Shark Tank Season 18: Premiere Date, Sharks, How to Watch and How the Deals Work
We are not affiliated with ABC, Sony Pictures Television, the Sharks or any company that pitches on the show, and this page carries no shopping links.
Quick answer: Shark Tank season 18 opens on ABC on Wednesday, Sept. 30, with two episodes back to back from 9/8c. After premiere night it moves to Wednesdays at 10/9c, and episodes stream on Hulu. Six familiar Sharks return, Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams join as permanent panelists, and the guest list includes MrBeast, Mindy Kaling and J.J. Watt.
This guide is for viewers who want the schedule and the lineup, and for shoppers who plan to buy what gets pitched. We cover both, plus the deal math the show moves past quickly.
When does Shark Tank season 18 premiere?
| What | When (Eastern) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Season premiere, two episodes | Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 9 p.m. (8 Central) | ABC |
| Regular episodes after that | Wednesdays at 10 p.m. (9 Central) | ABC |
| Streaming | The day after broadcast; JustWatch lists the first episodes on Oct. 1 | Hulu |
ABC's own promo, posted Sept. 23, carries the same date and points streamers to Hulu. The later timeslot matters if you record it: after premiere night, the show starts an hour later than the premiere did.
Who are the Sharks in season 18?
| Shark | Status this season | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Barbara Corcoran | Returning | Real estate |
| Robert Herjavec | Returning | Cybersecurity technology |
| Lori Greiner | Returning | Investor and inventor, longtime QVC seller |
| Daymond John | Returning | Fashion branding |
| Daniel Lubetzky | Returning | Founder of KIND |
| Kevin O'Leary | Returning | Venture capital |
| Kendra Scott | Promoted to permanent Shark | Jewelry brand founder |
| Rashaun Williams | Promoted to permanent Shark | Investor |
Mark Cuban is not among the Sharks named in the season 18 announcements reported by TV Insider and Shark Tank Blog. Both Scott and Williams sat on the panel before as guests.
Which guest Sharks are coming?
| Guest Shark | Background |
|---|---|
| Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson | Founder of Beast Industries |
| Jeffrey Housenbold | CEO of Beast Industries |
| Mindy Kaling | Writer, actor and author |
| J.J. Watt | Former NFL defensive lineman |
| Erin and Sara Foster | Producers and co-founders of Favorite Daughter |
| Steven Bartlett | Entrepreneur, host of The Diary of a CEO podcast |
Episode listings compiled on Wikipedia title the two premiere hours "Beast Mode" and "Favorite Daughters," which suggests the MrBeast team and the Foster sisters sit in on opening night. ABC has not published full episode descriptions yet, so treat that pairing as likely rather than confirmed.
How do Shark Tank deals work?
Each founder walks in asking for a set amount of money in exchange for a share of the company. The Sharks can accept, counter with a bigger share, or offer a different structure, such as a royalty on each unit sold or a loan.
The handshake on camera is an agreement in principle. The Sharks' teams review the company's numbers after taping, and some deals change terms or do not close. That is why a company that "got a deal" on TV may later say it went a different way.
How do you read the valuation in a pitch?
Divide the money asked for by the share offered. That gives the value the founder is claiming for the whole company.
| The ask | Implied company value | Counteroffer example | Implied value after counter |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100,000 for 10% | $1,000,000 | $100,000 for 25% | $400,000 |
| $250,000 for 5% | $5,000,000 | $250,000 for 20% | $1,250,000 |
| $500,000 for 20% | $2,500,000 | $500,000 for 20% plus a $1 royalty per unit | $2,500,000, with the royalty on top |
These are our worked examples, not deals from the show. A royalty keeps the headline valuation intact but sends money to the Shark on every sale until a set amount is paid back, so it can cost a founder more than a bigger equity share would.
Where can you buy products from Shark Tank?
Most companies sell through their own website first, and many list on Amazon too. The night an episode airs, brand sites often sell out or slow down, and resellers sometimes list the same item for more.
A few habits help:
- Match the exact model, size and pack count before comparing prices across stores.
- Check who the seller is on a marketplace listing. A brand's own storefront and a third-party reseller can price the same item very differently.
- Look for the shipping cost and the return window, not only the sticker price. Our shipping and returns guide shows how much those two lines can move a total.
- Be wary of knockoffs that borrow the "as seen on Shark Tank" phrase without being the company from the episode.
Home shopping is part of this story. Lori Greiner has long sold products on QVC, and Shark-backed brands do turn up there. When one does, our daily QVC and HSN schedule shows when it airs and what the daily deal is.
Will we track the products from each episode?
Yes. After each Wednesday episode, we plan to list every product pitched, with the brand's own price and what we can confirm at other stores, in the same way we price-check GMA Deals and Steals. Deal outcomes will only be what aired; we will not guess at what happened off camera.
If you are new to buying from TV, how QVC's Today's Special Value works, how HSN's daily deal compares and the Easy Pay guide explain the price tricks shared by most TV retail. More background sits in our guides.
FAQ
What time does Shark Tank come on?
Premiere night starts at 9 p.m. Eastern (8 Central) with two episodes. After that, new episodes air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern (9 Central) on ABC.
Can I watch Shark Tank without cable?
Yes. New episodes stream on Hulu after they air, and live TV services that carry your local ABC station show it live.
Is Mark Cuban on Shark Tank season 18?
He is not among the Sharks named in the season 18 announcements. The permanent panel is Corcoran, Herjavec, Greiner, John, Lubetzky, O'Leary, Scott and Williams.
Do all Shark Tank deals go through?
No. An on-air deal is followed by a review of the business, and some deals change or fall apart after taping.
Sources
Premiere date, timeslot and cast from TV Insider's season 18 announcement report and Shark Tank Blog's season 18 cast report; streaming from ABC's official season premiere promo on YouTube (posted Sept. 23, 2026) and JustWatch's season 18 listing; episode titles from Wikipedia's season 18 page. Checked Sept. 28, 2026. Valuation examples are our own arithmetic.
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