[kriro]

I think it's pretty shady to air the episodes before the deal is finalized (imo, other people I know strongly disagree). They essentially get free reality TV candidates without any obligation. You can always back out if you want to.

[I'd also never take any of theses TV show deals for a software company as they seem pretty bad to me. For something you sell on home shopping networks etc. it seems better because you get the distribution expertise. I have doubts you get anything besides the money and probably lots of hassle for software.]

[devoply]

It's a show, everyone gets what they agreed to. You the viewer get entertainment, it's sort of like the Antique Roadshow. People come in, have their wares appraised, no real sale has to occur, and you are entertained to watch. Honesty in advertising is a marketing catch phrase.

[dazc]

The candidate also gets mass publicity for their product/service though whether they succeed in getting funding or not. For some, I'm guessing, this is the main motivation for going on the show?

[pc86]

Not sure about Dragons' Den but on Shark Tank they usually get called out on this and eviscerated, especially by Cuban. Obviously they're still getting a bump but at least the Sharks don't generally play along with it.

[nunez]

Unfortunately that's the nature of the entertainment business. As long as it makes for a good story, the details don't matter.