SEASON PREMIERE

INVESTORS OFFER ENTREPRENEURS A WHOPPING $6.2 MILLION DURING SEASON THREE, AS "SHARK TANK" RETURNS TO ABC FRIDAY, JANUARY 20

Billionaire Entrepreneur Mark Cuban Appears in All 13 Episodes, And "Queen of QVC" Lori Greiner Joins Panel as Guest Shark This Season

Several Celebrities Join the Entrepreneurs This Season, Including NBA Champion and Hall of Fame Basketball Player Bill Walton in the Season Premiere

The Sharks are back for a third season, continuing their search to invest in the best products and businesses that America has to offer. The critically acclaimed "Shark Tank" gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true, and possibly make a business deal that will make them millionaires. Season Three continues to make TV history, with the Sharks offering over $6.2 million of their own money in investment deals to bankroll a creative array of innovative entrepreneurs. The Season Premiere, "Episode 310," airs FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

In the Season Premiere, NBA champion and Hall of Fame basketball player Bill Walton joins entrepreneur Dave Mayer in his pitch. Mayer, a triathlete from Portola Valley, California, hopes the Sharks will have a thirst for his unique water bottle. If the Sharks should need a ghostwriter, then Michael Levin from Irvine, California will welcome their investment dollars in his celebrity ghostwriting business. Other pitches include an online business created by Sue Kruskopf & Nancy Bush from Minneapolis, Minnesota, that can help people plan their own funeral, down to the last detail. And Alashe Nelson from Miami Beach, Florida presents a business opportunity to invest in a site offering users real VIP access at some of the hottest nightlife events in the country.

Also, Jason Lucash & Michael Szymczak from Chicago appear in a follow-up story, allowing viewers the opportunity to see how certain investments led to success. Since their appearance on the show in Season Two, the creators of the customized speakers known as Origaudio have triumphed in their business endeavor.

Billionaire Mark Cuban, owner and chairman of HDNet and outspoken owner of the 2011 NBA championship Dallas Mavericks, returns as a Shark and appears in all 13 episodes. Also Lori Greiner, a prolific inventor of retail products and often referred to as the "Queen of QVC," will join the show as a guest Shark investor for three episodes.

Returning "Sharks" joining Cuban and Greiner are real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, technology innovator Robert Herjavec, fashion and branding expert Daymond John and venture capitalist Kevin O'Leary.

The panel of five Sharks will hear pitches of the best business and product ideas from some of America's brightest entrepreneurs. When the Sharks hear a great idea, they're ready to fight each other for a piece of it. If and when the Sharks are confronted with a really top-notch idea, and more than one of them wants to sink their teeth into it, a war between them can erupt.

The Sharks in "Episode 310" are Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O'Leary.

Mark Burnett, Clay Newbill and Phil Gurin are the executive producers of "Shark Tank," based on the Japanese "Dragons' Den" format created by Nippon Television Network Corporation. The episode is directed by Ken Fuchs and Alan Carter. The series is from Sony Pictures Television.

"Shark Tank" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format with stereo sound. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to the airdate.