Shark Tank Fans Notice A Huge (And Hilarious) Shift Between Old And New Seasons

It's natural for TV shows, especially those that go on for 15 seasons, to experience changes over the years. There may have been limitations in the beginning that no longer need to be in place, or the series manages to find its voice as it goes on. It may be a reality show, but "Shark Tank" is no exception to this rule. 

A lot of changes have occurred on "Shark Tank" since it first aired in 2009. One of the biggest is the quality of budding entrepreneurs who come onto the show to pitch their business ideas. Redditor u/thesavant shared a meme poking fun at how the entrepreneurs have changed over the years on the "Shark Tank" subreddit. The meme references how recent seasons have business owners who say things like, "We're looking for $500k for 5% in our new computing optimization company." Underneath that is a dog wearing a hat referred to as "Early Seasons," which jokingly states, "I'm looking for $50k for 40% of my company ... We make lollipops for dogs."

It's a humorous observation, poking fun at how the companies that appeared on "Shark Tank" early on weren't exactly the cream of the crop. These days, many businesses appear on "Shark Tank" that would probably do just fine without any of the investors getting involved. So what happened?

The Shark Tank Effect is a theory stating how companies can benefit from appearing on "Shark Tank" even if the business owners don't walk away from the deal. That level of exposure is enough for some companies to boost sales, and it appears "Shark Tank" has gained enough exposure over the years to get a higher level of clientele than what came in at the start. 

Many Redditors enjoyed the meme and admitted it had a point. Redditor u/RisingSunofJapan had this to say, "Funny meme, but this kind of make sense. As the show grew and increased in popularity higher stakes and bigger businesses started to come on the show. Think of it as Shark Tank evolving." Another user even had an idea to split "Shark Tank" into different shows — one focused on smaller businesses and another more interested in companies with a good amount of venture capital already. 

While it's interesting to see experienced entrepreneurs talk it out to strike a deal, there is the tiny setback of smaller businesses not having as much room to make an impression. Redditor u/Belazriel referenced another unfortunate change that's occurred with "Shark Tank" over the years: "Smaller businesses do make it on to the show occasionally now. The problem is that the Sharks aren't interested in them. You're not going to add another entrepreneur who has a good idea but no clue what he's doing and will need you to guide them every step when you already have six others from last season still calling for help." "Shark Tank" may have outgrown its roots, but hopefully, there's still room for entrepreneurs with a few bucks and a dream on the show moving forward.