Beyond the Tank

On May 1, the first episode of a new spin-off series titled Beyond the Tank aired on ABC. The show follows entrepreneurs who appeared on Shark Tank, a program in which hopeful inventors present their business ideas to a panel of wealthy investors. 

The first episode of Beyond the Tank opens with a message. This message reminds viewers of the fact that “the following are actual negotiations between entrepreneurs and investor ‘Sharks.’”

Thank goodness they put the word “shark” in quotations, as I’m sure many viewers would have been confused as to whether the panel of investors were humans or actual sharks.

As the episode continues, the viewer is met with two men who have started a business called Tipsy Elves, which sells ugly Christmas sweaters and other kitschy clothing items for absurdly high prices (most sweaters are about $64).

I have to hand it to Beyond the Tank; it does a great job of turning a fairly boring situation into the most dramatic minutes of your life.

At one point, the businessmen are at a table discussing new clothing item ideas with their investor. The investor takes one look at a particular suggestion and declares, “I hate it; I absolutely hate it.” All of a sudden, things have taken a turn. In true reality-TV form, the most unnerving music begins to play, the camera zooms in on the two business men’s nervous faces and an audible gulping noise is heard as one man stares worriedly ahead.

Luckily, that minute of turmoil is quickly interrupted by a commercial break.

The episode proceeds to tell the story of a 16-year-old entrepreneur who invented the Define Bottle, a water bottle with compartments called the 

This plucky young gent did not get any offers from investors but, in a positive turn of events, ended up doing quite well with his invention and has since made tons of money and paid off his parents’ mortgage.

Last but certainly not least, the story of a retired NFL player turned boneless-rib entrepreneur was told.

The man, who partnered with his daughter to pitch his idea on Shark Tank, told investors that he would have given up on his dream of mass-producing boneless slabs of meat had his daughter not given him the encouragement and reality check he needed.

It was a moment that could only come off as touching on Beyond the Tank. 

Beyond the Tank tries so hard to stretch every bit of air time out of the entrepreneurial theme. However, a lot of scenes come off as staged or forced, which is commonplace in reality television but not necessarily a great attribute for a show.

The spin-off is vaguely entertaining, but with episodes that run for an hour, the tired “common-person-turned-hardworking-business-executive” trope gets old fairly quickly.

Beyond the Tank premiered to an audience of about 6 million and still has eight episodes left in its 10-episode series. The spin-off airs on ABC at 9 p.m. after Shark Tank.