Shark Tank season 18 premieres tonight, Wednesday, September 30, 2026, on ABC with a two-episode opener at 9/8c, and the first person walking into the Tank is not a founder with a prototype. It is Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, the most-subscribed YouTuber on the planet, sitting in a guest Shark chair next to Beast Industries CEO Jeffrey Housenbold. The regular slot after tonight is Wednesdays at 10/9c, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu, according to Shark Tank Blog.
The bigger story for anyone who follows money is the panel itself. Shark Tank season 18 is the first time the full-time lineup has grown since Daniel Lubetzky joined, with Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams promoted from guest seats to permanent Sharks. That puts eight regular investors on rotation, and between them they carry several billion dollars of personal wealth.
Shark Tank Season 18: What Happens Tonight
ABC has listed the first two episodes as airing back to back on premiere night. The episode titles published on Wikipedia’s season 18 page make the plan clear:
| Episode | Title | Air date | Guest Sharks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beast Mode | Sept. 30, 2026 | MrBeast and Jeffrey Housenbold |
| 2 | Favorite Daughters | Sept. 30, 2026 | Erin Foster and Sara Foster |
| 3 | Diary of a Shark | Oct. 7, 2026 | To be announced (title points to Steven Bartlett) |
The rest of the guest list, first announced by ABC in July, adds writer and producer Mindy Kaling, former Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt, and Steven Bartlett, the Diary of a CEO podcast host who also invested on the UK’s Dragons’ Den. ABC7 described the Foster sisters as the co-founders of Favorite Daughter, the brand behind their wine and apparel line.
The New Faces: Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams
Kendra Scott is the clearest example of a Shark who built the kind of company the show loves. She started her jewelry line in 2002 with $500, and the business now employs more than 3,200 people and runs over 170 standalone stores, according to National Jeweler. Season 18 is her fifth appearance in the Tank but her first as a full-time investor.
Rashaun Williams is the less familiar name for casual viewers. He is a venture capitalist and chief investment officer of Harbinger Sports Partners, and he described the job in terms football fans will recognize, comparing the Tank to “the NFL Draft” because the producers bring him companies that have already been filtered from thousands of applicants. He added that he does not “have to go through 10,000 pitch decks to narrow it down to 10 companies.”
Shark Tank Season 18 Cast Net Worth, Ranked
Here is how the Shark Tank season 18 regulars and the headline guest compare, using the most widely cited estimates. Figures for Scott and Williams have never been published by a major outlet, so we have not invented one.
| Shark | Role in season 18 | Estimated net worth |
|---|---|---|
| MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) | Guest, episode 1 | Beast Industries valued at about $5.2 billion; Forbes put his 2025 earnings at $85 million |
| Daniel Lubetzky | Full-time | $2.3 billion (Forbes) |
| Robert Herjavec | Full-time | $600 million |
| Daymond John | Full-time | $350 million |
| Lori Greiner | Full-time | $250 million |
| Kevin O’Leary | Full-time | $150 million to $400 million, depending on the source |
| Barbara Corcoran | Full-time | $100 million |
| Kendra Scott | Full-time (new) | Not publicly estimated; her company is valued at over $1 billion |
| Rashaun Williams | Full-time (new) | Not publicly estimated |
Most of those numbers come from the ranking Parade published in August 2026, which leans on Celebrity Net Worth for the individual Sharks and on Forbes for Lubetzky. Parade also notes that Mark Cuban, who left after season 16, is still the richest person ever to hold a main seat, at an estimated $6 billion to $6.5 billion. For the full story of the real estate Shark, read our Barbara Corcoran net worth breakdown.
What MrBeast Brings to Shark Tank Season 18
Putting MrBeast on the premiere is a ratings play, but it also makes business sense. His company already sells products at a scale most Shark Tank founders dream about. Feastables, the chocolate brand, reportedly did around $250 million in sales, and his Amazon competition show Beast Games came with a reported $100 million deal. We have worked through those numbers in detail in how much MrBeast makes, including his per-second earnings.
The interesting wrinkle is that he is sitting next to his own CEO. Jeffrey Housenbold, the former Shutterfly chief who now runs Beast Industries, is the one who would actually structure any deal. For founders pitching in episode 1, that pairing means the offer on the table is less about a check and more about distribution: access to an audience that passed 500 million YouTube subscribers in June 2026.
Why the Panel Change Matters for Founders
More full-time Sharks means more competition inside the Tank. When eight regulars rotate through five seats, the mix changes episode to episode, and entrepreneurs can no longer plan a pitch around one familiar lineup. A consumer product founder might face Kendra Scott and Lori Greiner, two investors who both built retail empires. A sports or fitness brand might land in front of Rashaun Williams and J.J. Watt.
There is also a clear pattern in who ABC is adding. Scott built a brick-and-mortar retail chain. Williams invests in sports. MrBeast and Steven Bartlett represent the creator economy, where a single video or podcast episode can move more product than a TV commercial. Shark Tank season 18 looks like the show adjusting to where founders actually get customers in 2026.
Shark Tank Season 18: Quick Questions
What time does Shark Tank season 18 premiere?
The two-episode premiere airs Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 9/8c on ABC. After that, new episodes air Wednesdays at 10/9c and stream on Hulu the next day.
Is Mark Cuban on Shark Tank season 18?
Mark Cuban is not part of the season 18 full-time panel announced by ABC. He stepped away after season 16, and the regulars now are Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Daniel Lubetzky, Kevin O’Leary, Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams.
Who is the richest Shark on the current panel?
Daniel Lubetzky, the KIND Snacks founder, is the wealthiest full-time Shark at an estimated $2.3 billion per Forbes. MrBeast’s company is valued higher, but he is only a guest.
Who are the guest Sharks this season?
MrBeast, Jeffrey Housenbold, Mindy Kaling, J.J. Watt, Erin and Sara Foster, and Steven Bartlett.
The Bottom Line
Shark Tank season 18 opens tonight with the biggest name the show has ever put in a guest chair and a panel that has grown to eight regulars. The combined wealth in the room is enormous, but the more telling change is who got the new seats: a retail founder, a sports investor and a line of creator-economy guests. If you want to see how these fortunes compare with other stars, try our celebrity earnings calculator, and check back after the premiere as Shark Tank season 18 deals start to land.
