For 16 seasons on ABC — and a 17th set to hit the 2025 TV schedule later this year — Shark Tank has been helping entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground. Barbara Corcoran has been an instrumental part of that, but it turns out that wasn’t always the plan. The businesswoman revealed that someone else was originally the frontrunner for her spot on the show, and she lobbied hard to get the job — even name-dropping Donald Trump.
Barbara Corcoran said she knew immediately that the Shark Tank role was a perfect fit for her, so when she heard that producer Mark Burnett had “asked another girl to dance,” she fired off an email that laid out exactly why she should not be overlooked. She shared that letter on Facebook, explaining to fans:
The producer had already chosen someone else, but I wasn’t ready to give up. So I wrote him a list of reasons why I deserved a shot. That email got me the seat and changed the course of my life. Seventeen years later, I’m so glad I pressed send. Just a reminder, sometimes the door won’t open until you knock louder.
committed to the show even through challenging economic times, and it’s no surprise she’s got strong opinions about who the best guest shark ever was.
Shark Tank Season 17 premieres at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday, September 24, on ABC and will be available on streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.