Dragons' Den

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What’s the Story?

British reality series DRAGONS' DEN brings would-be entrepreneurs face-to-face with five millionaires looking to invest in great ideas and inventions. Each hopeful participant has three minutes to propose an investment amount, pitch an idea (which include everything from a device that rocks babies to sleep and a performance arts festival to an umbrella vending machine), and display a sound business plan before fielding questions and accepting critiques from the investors, who are known as the Dragons. If any Dragons are willing to invest, they strike a deal with the entrepreneur for a share in the business' eventual profits in exchange for their cash.

Is It Any Good?

If Donald Trump sat in judgment over the contestants of American Inventor, the result would be something like Dragons' Den. Because the five millionaires are investing their own cash, they don't often mince words in their critiques of either the business pitches or the entrepreneurs themselves. When the Dragons think the contestants are being respectful of their expertise, they counter with personal digs. While their frustration is understandable in some cases, it's hard to not feel for the entrepreneurs, who often come across as desperate in the face of the seemingly omnipotent Dragons and their visible piles of cash.

The show clearly isn't the best pick for kids and tweens -- who would probably be bored by it anyway -- but teens and adults may enjoy the combination of drama and suspense we've all come to expect from reality series that offer common folk a possible change in fortune. And because these millionaires have made their own fortunes doing what the show's contestants are trying to do, their critiques are based on sound expertise and might just offer viewers real insight into successful entrepreneurial endeavors.