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A former Shark Tank contestant has responded after viewers said her “pretty privilege” scored her a deal last year from the show’s investors.
Blaine Anderson makes a living as a dating coach and matchmaker for men.
Her episode, which originally aired in February 2024, re-aired this past week, and with it a Reddit post that trashed her pitch resurfaced.
“She didn’t know her revenue numbers by product,” the Redditor wrote. “She didn’t even know how many units or revenue she did for her biggest product.”
Others called out Anderson, describing her as “out of touch and cringe,” while some said it was her “pretty privilege” that benefitted her.
So it was a shock for many that Anderson sought $100,000 for a 2% stake in her company, Dating By Blaine.
Speaking on the show, Anderson said her overall sales were $2.2 million since launching in mid-2020. Her business includes $149 texting courses, $1,295 “dating masterclass” pre-recorded videos for $1,295, and a series of one-on-one sessions priced at $6,295.
But Anderson was schooled when she wasn’t able to break down how many classes she sold over the past year.
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“That’s a Shark Tank no-no,” billionaire Mark Cuban told her — yet that didn’t stop him from agreeing to invest $100,000 in exchange for 10% of her business.
Redditors were stunned Anderson managed to snag a deal with such a perceived lousy pitch.
“Either it was pretty privilege/kissing Mark’s a**, or the producers had something to do with it,” one person wrote.
Another added: “’In no world should she have gotten a deal. Not knowing her numbers should have been a deal breaker, as it almost always is.”
Anderson took to X on Wednesday to set the record straight about her appearance on the reality show.
She began by giving people some insight into herself and her business, describing her program as a way “that teaches men to text women without sounding weird or creepy.”
Anderson also clarified that she didn’t apply to go on the show but, rather, a producer reached out after seeing a feature about her in the New York Times.
She eventually found herself in May 2023 on the Shark Tank set, where she described herself as “nervous AF” and said she blacked out during most of the filming.
“What I remember is: The guest Shark, Michael Rubin, wanted NOTHING to do with me, Kevin (O’Leary) wanted to invest, and I knew I didn’t want that — Barbara (Corcoran) hooked up my deal up with Mark.”
She explained: “You film for 40 minutes, and there are NO cuts, so the editors exercise huge control over what lands on TV.”
Anderson added: “I’m grateful the editors didn’t make me look like a total dumba** — at least in MY opinion — not Reddit’s” and went on to note how her performance was “roasted” on the platform.
She said that the complaints about her were that her “valuation was too high,” she “didn’t know” her numbers” and “pretty privilege” drives her success.
She responded to haters: “I can ask for any valuation I want. Suck it.”
Anderson also confirmed that she’s not great with numbers because “who wants to hire a dating coach who’s preoccupied with margins, anyway?!”
She added: “Pretty privilege probably helps. Deal with it.”
In the end, Anderson wasn’t able to make things work with Cuban because “life would be harder.”
She added: “It took me months to realize that, and for everyone involved’s sake, I’m sorry I didn’t see the light sooner.”