The Season 15 finale of Shark Tank was full of surprises, including an appearance from Maria Shriver and her son, Patrick Schwarzenegger. However, fans weren’t thrilled that the mother-son duo were allowed to compete on the show.
During the May 3 episode, Maria, who is a member of the Kennedy family, and her son Patrick, whom she shares with ex-husband Arnold Schwarzenegger, pitched their protein bar business MOSH to the sharks. Maria and Patrick launched the brand in 2021 and asked the investors for $500,000 for a 2% stake in the company, which aims to “create a conversation about brain health through food, education, research, and providing the tools for a ‘mindstyle’ lifestyle.” According to MOSH‘s website, a portion of all proceeds are donated to gender-based Alzheimer’s research at the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at the Cleveland Clinic.
After pitching the business to Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary and guest shark Candace Nelson, Lori seemed the most interested in partnering with the mother and son. The “Queen of QVC” originally offered $500,000 for a 6% stake in the company, but the Gen Z star countered with a 3.5% stake. Lori turned down his offer and instead agreed to lower her stake to 5%. After some deliberation, a counter offer was made for a 3.5% stake plus a .5% advisory share, which Maria and Patrick ultimately agreed to.
Prior to the episode airing, Maria revealed that she and her son would be appearing on the hit ABC show on Instagram. “The secret’s out! @patrickschwarzenegger and I are headed to the tank… the @sharktankabc this Friday at 8pm on @abc! Join us to see if @moshlife snags a deal with your favorite shark, if we can get our brain healthy bars in more hands, and if we can raise awareness about Alzheimer’s. Will you be watching? 🦈 #moshlife,” she captioned a picture of her and Patrick competing on Shark Tank.
While the night went well for Maria and Patrick, as well as Lori, some fans felt that the pair shouldn’t have been allowed to appear on the show in the first place given their celebrity status. “They may very well have a viable and beneficial product, but a celebrity family with a TON of money and connections taking up time on what is, in theory, a show that gives resources to small business owners who need a leg up just feels soooo tone-deaf and selfish,” one fan wrote in a Reddit thread. A second fan chimed: “The hook was the Alzheimer’s research component. That family could single handedly fund numerous research projects to combat the disease without the bar or the Sharks. There’s no way that product would have gotten a deal if they were your every day entrepreneurs. A complete waste of a segment.”
Referencing Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California, a fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I genuinely want to know why Patrick Schwarzenegger went on #SharkTank asking for $500,000 when his dad has a net worth of $450 million.”
Ahead of the episode, Maria told PEOPLE that appearing on Shark Tank was “a dream come true” for Patrick. “He was determined, and so we got on Shark Tank,” the longtime Alzheimer’s advocate said. “So I was so happy, actually, for him. Well, I’m happy for MOSH, but I was so happy for Patrick because it was just such a dream come true for him.” Maria added that her son had “always been interested in business” and explained that they were able to get the company off the ground when Patrick moved back in with her during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to MOSH, Patrick was also an early investor in startups like Liquid I.V and Poppi. “My investment thesis is simple: Is it the better-for-you version of what’s out there?” he told Retail Dive in August 2023.
For more on Shark Tank, check out our picks for Mark Cuban’s replacement.
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