50 free Shark Tank trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Since August 2009, Shark Tank has turned pitch meetings into prime-time TV and made household names of Scrub Daddy, Bombas and Ring. These 50 questions cover the Sharks and their backstories (FUBU, QVC, Broadcast.com, SoftKey, the Corcoran Group), the show's Dragons' Den and Tigers of Money lineage, the biggest deals and the most famous rejections, plus ratings, Emmys and production trivia like the Finnmax equity clause Mark Cuban killed. Good for a business-class warm-up, an office quiz or a watch-party round. Every answer is sourced.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01On which US network did Shark Tank premiere in August 2009?
ABC
CNBC later licensed the off-network cable rights and began airing repeats on December 30, 2013.
Q 02Shark Tank is the American version of which British format?
Dragons' Den
That show is itself a remake of the Japanese series The Tigers of Money.
Q 03The whole format originated with which Japanese show?
The Tigers of Money
The Japanese original began in 2001; Dragons' Den followed in 2005.
Q 04How many investors sit on the Shark Tank panel in a typical episode?
Five
They are angel investors risking their own money, as a disclaimer at the start of every episode states.
Q 05Who produces Shark Tank?
Mark Burnett
Contestants originally had to sign with producer Finnmax, granting a 2% royalty or 5% equity option, until Mark Cuban pushed to scrap it in 2013.
Q 06Which Shark pressured the network to drop the contestant equity-stake requirement in 2013?
Mark Cuban
He argued savvy founders would refuse to give away equity just for appearing, lowering the quality of pitches.
Q 07Which two longtime Sharks are Canadians who came from the CBC version of the show?
Herjavec and O'Leary
Herjavec has also sat on the Australian Shark Tank since 2023.
Q 08Which original Shark left after two seasons and was replaced by Cuban?
Kevin Harrington
Harrington pioneered the modern infomercial in 1985; comedian Jeff Foxworthy also filled in for him in season 2.
Q 09In which season did Cuban first appear as a guest Shark?
Second
He became a permanent Shark the following year and left at the end of Season 16 in May 2025.
Q 10Which snack company did permanent Shark Daniel Lubetzky found?
Kind
He launched Kind in 2004; Mars agreed to buy Kind North America in 2020 for about $5 billion.
Q 11Which Shark is known as the "Queen of QVC"?
Lori Greiner
She has hosted Clever & Unique Creations on QVC since 2000 and holds more than 120 patents.
Q 12What was the first product ever featured on Shark Tank?
Mr. Tod's Pies
It aired in the August 9, 2009 premiere.
Q 13Which doorbell startup pitched on Shark Tank as Doorbot and was later bought by Amazon?
Ring
Founder Jamie Siminoff turned down Kevin O'Leary's offer, then became the show's first former entrepreneur to return as a guest Shark.
How much did Jamie Siminoff ask for when he pitched Doorbot?
Q 21Under what name did Poppi founders Allison and Stephen Ellsworth pitch in 2018?
Mother Beverage
The name nodded to the raw apple cider vinegar in the drink; Rohan Oza invested $400,000 and the brand was renamed in 2020.
Q 22Which company bought Poppi in 2025?
PepsiCo
Allison Ellsworth later returned as the show's first female former-entrepreneur guest Shark.
Q 23Which pancake-mix company famously left Shark Tank without a deal and thrived anyway?
Kodiak Cakes
The show's companion series Beyond the Tank followed companies whether or not the Sharks had invested.
$700,000
He valued the company at $7 million, declined O'Leary's offer and credited the appearance with $5 million in extra sales.
Q 15Approximately how much did Amazon pay for Ring in 2018?
$1.15 billion
Doorbot had raised just $364,000 in crowdfunding on Christie Street five years earlier.
Q 16Which Shark made the Scrub Daddy deal?
Lori Greiner
She took 20% for $200,000 in the October 2012 episode; the next day they sold 42,000 sponges on QVC in under seven minutes.
Q 17Who invented the Scrub Daddy sponge?
Aaron Krause
A car detailer, he had sold his buffing-pad business to 3M in 2008; 3M left the sponges behind in his factory.
Q 18What makes the Scrub Daddy sponge change texture?
Water temperature
Its FlexTexture polymer is firm in cold water and soft in warm water.
Q 19Which Shark struck the deal with sock company Bombas?
Daymond John
The founders appeared in September 2014 after learning socks were the most requested item at homeless shelters.
Q 20What does Bombas do for every item sold?
Donates one to a shelter
By 2025 it had given more than 150 million products to people experiencing homelessness.
Q 24Which Shark Tank alum was acquired by Snap Inc.?
Scan
Groove Book went to Shutterfly, Talbott Teas to Jamba Juice and Plated to Albertsons.
Q 25Roughly what percentage of applicants made it to air in the 2018 season?
0.22%
Just 88 of about 40,000 applicants aired, which is why some companies falsely claim a Shark Tank appearance.
Q 26A roughly 45-minute pitch is edited down to about how long on air?
11 minutes
Most episodes fit four pitches into a broadcast hour.
Q 27According to Kevin O'Leary, about what share of on-air handshake deals are never executed?
20%
Due diligence follows the handshake; Herjavec believes about 90% of those withdrawals come from the entrepreneur.
Q 28How many times has Shark Tank won the Emmy for Outstanding Structured Reality Program?
Five
It won four straight from 2014 to 2017 and again in 2024.
Q 29Which billionaire appeared as a guest Shark to open the redesigned set in 2017?
Richard Branson
Season 9 introduced Eames lounge chairs, penthouse city views, an infinity pool and a glass staircase.
Q 30Which actor-investor was a guest Shark in season 7?
Ashton Kutcher
Music manager Troy Carter and venture investor Chris Sacca also guested that season.