The Only 5 Contestants To Return To Shark Tank

The saying goes "once bitten, twice shy," but in the case of "Shark Tank," some contestants don't mind being bitten more than once. A handful of contestants have returned to the show over the years, either to promote a brand-new product or to help another new competitor pitch their wares. Not every double trip is successful, but many of the contestants who have come back to the Tank have managed to score some cash. A very small number of investors have proven to be twice lucky, and a very select number of them have come back as sharks themselves, ready to invest their cash.

How many contestants have made multiple pit-stops on "Shark Tank?" What did they pitch? Most importantly — who's the only contestant to appear on "Shark Tank" as a contestant and a judge on the panel? Here's a quick rundown of all of the folks who have popped up multiple times on the "Tank."

Lee Cookson popped up on "Shark Tank" twice. His first invention was the Carsik Bib, a travel sickness bag which he pitched back in Season 2. Cookson didn't get any bites for his first product; without a deal, the Carsik Bib soon went the way of the dinosaur. But he had a second concept pop into his head and returned during Season 13 to pitch it to a roomful of astonished Sharks — and this time, the still-successful LUCY Drawing Tool snagged him a deal.

The LUCY Drawing Tool uses the "camera lucida," a 19th century technique that projects images onto paper and allow the user to trace a picture of their own over it. The Sharks were much more impressed with this idea; requesting $300,000 for 10% of the business, Cookson walked away with a deal from Daymond John, who offered up the same amount of cash for 15% of the LUCY. Not only is the LUCY Drawing Tool still being made, but the range of services it offers has expanded, making it an unqualified "Shark Tank" success story.

Rebecca Rescate is a rare contestant who returned to the tank as a mentor after successfully pitching her own product. She appeared for the first time during Season 2 to get a partnership deal for her CitiKitty brand of cat toilet training devices. She ended up striking a deal with Kevin Harrington and Barbara Corcoran, the former of whom took $100,000 for 20% equity, the later of whom grabbed $100,000 for 15% equity in the company. CititKitty continues to be a huge success that's made Rescate millions, so she has become involved in brand development on the side.

One of those brands she invested in– and brought to the "Shark Tank" – was the Hoodie Pillow. Rescate supported creator Chris Hindley during Season 4, when strong presales helped bait the sharks into a feeding frenzy. The pillow ultimately resulted in Robert Herjavec offering up $90,000 in trade for 20% of the company. While Hoodie Pillow continues to thrive as a brand, it doesn't sell the product that first gained Herjavec's eye.

Aaron Marino's two different businesses both had similar aims and were marketed to a certain type of guy, but they got different reactions from the Sharks. Marino's first time in the "Tank" was in support of the Alpha M Style System, a DVD course intended to teach men about fashion and personal grooming, during Season 4. Spanning six DVDs, the Alpha M. System promised to improve the user's love life and confidence. Marino sought $50,000 for a 10% stake in the company, but no sharks bit. He now offers the Alpha M. System on his personal website as a monetized download as part of the style consultation services he runs.

Aaron Marino returned to pitch the hair care system Pete and Pedro Bueno Hair during Season 7. He ended up walking out of the Tank without a deal this time — but scored some money from Barbara Corcoran, who invested in Alpha M to the tune of $100,000 for 10%. He ultimately ended up declining Barbara's offer. But it turns out the second time was indeed the charm for Marino: Pete and Pedro Bueno Hair still exists, and Marino operates a sunglasses company called Enemy Shades and a skincare line for men called Tiege Hanley, both of which are still open. 

James Martin's entrepreneurship centered on grapes and grape-based products. A vintner who ran a winery called Copa Di Vino, he pitched the Sharks his bottled wine product twice, and he didn't manage to ring the Sharks' bells either time. Martin's first appearance was during Season 2, where he pitched Copa!, sealed cups of premium wine which can be carried anywhere. Shark-related skepticism resulted in Martin walking away without a deal in spite of Kevin O'Leary offering him $600,000 for 51% of the business.  

But his company turned out to be another big miss from the Sharks. He returned to pitch them Copa di Vino again during Season 3 because the huge jump in his company's sales required a new bottling line. He wanted $300,000 for 5% of the business and when he was offered $600,000 for 30% by Kevin O'Leary, Robert Herjavec, and Mark Cuban, Martin still balked. While Copa Di Vino may have failed to make a deal twice over — with some, including the Sharks, blaming Martin's dramatic behavior as the brand's owner – - he still made a pretty penny on Copa Di Vino's eventual sale. It's still in business, and was sold to Splash Beverage Group for over $5 million.

Jamie Siminoff's company, DoorBot, might just be one of the biggest minnows to ever get away from the Sharks. Not a single one of the investors that Siminoff pitched to during Season 2 liked his invention enough to pick it up. But when it was sold to Amazon as Ring with Alexa, it made Siminoff a millionaire soon after. Now he's a regular face on the program as a Shark.

But he holds no grudges against the Sharks for telling him "no" during his first pitch meeting with them. "We were at the point where we had sales, we had a good product, but we had such a complex business. We couldn't show how we were going to get to the next step. We were at that awkward adolescent phase," he told Inc.com. Ring is now well out of that awkward phase, and now Siminoff has happily graduated from student to full-out Shark — every inventor's dream.