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10 Shockers About Barbara Corcoran—Real Estate Legend, Shark, ‘DWTS’ Underdog

Who knew real estate agents love to dance? Well, now the secret is out, after the Season 25 premiere of “Dancing With the Stars” featured not just one gyrating agent, but two!

One contender is “Property Brothers” star Drew Scott, who performed the fox trot with the hopes it would hone his skills for his upcoming wedding. But the other real estate maven on the show has an even more compelling back story: Barbara Corcoran. 

You’ve likely seen the 68-year-old Corcoran on TV’s “Shark Tank,” where she invests her money in the products and entrepreneurs she thinks have big potential. But before her star TV turn, she was best known for her long and vibrant career in real estate.

On “DWTS,” Corcoran and her partner, Keo Motsepe, performed a rendition of the salsa, which did not exactly bowl over the judges—in fact, they got the lowest score of the night! Blame it on those first-dance jitters (or that particularly awkward apparent crotch grab), even if Corcoran doesn’t seem like the type to crumble under pressure.

Here are some surprising facts about her that have us thinking she isn’t out of the running just yet!

1. She was a straight-D student

Corcoran has dyslexia and told Entrepreneur.com that she was a “lousy” student throughout high school and college. She refused to put the pressure on her own kids, including her son, Tom, who is now in his third year at Columbia University.

Her advice to him? “You don’t have to be a good student. Take your time. What the hell? Try this. Try that. Move around.”

The result is “a well-rounded creative kid that’s always going to be himself,” she said.

2. Her biggest role model is her mother

Corcoran is one of nine children, all raised by her mother. Although Mom was never in the business world, Corcoran says she’s her biggest source of inspiration, according to Inc.com.

3. She had 20 jobs by the time she was 23

Of the dozens of jobs she held from an early age, working as a waitress in a New Jersey diner brought her the most luck. That’s how she met her future boyfriend Ramon Simone, who would loan her the money to start her real estate company, according to chron.com.

4. She co-founded a real estate empire for $1K

In 1973, using a $1,000 loan from Simone, Corcoran started her eponymous real estate agency, The Corcoran Group, which originally focused on selling apartments in Manhattan.

5. She splurged on a coat with her first commission

Corcoran told Us Weekly she blew her first $340 commission check on the fanciest coat she could find.

“It made me look and feel like the success I would become,” she said.

6. She sold her real estate firm for $70 million

In 2001, she sold The Corcoran Group to NRT, a real estate brokerage, according to the New York Times. At the time of the sale, the company employed 850 agents and was generating annual revenue around $100 million. Her current net worth is around $80 million.

7. Her show has snagged four Emmy’s

She’s been a co-host on “Shark Tank” for its entire eight-season run, during which the show has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Structured Reality Program.

8. She has invested $5,465,000 on ‘Shark Tank’

According to Business Insider, her favorite company she invested in to date is Pipsnacks, the makers of tiny gourmet popcorn kernels that don’t get stuck in your teeth.

9. Her favorite way to start the day? A cup of coffee in her rope swing in her Manhattan penthouse

In 2015, Corcoran bought an 11-room duplex at 1158 Fifth Ave. on Manhattan’s Upper East Side for $10 million. The property, which overlooks Central Park, has a solarium where she sits and soaks up the sun in the morning, she told House Beautiful. And yeah, it has a swing.

10. She’s as happy as can be with a mojito (or 5) in her hand

Corcoran recently told Us Weekly, “If I had one day left on earth, I would have five mojitos in a row, lay on my hammock and call it a day.”

After all her hard work dancing the salsa, we’d say she deserves all the hammock time she can get!

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