Shawn S. Lealos has been a freelance writer for over 25 years and is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He is also a published author with a book on the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers.
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shark tank just aired its season 14 finale and several fans seemed shocked by one of the pitches, calling it unrealistic even for a reality TV show. This pitch surrounded a game created by Tank Resch, which wanted a huge investment from the sharks, although it did not prove that the product could be successful.
Here’s a look at Tank’s product and why it left without an investor.
Tank Resch wants $500,000 investment for board game
George “Tank” Resch came out on shark tank to find an investor in the season 14 finale. His product is very well known among netizens. Tank has a huge following on social media as he built an empire poking fun at social media influencers. His website is Influencers in the wild and he pokes fun at people’s efforts to become internet famous.
Tank then thought it might make a great board game. Using the same name as his website presence, he created the adult board game as a way to continue making fun of influencers. Each player has a character and they draw cards and have to make decisions that could influence whether they gain or lose followers. It sells the game for $29.99 through its website and also has it on Amazon for $19.99.
Mark Cuban knew who Tank was and admitted he followed him on social media. However, Mark wasn’t interested in backing the game when he heard the numbers. Tank’s Influencers in the Wild has five million followers on Instagram. However, when asked about sales, he said he only sold 1,500 units. Even taking into account the higher price, that only equates to sales of $44,985. However, Tank said he sold $140,000 worth of items, which was not equal.
As he demanded $500,000, Cuban immediately backed off. Lori Greiner said she didn’t think anyone would like the game enough for it to be a hit. Kevin O’Leary backed down and Barbara Corcoran thought he was asking for too much money. Daymond John also fell back and Tank had no investors.
Shark tank fand thought Investors in nature was a bad pitch
Many fans took to social media to call out Tank and shark tank for letting this pitch pass. Some viewers seemed unaware that board games are still popular as a niche product in 2023, but others pointed out that game themes don’t have a long shelf life.
Who else is already influenced by @influencersitw? 🤩 See if the Sharks play the game in the season finale of #Shark Aquarium TOMORROW at 8/7c on ABC! Stream on Hulu. pic.twitter.com/1jsM5BtNgx
– Shark Tank (@ABCSharkTank) May 18, 2023
“It’s not a long-lived product. None of the sharks are investing in this influence board game,” a viewer tweeted. Another pointed out that Tank had no idea what he was doing launching his game. “How did you watch from season one like the rest of us and didn’t bring the numbers and the success of the Sharks to leverage their investment?” they tweeted.
Although Tank Resch may not have an investor, it almost surely increased its sales figures after appearing on shark tank, which could be a win for the internet sensation. What were your thoughts on Influencers in the wild? Let us know in the comments below.