Richard Branson, Alex Rodriguez and More Will Guest Judge on Shark Tank Next Season…

Shark Tank fans didn’t have to wait very long to find out the fate of ABC’s hit series. Ahead of the season eight finale on Friday, the network announced that it was renewing the reality TV franchise for a ninth season.

And in the fall, the show’s mainstay investors, Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, Robert Herjavec and Lori Greiner will be joined by some big name guest sharks.

Related: All 7 Shark Tank Stars Share Tips on How to Become a Millionaire

Throughout the season, contestants will have the chance to pitch entrepreneurs such as Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, Real Housewife and Skinnygirl founder Bethenny Frankel, venture capitalist and branding expert Rohan Oza and former MLB player Alex Rodriguez.

In 2016, Shark Tank won its third Emmy Outstanding Structured Reality Program and the final episode of the season was watched by nearly 4 million viewers.

Nina Zipkin

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

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