"Was the most hated man in Austria" - Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary on winning the 'Villain of TV' award twice

Investor Kevin O'Leary is known among the viewers for his unfiltered, hard-hitting advice on the business reality TV show Shark Tank. However, he has never shied away from his impression as the "villain" and instead chose to embrace it.

His persona in the series is marked by his blunt, sometimes harsh, business wisdom. Some people find this approach of his abrasive but he thinks that it is important to be honest in a position where he is.

He argues that there is no room for sugarcoating the truth. His perspective and the way of speaking on Shark Tank has garnered him both praise and criticism. Talking about the same, he said:

"I was the most hated man in Austria apparently. I won the 'Villain of TV' award twice. I mean, this is fantastic. And I've also won an Emmy but I love those villain awards even more so that's great."

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Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary talks about his unapologetic nature of telling the truth

Aspiring entrepreneurs enter with their pitches on Shark Tank, all hopeful and determined. However, we often see Kevin not hesitate while dismantling the business idea that he thinks is doomed.

He does not believe that there is anything cruel about it at all. Instead, Kevin says that misleading the entrepreneurs with false encouragement is far more harmful than telling them the truth.

This willingness to be the bearer of truth has solidified his reputation as a "villain." He says that in a culture where motivation and words of encouragement are prioritized, he refuses to entertain any false hopes toward the business owners.

Talking about the same, Kevin says:

"I'm not really a villain. I'm just, I'm not afraid to tell the truth. And unfortunately, in business, there's no gray. It's binary. You make money or you lose money. Either you're successful or you fail. And I don't think there is anything wrong with having an open, transparent narrative about that.

He added:

"Because if your plan isn't going to work and you're going to go bankrupt and your parents or you mortgage your house and you wipe yourself out, I don't think it's a bad thing to tell them that."

This philosophy that the Shark Tank investor works on is rooted in what he sees as an obligation to honesty. Even though many fans view him as a villain, many also claim that he is the choice of reason.

By confronting entrepreneurs with the stark realities of business, he forces them to evaluate their ventures critically. In a world where financial losses are quite devastating, Kevin's nature of giving feedback with brutal honesty may serve some good. Explaining the same, the investor says:

"They may not want to hear that message, but I don't like the, 'You keep doing it. Don't worry about it,' even though you know it has no merit and the idea is bad and it just doesn't make sense to me to do that."

Even though people may view him as an antagonist on Shark Tank, his perspective is clear. The approach is not about cruelty but of offering unfiltered truth in a world that often offers comforting lies.

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Shark Tank season 16 episodes are released Friday every week on ABC at 8 PM Eastern Time. They are later available to watch on Hulu.