ABC knew this was going to be a big night. Shark Tank had developed a 2 hour special and began promoting weeks before airing. No one anticipated this.
As far as reality TV goes, Shark Tank has grown to become a powerhouse show in 35 countries, landed an Emmy and viewed by over 100 million people.
The original show aired in Japan in 2001. It quickly began a hit in Europe as ‘The Dragon’s Den’. As the franchise moved to America it was renamed ‘Shark Tank’ and rolled out its first season in 2009. The following 5 years brought amazing ideas, products and success to the show producers, entrepreneurs and ABC, the network.
In the fall of Shark Tank’s 5th season, a two hour special was in the works. Episode 527 was already recorded and set to air on May 2, 2014. The producers knew this was going to be a big hit, but they had no idea how big. Promotions began to run on ABC a week before the episode airing teasing the audience about the anti-aging breakthrough. ABC knew their audience demographic and they knew the interest level of an anti-aging discovery could really boost ratings.
As the show rolled out that evening, the audience learned of a flower grower at the base of a volcano, which did not get the Shark’s attention. Next a folding plastic hanger, which didn't hang around long, then AngelLift rolled in. Originating from a nerve disease facial implant, this accidental breakthrough had everyones attention.
The Sharks quickly learned that sales for the new breakthrough; AngelLift Dermastrips were already in the millions and the companies director Aaron Bruce had stopped supplying Amazon in order to sell direct. This bothered a few Sharks as they love the Amazon platform and could not understand the companies move. This proved to be a smart move by AngelLift as today, many companies like AngelLift have taken back their brands from Amazon to better control their customer service and present their products in a better format.
By the end of the show, Lori Greiner jumped in to invest in AngelLift leaving the other Sharks to fight over another deal. Lori's deal ended up being a record setter as the AngelLift episode (527) aired to set the all time record for audience viewership at 8.5 million! AngelLift sales soared as did ABC ratings.
Today, AngelLift attributes much of its international recognition to Shark Tank. Bruce says “sales are stronger than ever and our latest skin technologies set to roll our in 2017 are even more exciting than the breakthrough that set the Shark Tank record”. As for Lori, AngelLift is set to roll out on QVC in 2017.