A Second Wave: ‘Shark Tank’ Returns to Philly for 2026 Casting Event

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 22, 2026--

After a record turnout in Philly last spring, “Shark Tank” casting producers will return to Rivers Philadelphia for the second consecutive year for an open audition of local entrepreneurs with game-changing products, services and ideas. In collaboration with WPVI-TV/6abc, The Event Center at Rivers Philadelphia in Fishtown will host an open casting call Wednesday, March 18. Casting producers from the multi-Emmy® Award-winning primetime ABC series “Shark Tank” will be on hand to hear pitches from hopeful entrepreneurs. Contestants may begin lining up at 8 a.m., with numbered wristbands distributed from 9 to 11 a.m.

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Pitches are expected to begin at approximately 10 a.m. Applications will be available online at ABC.com and on-site. Successful participants may be selected to appear on Season 18 of “Shark Tank,” which is expected to begin airing later this year.

Over 900 people attended last year’s casting call at Rivers Philadelphia, and producers heard over 460 pitches. Many participants were regional, but some traveled from as far as France. This was the first step for several businesses that ultimately landed deals during Season 17, which is currently airing on ABC.

“We were blown away by last year’s turnout and the quality of the entrepreneurs that presented to us. Returning to Philly was a no-brainer, and we can’t wait to see what innovative brands and entrepreneurs will impress us with in March,” said Mindy Zemrak, CSA, Supervising Casting Producer of “Shark Tank.” Zemrak has been casting for “Shark Tank” since its debut in 2009.

The March 18 event in Philly will be one of very few open casting calls nationally and the only East Coast casting event that Shark Tank will hold for Season 18. Entrepreneurs who pitched last year are welcome to try again.

Parking at Rivers is complimentary, 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.

Rivers Philly Success Stories: From Fishtown to the Tank and Beyond!

Multiple entrepreneurs struck deals on Season 17 after first pitching the casting team in the Rivers Philadelphia Event Center last April. Forte3D from Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, and Warrior Kid Medic of San Antonio came to Philly and left the Tank with investors.

Forte3D, the creator of classical string instruments made affordable using cutting-edge 3D printing, reached a deal with Lori Greiner, the queen of QVC. Warrior Kid Medic partnered with fashion expert Daymond John for a deal, advancing its mission of teaching kids and adults the basics of first aid during emergencies.

Bon AppéSweet, an artisanal chocolate business based in Leonardtown, Maryland, received a multi-Shark deal this season, while QB54, the backyard football game from Kendall Park, New Jersey, also appeared on the show. Both businesses first pitched in Philly last spring.

Other “Shark Tank” success stories with Philadelphia ties include Scrub Daddy (Season 4), the bestselling sponge of all time, and Reading-based Bro Glo, “self-tanner for the boys” (Season 16).

“We’re thrilled to host ‘Shark Tank’s’ casting team for the second consecutive year and look forward to again welcoming hundreds of entrepreneurs to Fishtown,” said Scott Lokke, general manager of Rivers Philadelphia. “The national exposure and potential for investment by a Shark has been life-changing for many business owners, and Philly’s talent pool is exceptionally deep.”

Dive In: Philly Entrepreneurs Pitch for Spots on “Shark Tank”

Entrepreneurs, inventors, creators and innovators are encouraged to bring their best ideas and refine their pitches as if stepping into the Tank. All participants have the opportunity to deliver a one-minute pitch about their business, product or idea to a member of the casting team.

To preserve the authenticity and integrity of “Shark Tank”’s on-camera pitches, the Sharks do not participate in casting calls. Only individuals auditioning may attend the open call; no audience members are permitted.

In 2024, “Shark Tank” won its fifth Emmy Award for Outstanding Structured Reality Program. Season 17 is currently airing in Philadelphia on WPVI-TV/6abc on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET. Past seasons of the highly acclaimed series are available to stream on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S.

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, 70 table games, 47 hybrid and automated gaming seats, a 28-table poker room, and a designated sportsbook area for live sports betting. Dining options in the Marketplace include Rita’s Italian Ice, Dunkin’, Sapore Slice and a grab-and-go deli. Rivers Philadelphia also offers an array of distinctive restaurants and bars — among them are Sapore, a welcoming Italian kitchen; Mian, featuring authentic Asian cuisine; and FLIPT, which serves classic burgers and shakes. Guests can enjoy riverfront views, live performances in The Event Center, free parking and daily promotions and giveaways. Riversuites at The Battery is Rivers Philadelphia’s luxury boutique hotel. For additional information and current offers, please visit Rivers Philadelphia’s website.

Casting producers for the Emmy Award-winning prime-time ABC-TV show “Shark Tank” will hold an open casting call at Rivers Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 18.

ATLANTA (AP) — Bread was flying off the shelves, salt was being loaded into trucks and utility workers were nervously watching forecasts Thursday as a huge winter storm that could bring catastrophic damage, widespread power outages and bitterly cold weather was barreling toward the eastern two-thirds of the U.S.

The massive storm system is expected to bring a crippling ice storm from Texas through parts of the South, potentially around a foot (30 centimeters) of snow from Oklahoma through Washington, D.C.; New York and Boston and then a final punch of bitterly cold air that could drop wind chills to mius-50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-46 Celsius) in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota.

Forecasters are warning the damage, especially in areas that get a large amount of ice, could rival a hurricane. About 140 million people were under winter storm or cold weather watches or warnings — and in many places both.

The storm was expected to begin Friday in New Mexico and Texas and then the worst of the weather will move east into the Deep South before heading up the coast and thumping New England with snow.

Cold air streaming down from Canada caused Chicago Public Schools and Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa to cancel classes Friday. Wind chills predicted to be as low as minus-35 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-37 Celsius) could cause frostbite within 10 minutes making it too dangerous to walk to school or wait for the bus.

The cold punch coming after means it will take a while to thaw out, an especially dangerous prospect in places where ice and snow weighs down tree branches and powerlines and cuts electricity, perhaps for days. Roads and sidewalks could remain icy well into next week.

Freezing temperatures are expected all the way to Florida and lows in the North and Midwest will get about as cold as possible, even down to minus 25 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 32 to minus 34 degrees Celsius), forecasters said.

A severe cold snap five years ago took down much of the power grid in Texas, leaving millions without power for days and resulting in hundreds of deaths. Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that won't happen again.

The power system "has never been stronger, never been more prepared and is fully capable of handling this winter storm,” he said. “There is no expectation whatsoever that there is going to be any loss of power from the power grid.”

Winter storms can be notoriously tricky to forecast — one or two degrees can mean the difference between a catastrophe or a cold rain — and forecasters said the places with the worst weather can't be pinned down until the event starts.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency in his state like many other governors while acknowledging Thursday morning some forecasts have disastrous levels of wintery weather in Atlanta while others have the Deep South's largest city mostly spared.

As a precaution, North Carolina’s largest public school system was preparing for potentially several days out of physical classrooms next week. The Wake County school system, with 161,000 students in and around Raleigh, told its nearly 11,000 teachers to create three days of assignments accessible online or through paper copies.

All 275 of ice-melting salt sold out at Bates Ace Hardware in Atlanta in one morning, manager Lewis Pane said. He has made special trips to the warehouse to restock but it's selling out everywhere.

Wendy Chambers stopped by the store to pick up batteries and flashlights in case there is a power outage.

“We’re gonna be prepared, aren’t we? We’re going to be able to read, do things, play games,” she said before heading to church choir with her granddaughter.

Brine trucks were already treating roads from Oklahoma to Tennessee with more states expected to begin treating roads as the start of the storm gets closer.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger told her residents to prepare for days without power or the ability to get out of their neighborhoods. And in a nod to the politics of the time, the newly inaugurated Democrat said people should not be scared to call 911 in an emergency just because of the immigration crackdowns going on in places like Minnesota.

“If someone needs to call police, having a health emergency needs to call first responders, please do so and ensure the safety of your friends, neighbors and family. And, stay warm," Spanberger said.

College sports teams moved up or postponed games, and the Texas Rangers canceled their annual Fan Fest event.

The city of Carmel, Indiana, canceled its Winter Games out of fear residents could get frostbite and hypothermia competing in ice trike relay and “human curling” in which people slide down a skating rink on inner tubes.

But the Nashville Symphony said Thursday its weekend performances of “Frozen” were still going on as expected. And in Charleston, West Virginia, organizers said the annual West Virginia Hunting and Fishing Show will go on after more than 150 exhibitors signed up for the sold-out event that is expected to draw about 12,000 people Friday through Sunday.

The forecast calls for rain, freezing rain and snow, but with outfitters coming from all over the U.S. as well as Canada and South Africa, the show must go on, said Glen Jarrell, a spokesperson for the West Virginia Trophy Hunters Association, the event’s promoter.

“We’re not thinking about stopping. We don’t care if it’s rain, snow or high water," Jarrell said.

Murphy reported from Oklahoma City and Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press writers around the country contributed to this report.

Ice forms on a pier along Lake Michigan ona. cold Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

A loaf of bread sits on empty shelves in the bread isle in grocery store ahead of winter weather, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A digital billboard along Highway 75 warns of road preparations for upcoming inclement weather expected in the region Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

A shopper buys groceries Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn., ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the state over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)