years. ABC's Shark Tank deems this as an advertising expense.

• Barbara Corcoran

• Kevin Harrington

• Robert Herjavec

• Daymond John

• Kevin O'Leary

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