why does Shark Tank suck so bad compared to the Canadian version of Dragon’s den?
is it the timing of the show and commercials? the actual entrepreneurs that are on? the venture capitalists that bid for the companies? I don’t know why i just tune off so easy from Shark Tank but I can’t seem to really miss a second of Dragon’s Den.
Uh, isn’t Dragon’s Den from England, not Canada? Or is there a Canadian version as well?
Actually, the worst part of Shark Tank is the Canadian whatshisname who gets testy at the drop of a coin and starts screaming “you’re dead to me!” over and over again. What a prick. I pity anyone who gets him as an investor.
Dragon’s Den (the one from England that I watch on BBC America) is usually a bit more interesting in that the inventions/products are usually more practical and less frivolous that the Shark Tank. While that is not always the case by any means, I find the UK version a bit more civilized and less concerned about if the person pitching the idea looked pretty.
Both shows are only watchable on DVR, so you can fast forward the commercials and junk filler.
Wow. I just watched Shark Tank tonight and I was just about to write this exact same thread!! I really like Dragon’s Den. It feels like a show with real people who want to invest their money in innovative new products that will hopefully be successful. There’s no real fighting amongst the Dragons, and they’re usually respectful towards the applicants.
Shark Tank however, just feels so produced and fake. Everyone on it seems like they are acting. Especially Kevin, who I guess is trying to be like a Simon Cowell-type personality. His whole “money, money, money. The only sin is burning money, You’re dead to me, rarrrrr!” shtick is so obnoxiously fake. The interplay between the Sharks comes across as scripted. It’s just incredibly lame compared to Dragon’s Den. I get the impression they don’t really care at all about looking for interesting businesses, but just promoting themselves as personalities.
there is a canadian version with Kevin and Robert from Shark Tank, with three others not from Shark Tank. Kevin(bald dude) is still abrasive on the canadian version of Dragon’s Den but somehow I like him better there than on Shark Tank. No idea how the same person can illicit two different views from basically the same premised show.
Shark tank:
I find the black guy not too entertaining, the girl absurdly boring, the shopping channel maven guy bland, Kevin totally annoying and Robert like some sort of offset for Kevin’s personality.
Dragon’s Den (canadian version)
http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/thedragons.html
bret (oil guy/younger dude) somewhat empathetic and still engaging as a businessman, the girl somewhat trying to one-up the guys but still entertaining, the boston pizza guy/ex-RCMP dude a refreshing old dude that is shrewd. Kevin seems to be less of an asshole here but still has the “money, money, money” mantra. Robert isn’t intriguing but he’s less of a personality to offset Kevin, because the other people seem to offset Kevin evenly.
Is it because they focus too much on the entrepreneurs and their stories?
I like the short “cuts” of failures on Dragon’s Den, I like the way they build the tension, and the set seems to be better, the dirty dungeon feel. Even last week’s Dragon’s den with the celebrity gimmick thing was well played out. Perhaps Shark Tank needs the CBC to help them make their show better.
I didn’t know there was also a Canadian version. The Dragon’s Den I’m familiar with was on BBC America, with Theo Paphitis, Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, and James Caan. They all seem to like each other and have a good camaraderie. It’s much less flashy than the American version; they’re just in a large open brick-walled space.
Been watching Dragon’s Den for a while and really enjoyed it. When I saw the US version it left me a bit disappointed.
Its not that the BBC Dragons are any nicer, they have laid into a lot of people about how they presented their products. But I think they are trying harder to make a deal than the Americans.
On one episode, I saw a guy come in with some sort of golf ball cleaner. I thought it was one of those crazy little things that you absolutely could con people into buying considering how much people spend on golf. One of the Sharks said “I don’t like golf, so I’m out” Everyone else followed in succession. In the US version, they are out so quickly and don’t seem very interested in digging more into the product or the entrepreneur.
I just get the impression that someon like Peter Jones would have approached it differently. How about licensing this to a couple of large golf manufacturers or to a major US country club. I could possibly get you in front of the pro shop manager at Whitebread Country Club and Duncan owns two clubs, and I think they would like to have the Whitebread Golf Ball Cleaner. Maybe it is a crap product, but I don’t think the guy ever had a chance.
Even when they are out, the dragons seem to be far more thoughtful in digging for information about the entrepreneur. They might have a product that I think is phenomenal but then you find out that they are a horrible businessperson. So when the dragons are out, you get a pretty good idea why they are out.
I will watch this show for a bit to see if it picks up. I have a feeling it won’t last on US TV.
I guess not many people from Canada watch our Den version and not many americans are Shark Tank fans.
I’ve never seen (or indeed heard of) Shark Tank but I’m prepared to comment on it anyway:
Those guys showboat too much, trying to play to cameras and compete with each other for the guffaw and junk. The Canadians of Dragon’s Den, in contrast, carry a quiet no-nonsense dignity.
They don’t really showboat, I really think it’s the production and editing of Shark Tank that seems to turn me off. Including that intro jingle, is that supposed to make me want to sing along and be all hyped up about the show?
LOVE Dragons den and was excited to see Shark Tank. Hated everything about it, the set is pretentious and too ornate for the camera, there is something wrong with the editing and general presentation of the whole thing. Funny that an obvious copy of the Canadian show, complete with two of our own, when “americanized” flops.
The Other Sharks are uninteresting and boring. I just finished watching this show and immediately searched "shark tank not as good as dragons den"and was not surprised to see I was not alone in this opinion. Too bad, and dissapointing.
but it can’t be just the Sharks that make it so bad. I think the set has something to do with it more than the Sharks. Or even the way they cut to break, just give us the damn verdict then take a break to commercial. Seriously they need to get some pointers from the Canadian version of Dragon’s Den. We also need more Shark Tank flops in rapid succession to make us laugh and have a break from the “intense” negotiations.
and they should have a host of some sort too.