ABC TV’s ‘Shark Tank’ Swims Back to Philly to Cast for Season 17

The Event Center at Rivers Philadelphia will host an open casting on April 11

Aspiring entrepreneurs with game-changing ideas can try their luck in Philly this spring and pitch their businesses to casting producers of the Emmy Award-winning prime-time ABC TV show “Shark Tank.”

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Casting producers for the Emmy Award-winning prime-time ABC-TV show “Shark Tank” will hold an open casting call at Rivers Philadelphia on Friday, April 11.

Where else but Fishtown?

In collaboration with WPVI-TV/6abc, The Event Center at Rivers Philadelphia, located in Philly’s Fishtown neighborhood, will host an open casting call for Season 17 of the five-time Emmy Award-winning show. The last Philly casting event for Shark Tank was in 2017.

The Shark Tank Casting Team will be in The Event Center at Rivers Philadelphia starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, April 11. Applications are available online at ABC.com and on-site. Contestants may begin lining up at 8 a.m. on the morning of the casting call.

Numbered wristbands will be distributed between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., and the first pitches will begin at approximately 10 a.m.

“We’re eager to return to Philly after so many years to see how the entrepreneur community has grown. We can’t wait to see Philly’s famous passion in every pitch,” said Mindy Zemrak, CSA, Supervising Casting Producer of Shark Tank. Zemrak has been casting for Shark Tank since its debut in 2009.

This will be one of the select few open casting calls that the Casting Team holds for Season 17.

Parking at Rivers is free, and a free shuttle runs throughout the day from the property’s main entrance to Riversuites at The Battery, Rivers’ boutique hotel located across neighboring Penn Treaty Park.

Philadelphians are no strangers to the Tank. In Season 4, Wynnewood’s Aaron Krause landed a major deal with Shark Tank’s Lori Greiner for Scrub Daddy, now the best-selling sponge of all time. In Season 16, which is currently airing, the Reading-based Bro Glo “self-tanner for the boys” company secured a deal from Mark Cuban.

Hook a Shark, Reel ’Em In … and Land the Deal of a Lifetime

Successful candidates may secure investments, business partners and invaluable mentoring from the notoriously benevolent Sharks. For some budding business standouts, the journey to the famous Shark Tank studio in Greater Los Angeles will begin on April 11 in Philly.

Entrepreneurs, inventors, creators and innovators are encouraged to impress the Casting Team and perfect their pitches as if they’re stepping into the show’s Tank. All participants will have an equal opportunity to give a one-minute pitch about their business, product or idea to a member of the Casting Team.

Zemrak is eager to see Philly contestants bring their A-game to the Casting Call and is hopeful some will end up on the show. Selected individuals are likely to hear back sometime this summer.

“Shark Tank is all about making dreams come true and helping entrepreneurs take their businesses and products to the next level,” said Susan Foster, general manager of Rivers Philadelphia. “We’re thrilled to host this rare local opportunity to land a spot on national TV and potentially secure a Shark’s life-changing investment.”

Season 17’s returning “Sharks” include real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran; “Queen of QVC” Lori Greiner; technology innovator Robert Herjavec; fashion and branding expert Daymond John; and venture capitalist “Mr. Wonderful,” Kevin O’Leary. New and guest Sharks may still be announced.

To preserve the authenticity and integrity of Shark Tank’s on-camera pitches, the Sharks do not participate in casting calls.

In 2024, Shark Tank won its fifth Emmy Award for Outstanding Structured Reality Program. Season 16 of Shark Tank is currently airing in Philadelphia on WPVI-TV/6abc on Fridays at 8 p.m. Eastern.

ABOUT SHARK TANK

"Shark Tank," the critically acclaimed and multi-Emmy^® Award-winning business-themed unscripted series that celebrates entrepreneurship in America, returns to ABC this fall for its 17th season. The hit reality show that has become a culturally defining series and inspires a nation to dream bigger has amassed an amazing $8 billion in retail sales from deals offered in the Tank. The Sharks – tough, self-made, multimillionaire and billionaire tycoons – continue their search to invest in the best businesses and products that America has to offer. The Sharks will once again give people from all walks of life the chance to chase the American dream and potentially secure business deals that could make them millionaires.

ABOUT RIVERS PHILADELPHIA

Located along the Delaware River waterfront in Fishtown, Rivers Philadelphia features more than 1,500 slots, 75 table games, 36 hybrid and automated gaming seats combined, a 28-table poker room, and a designated sportsbook area for live sports betting. Rita’s Italian Ice and Dunkin’ are among the popular grab-and-go locations in the Marketplace. Rivers also offers an array of distinctive restaurants and bars — among them are Mian, featuring authentic Asian cuisine; Jack’s Bar + Grill; and FLIPT, which serves classic burgers and shakes. Guests will also enjoy riverfront views, live performances in The Event Center, free parking, and daily promotions and giveaways. Riversuites at The Battery is Rivers’ luxury boutique hotel.

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