"No no no no Sir Richard Branson" - When Mark Cuban tossed water on another panelist in Shark Tank

In a memorable throwback to Shark Tank season 9 episode 1 from October 2, 2017, guest shark Richard Branson and regular shark Mark Cuban had a tiff during a $600,000 investment pitch. The incident occurred when Simple Habit, a meditation app's CEO Yunha Kim presented her company pitch. The situation escalated after Cuban labeled Kim a "gold digger" for appearing on the show with substantial prior funding.

Branson defended Kim stating that Shark Tank welcomes businesses from all backgrounds and praised the participants' dedication. Following this exchange, Branson offered $300,000 for 10% equity, half of the original ask. This prompted Mark Cuban's sharp response.

"No no no no no Sir Richard Branson, it has to be 600 (thousand)" Cuban responded to the reduced offer.

This led to Richard throwing water at Mark Cuban, shocking everyone during Kim's meditation app pitch. In response, Cuban did the same instantly. The incident temporarily shifted focus from Kim's pitch to the personal clash between the two Shark Tank investors.

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Mark Cuban and Richard Branson throw water at each other during Shark Tank pitch

The tension in Shark Tank season 9 episode 1 started during Kim's initial presentation of Simple Habit, a meditation app which had existing financial backing. Cuban questioned the company's motives for appearing on the show, given the substantial funding they already had. He used specific show terminology to describe entrepreneurs who seek show exposure over investment, which Branson misunderstood as a personal attack on Kim.

Branson defended Kim and opposed views of other Sharks. Despite showing confidence in the product, Branson attempted to structure a different deal.

"I would be reluctant to get involved with the 600,000," he started.

Cuban responded with exaggerated surprise and Daymond John asked about the sudden shift in dynamics following which Richard stated,

"I'm about to throw water at these two guys," directing his comment toward Cuban and John.

Following through with his warning, Branson gave a final offer of 300,000 for 10%. To this Cuban said that he should offer the entire 600,000. This led Richard to pick up his water glass and throw the water at Cuban, stunning everyone on the Shark Tank set. Cuban immediately responded by throwing water from his own glass back at Branson.

Other panel members watched in astonishment as the two accomplished business figures engaged in such an altercation.

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Deal dynamics

Despite the water fight interruption, the Shark Tank pitch negotiations continued. Branson paired with Robert Herjavec to present a combined offer of $600,000 for 20% equity in Simple Habit.

Branson expanded on his support for Kim's business approach. He emphasized the benefits of having substantial funding, stating that a bigger financial base increases the chances of reaching millions of users globally.

He expressed interest in helping Simple Habit expand its user reach. However, despite receiving multiple offers, including the Branson-Herjavec partnership proposal, Kim decided to leave the tank without accepting any deals.

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Aftermath

In a later interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cuban expressed strong feelings about the incident including Cuban.

"I don't want to be in the same room with that guy for the rest of my life, I wasn't happy with him", Cuban stated firmly.

Branson revealed later that he attempted to smooth things over backstage after the shoot. In his blog, he wrote,

“I went backstage after the shoot to apologise and jokingly offered to shine his shoes while he tried to dry up. Luckily, he had a spare shirt! He then saw the lighter side of the incident and later accepted my apology.”

The Virgin Group founder explained in his blog that he misunderstood the show's terminology, particularly the meaning of certain terms used regularly on Shark Tank.

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Shark Tank season 16 is airing on ABC network.