Dave & Julian Take Their Board Games to the Shark Tank Christmas Special

The holiday season just got a little more exciting! Our very own Dave and Julian are taking their popular board games to the big stage for the Shark Tank Christmas Special, airing Wednesday, Dec 10th at 10 PM on ABC.

Before the episode hits your screens, we asked them about their Shark Tank experience, the nerves, the sharks, and the chaos behind the cameras. Spoiler: Did they get a deal? That secret stays in the tank… for now.

1. Why did you decide to apply for Shark Tank in the first place?

Julian: Honestly? We weren’t sure at first. Shark Tank always felt like one of those huge, slightly terrifying things that other businesses do. But after our games went viral and we started really growing, it felt like the right kind of challenge, something that could push us, give us visibility, and maybe even connect us with someone who gets what we’re trying to do.
David: We’ve built McMiller from scratch, no big investors, just us, our weird ideas, and a lot of duct tape. So getting in front of the Sharks felt like a chance to see how far we’ve come… and where we might go next.

2. What did it take to get from “application” to “we’re filming”?

David: It’s a process! There are a lot of steps, a lot of forms, a lot of back and forth. It was like prepping for the biggest audition of our lives, and we’ve both done some pretty big ones. The difference here was: we weren’t playing a role. This was us. Our company. Our story.
Julian: Yeah, and every stage, you kind of assume it might stop there, like, “Well, it’s been fun, but we probably won’t get picked.” And then suddenly you’re getting a filming date and realizing this is actually happening. It got real very quickly.

3. Walking into the Shark Tank must have been surreal. How did it feel?

Julian: I won’t lie, I took a beta blocker. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. The last thing I wanted was for my nerves to steal that moment from me. And honestly, it helped. I was focused, steady, and totally present.
David and I practiced every night for weeks, usually at the end of a long day, running through the pitch, prepping answers, watching past episodes. We didn’t just rehearse the easy stuff—we focused on the tougher questions, too. Because running a company isn’t all wins and viral videos. There are hard decisions, mistakes, things you’d do differently, and we knew we had to be ready for all of it. David led that prep and did an amazing job.
David: It really was the most intense hour of our lives. But we’d done the work. Once we were in there, we found our rhythm. We stayed grounded in who we are, creative, a bit silly, but also serious about what we’ve built. We just had to trust ourselves and be honest.
4. What was the most surprising thing about being on the show?

David: How fast it all moves. You’re standing there, and suddenly the questions are coming at you, one after another. It’s intense, but also kind of exhilarating. You don’t really have time to second guess, you just respond from instinct and prep.
Julian: Also, how engaged the Sharks really are. They’re sharp. There’s no TV fluff—they’re dialed in, asking smart questions, challenging assumptions. It’s not performative. It’s a real business conversation, and you feel that.

5. What was it like pitching party games to a panel of investors?
Julian: Running in with fish stuck between our foreheads was bold move but we knew we had to grab their attention and the beauty of our products is that they’re designed to make people laugh almost instantly—and we hoped that energy would translate.
David: It can be hard to communicate the value of something that’s fun, because fun often gets underestimated. But we came in ready to show them that behind every silly tail or flopping fish is a smart, well-tested product, a growing business, and a very real market. 6. What do you hope comes from the Shark Tank experience?

Julian: Even just being on the show is massive, it puts us in front of millions of people who’ve never heard of McMiller before. We hope they see the joy in what we make, and feel like they’re part of something growing.
David: We’d love to meet new partners, new retailers, and new collaborators. We’re building a brand that brings people together in a really physical, human way, and we want to keep expanding that. More games, more players, more laughter.

7. Looking back now, what are you most proud of?

Julian: That we’ve done this as a team. As husbands. As co-founders. We’ve built this company from nothing, just us and a lot of cardboard samples, and to be able to stand together on that stage… yeah, I’m proud of that.
David: And that we never compromised on our voice. We’ve always followed our gut, made stuff we’d want to play, and found our people through it. And now we’re on Shark Tank. It’s wild.

Did you get a deal?

Julian & David: You’ll have to tune in on Sunday, December 10 at 10PM ET/PT on ABC to find out…

Whether you’re a fan of Fish Fight, It’s Bananas, or The Cat Mitt Game, seeing these games in the Shark Tank Christmas Special is a must. Dave and Julian navigated nerves, intense questions, and production chaos, giving a glimpse of what it’s really like to pitch your board games to America’s toughest investors.

You can check out their games on the McMiLLER website!

From the first walk into the tank to the final pitch, Dave and Julian’s Shark Tank experience is full of laughs, lessons, and high-stakes fun. Don’t miss their adventure on the Shark Tank Christmas Special.

Tune in Wednesday, Dec 10th at 10 PM on ABC to see if Dave and Julian’s board games captured a deal with the sharks!

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