By Jenni McKnight
Copyright hellomagazine
Shark Tank has returned for its 17th season, and original shark Robert Herjavec left his fans stunned when he reflected on the show’s success with a look back at himself over seasons 1 to 17. The 63-year-old posted photos of himself from each season, and his followers couldn’t believe that he looks younger now than he did when Shark Tank debuted in 2009. Captioning the carousel of images, Robert penned: “I can’t believe we’re celebrating Season 17 of Shark Tank! When I first sat in that chair, I had no idea the impact this show would have on me, and on millions of people watching at home.”
He added: “The best part? After all these years, I’m still inspired, still learning, and still just as excited every time those doors open and a new entrepreneur walks into the Tank. Season 17 is live now!” His youthful appearance on the new season left his fans in disbelief, with one commenting: “How did he get younger over the years?! Phenomenal.” A second said: “You don’t age at all.” A third added: “Like a fine wine baby!” A fourth wrote: “Ageless.”
Ahead of the new series, shark Kevin O’Leary told viewers what they can expect from season 17. “This season may be one of the most prolific in ‘Shark Tank’s history because of the unique situation of the economy right now,” he told ABC. Robert added: “Entrepreneurs don’t know what tomorrow is gonna look like, and that instability is making them lower expectations which means better deals for us.”
Viewers will see a new shark on the panel, too, after Daniel Lubetzky, founder of KIND Healthy Snacks, replaced Mark Cuban following his exit at the end of season 16. He joins Robert, Kevin, Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, and Lori Greiner.
Mark, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, announced his departure in November 2023 on the Showtime podcast All The Smoke. While discussing his time on the show, he confessed: “This is our 15th year. Next year, 16th year, is going to be my last year.” He proudly said, “It’s time,” while admitting that the reason he loved the show in the first place was “because it sends the message the American dream is alive and well.”
Mark continued: “I feel like in doing Shark Tank all these years, we’ve trained a generation of entrepreneurs, multiple generations of entrepreneurs that if somebody can come from Iowa or Sacramento or wherever, and show up on the carpet of Shark Tank and show their business and get a deal, it’s going to inspire generations of kids.
“That’s what happens, right? Now we’ve got people coming on [saying] I watched you when I was 10 years old.” He revealed that while he’d invested in hundreds of companies during his time on the show, “on a cash basis I’m down a little bit, but on a mark to market, meaning the companies are still in operation, I’m way up.”
Daymond, Barbara, Robert, and Kevin have been with the show since its very first season back in 2009, while Lori joined as a guest Shark in season three and became a regular the following year.
