Tempers Flare as ‘Shark Tank’ Judge Mark Cuban Gets Insulted By Guest Judge In Tense TV Showdown

As loyal viewers know, sometimes discussions amongst the “Shark Tank” judges can get heated — even after a deal’s already been made.

In a November 2016 episode of the show, veteran judge Mark Cuban engaged in a heated debate with investor and guest Shark, Chris Sacca, about a contestant’s invention. Junior Desinor presented a device designed to simplify the house-hunting process. The invention was a lockbox that enables buyers and sellers to tour homes without needing to wait for an appointment or an open house.

Explaining how the device worked, Desinor demonstrated that a person interested in a home could search for it on the app. They would then be granted access to the home through a lockbox by pressing the power button. This would unlock the box and provide a key that allows the individual to tour the home either alone or with a real estate agent. After completing the tour, the user would return the key to the lockbox and select the “close” option on the app. The seller will receive a notification indicating that the viewer has finished the tour.

Desinor sought $500,000 in exchange for a 10 percent equity stake in his business. The judges expressed concerns about security, but Desinor assured them that the seller would be notified if the key was not returned. Guest judge Chris Sacca voiced significant objections to the use of the lockbox, mentioning that he had recently seen properties employing more advanced technology that didn’t require a key at all. Instead, they used Bluetooth for access.

After some back-and-forth, it was clear Sacca was not going to invest in Desinor’s lockbox. Sharks Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner also declined but Kevin O’Leary and Barbara Corcoran offered a different option. O’Leary said he would give Desinor the $500,000 in two tranches: $100,000 for a 10 percent equity and then a loan of $400,000 at 18 percent interest. 

Desinor requested $250,000 for 10 percent equity and a $250,000 line of credit. The two judges countered with an offer of $200,000 for 10 percent equity and a $300,000 loan. Desinor agreed to this deal.

However, as they discussed the deal, Sacca still had little faith in the product. “I’ve already seen the new tech out there. It’s there. I used it last week,” he said, prompting Cuban to go toe-to-toe with the investor, saying, “No, no, that’s not true, and that’s belittling. No, that’s denigrating to him, Chris, because the key isn’t the software. The software is the easiest part.”

Sacca responded, “No, no, like, Mark. You’re not making any sense at all, man.” In which Cuban replied, “I’m making total sense. How stupid are you? I know this is going over your head. Do you think people drive down the street and look for houses?”

Sacca said, “They see their dream home, they see a for-sale sign, and they love to get in.” He added, “Mark, the device exists today. It lets you in by Bluetooth from your phone.”

Barbara interjected and said, “Not in that circumstance.”

Sacca, standing firm in his defense, said, “With one new line of code, it can let in anyone.”

The two men continued to engage in a back-and-forth until, eventually, Barbara encouraged them to agree to disagree.

However, they were unable to do that, with Sacca shouting at Cuban, “Don’t be mad at me that I understand this better than you!”

Sacca continued to defend his stance.

“You got it all wrong, Chris,” Cuban blurted out as Sacca attempted to walk away.

“I sometimes wonder how you made all that money, Mark,” Sacca shouted back.

Fans responded to the clip in the comments.

One person said, “I’ve never seen Mark so upset and I’ve never seen someone insult Mark like that. Notice his character even at the end. Still a great guy even when dealing with a cocky guy like Chris. I was wowed.”

Someone else wrote, “Mark was EXTREMELY patient, but that guy was so worried about being right that he lost Common Sense.”

A third added, “They had the most classiest fight. No cussing, name calling, shouting, or glass breaking.”