If you’re a fan of Shark Tank, then you know that some of the pitches are better than others. But have you ever wondered what it would be like if some of the worst pitches made it onto the show? Well, wonder no more! In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the worst Shark Tank pitches of all time. These pitches will make you cringe and laugh at the same time!
The Worst Shark Tank Pitches Of All Time
His & Her Bar
Lovebirds Jennifer and Michael Gallagher came up with a snack that they claimed could boost the sex drive of anyone who ate it. BigBoutros thinks the husband’s story about “finding a rock at a gas station that spoke to him about transforming into a butterfly” was ridiculous.
While drifting off into Fantasy Land, Michael did sound strange and incomprehensible, but his breakdown came out of nowhere for viewers. It was triggered by the fact that the sharks hated the bar’s taste and began opting out in quick succession.
Furthermore, the lack of sales was bad enough, but what was even worse was Michael’s failure to paint a good picture of himself. Instead of focusing on his strengths, he tried to trigger sympathy by telling the sharks about how he failed at the fire academy. The fact that Jennifer never seemed interested in taking saving the sinking ship didn’t help either [1].
Haven Lock
Alex Bertelli and Clay Banks presented their door security wedge, Haven Lock, as an alternative for ordinary doors which they claimed could easily be kicked down. Snakesnthings recalls the awkward moment when “the door wouldn’t open no matter how many times Alex kicked it.”
Claiming that ordinary doors can easily be kicked down and then struggling to actually demonstrate this is indeed problematic. This was bad enough but then came the failure to communicate. By the time Alex managed to kick the door down, he was so out of breath that he couldn’t even talk properly. As expected, none of the sharks made an offer.
Unpack
Aaron Liskov and Andrew Zahornacky’s business was all about delivering rented clothes to peoples’ travel destinations to free them of the burden of carrying heavy luggage. But Redditor ac0027 felt that it was “such a terrible business idea when people can just bring carry-on luggage”.
The Redditor isn’t the only one that feels it’s a bad idea, as every single shark castigated the duo. Mark even felt their business name was terrible. Walking into the tank was also audacious on their part since they had 37 clients in six months. In a show where numbers mean everything, the statistics clearly didn’t help. As such, they walked out without a deal.
Tail Lightz
Kyle Rainey needed an investor for his LED embroidery patches, which clients could stick on their jean pockets. Redditor megmp48 thought it was funny how the entrepreneur admitted he “needed a deal because his wife had been the money maker/funding his dumb ideas for years.”
True to the Redditor’s statement, Kyle’s pitch screamed “I need the money!” which wasn’t a convincing enough reason for the sharks to jump in. The entrepreneur also shot himself in the foot by stating that he had 80 inventions, which meant most of them had failed, hence the reason he was trying something new.
This track record served as the much-needed motivation for the sharks to go out. Nonetheless, the Tail Lightz segment could be considered one of the funniest Shark Tank pitches, thanks to quotes like “these lights bring attention to your greatest assets”.
Amber Charging Station
The Amber Charging Station was one of the shortest pitches, and it got torn apart so fast. The pitch involved a self-locking charging station that could prove useful for people when they were in public spaces.
High production costs and no profits meant no shark was ever going to invest in the product. The unanimous feeling that Amber could never work showed just how bad the presentation by the inventors, Bill and Kyle, was. And there was no leaving on good terms either. An angry Bill had viewers laughing when he stepped into the hallway and declared he’d love to “rail Herjevac in the teeth”.
Elephant Chat
Amanda and Jason Adams felt that communication between spouses was hard with kids around, hence they came up with an idea of an elephant model in a box as a way for someone to indicate they wanted to talk privately. DrGeraldBaskums argues that “Paying 80 bucks for a stuffed elephant to save your marriage might be crazier than an ionic ear”.
While the idea was creatively born out of the “elephant in the room” saying, the sharks agreed that it was completely unnecessary because couples that feel the need to talk privately always find a way to do it. The Redditor’s words also mirror those of Kevin who felt that paying so much for the model of an elephant would make people feel ripped off.
Be Somebody
Kash Shaikh’s motivational app was meant to help connect people to those who were already skilled in fields they wished to pursue. The most unfortunate thing about the pitch is how well it started before going downhill. In the opening minutes, Kash brought Bollywood dancers, a soccer star, and a world-famous ninja all into the tank to demonstrate their skills.
The entrepreneur messed up everything when he started talking, with the sharks labeling him abrasive and vague. His inability to defend himself would drive him further and further into the hall of rejects.
Vestpakz
When Arthur Grayer and Michael Wooley walked into the Tank seeking $ 50,000 for 10% of their children’s backpack alternative company Vestpakz, the only thing going for them was a couple of cute little kids modeling the product. Wooley’s daughter invented the product when she was 12, and he made a licensing deal with Grayer in 2013, landing the product in 75 Walmart stores.
The annual sales of $ 10,000 were anemic, especially with the context of being in Walmart, but the Sharks were intrigued by the story of Wooley’s daughter, who won an entrepreneurship competition and even made it onto Oprah Winfrey’s talk show.
All that happened in 2003, and Wooley’s daughter was now 27. The investors exploded in laughter at the revelation. The guys didn’t get a deal.
BedRyder
BedRyder chief marketer George Conway asked the Sharks for $ 200,000 in exchange for 15% equity in his company, which makes safety seats for the backs of pickup trucks. To Conway’s credit, he’s a great salesman and he was animated and fun as he demonstrated the product on a pickup. But his answers to the investors’ most important questions left them shaking their heads.
For example, when Lori Greiner asked him if it had undergone crash testing, Conway replied, “Honestly, yes! I have done my own. By accident”. The Sharks liked Conway as a person, but the myriad of things that could go wrong with the deal caused them all to back out. “When you leave the Tank, I want you to take that truck and drive it off a cliff,” Kevin O’Leary told him.
Tycoon Real Estate
Unfortunately, for Tycoon Real Estate founder and CEO Aaron McDaniel, the Sharks not only hated the product idea but some of them hated the entrepreneur behind it. McDaniel pitched his real estate crowdfunding service as a way for average people to invest in real estate. He failed to convince the Sharks that it was a safe model and that he was someone to be trusted with money.
Mark Cuban yelled that the idea was “scammy”, Barbara Corcoran thought it was “spooky”, and O’Leary — who was actually interested in making a deal — asked McDaniel if he had a criminal record. In the same way “Shark Tank” can make a company, it can break one, too.
Gato Cafe
“Shark Tank” is not the place to ask for money to fund a hypothetical company. Adriana Montano asked the Sharks for $ 100,000 for 15% of her company Gato Café, a café where patrons would pay an admission fee and hang out with rescue cats while sipping a latte. If they liked a particular cat, they could then adopt one.
Montano was able to persuade them the idea wasn’t wildly far-fetched, since there are already successful “cat cafés” out there. But when the investors asked her why they shouldn’t just take $ 100,000 and open their own line of cat cafés instead, she couldn’t defend herself as being a valuable partner. They all passed, and guest Shark and GoPro founder and CEO Nick Woodman recommended she take out a loan and try opening one on her own.
Kymera
There is a major difference between being an inventor and an entrepreneur, and Kymera creator Jason Woods did not prove himself to be the latter. Woods asked the Sharks for $ 250,000 for 20% of his electric body board company. The investors found the invention cool, but when the sales pitch went on too long they realized he hadn’t actually said anything about a business plan.
It turned out that in the previous 10 years, Woods had invested $ 130,000 of his own money and come up with only a prototype. He had no customers and no patent. After trying to explain that he was finally ready to take it to the next level, Cuban told him he was “full of crap”, and Daymond John told him it was the worst pitch he’d seen on the show. Suffice it to say, Woods didn’t get a deal.
Rolodoc
Cuban hated the Rolodoc presentation so much that he actually got up and shook the hands of the cofounders, brothers, Richard and Albert Amini, just to tell them they gave the worst “Shark Tank” pitch ever.
They asked for $ 50,000 for 20% of a social network for doctors and their patients. Cuban felt the brothers’ pitch wasn’t for a real service, let alone a real business, and was merely a mock-up of an app accompanied by nonstop strings of buzzwords.
He told CNBC, “Typically I don’t like to be mean to entrepreneurs… but these were two doctors who I think thought they could just snow us and mislead us into thinking that because they’re doctors they’re smarter than all of us”.
Track Days
If a hypothetical company has no shot on “Shark Tank”, a hypothetical movie was practically guaranteed to fail. Immediately after James LaVitola and Brian Pitt said they were looking for $ 5 million for 34% of the profits from their movie idea, Cuban announced he was out.
LaVitola and Pitt had a mock trailer for their motorcycle thriller, but they didn’t have a script or actors. “It is a horrifically bad idea”, O’Leary said. “I forbid you to proceed”.
Cougar Energy
Ryan Custer wanted $ 150,000 for 30% of his company Cougar Energy, dedicated to making energy-drink shot bottles specifically tailored to single, middle-aged women wanting to date young men like himself.
To call it tacky is an understatement, but he also had only $ 60,000 in sales over three years. His pitch is proof that a gimmick can only take a brand so far.
The Sullivan Generator
Mark Sullivan has been the only entrepreneur to promise the Sharks a share of $ 96 billion in profit. He presented the investors with a series of amateur, hand-drawn illustrations for the “Sullivan Generator” and asked for $ 1 million for 10% equity.
Sullivan’s massive generators would be scattered across the world, he said, pulling in huge amounts of ocean water to create contained hurricanes for electricity production. Gold is a byproduct that can be collected and turned into currency, he added. The absurdity of the invention was too much for the Sharks.
Technology-Enabled Clothing
Scott Jordan went into the Tank looking for $ 500,000 for 15% equity in his company, SCOTTeVEST, which makes vests to accommodate all of your gadgets. He initially impressed the investors with $ 5 million in sales, and O’Leary offered $ 1 million for 30%.
Jordan made a call to one of his advisers, original Apple computer inventor Steve Wozniak, and decided that the Sharks were lowballing him.
That’s where it got ugly. Jordan proceeded to point and yell at the investors, telling them why they were worthless. Not the best way to build professional relationships.
Copa di Vino
James Martin first pitched his single-serving wine company Copa Di Vino in season two, leaving multiple deals on the table because he found the offers too low. He did the same thing in season three. It’s understandable that Martin would turn down O’Leary’s offer of $ 600,000 for 51% equity during his first trip to the Tank, but his reluctance in season three was especially frustrating since the Sharks were willing to negotiate on Martin’s terms.
He spent such a long time negotiating with the Sharks in his second pitch that they became convinced that he was merely using the show as an advertising platform and had no intention of ever making a deal. His second pitch inspired Cuban and John to start looking out for what they call “gold diggers” on the show. “I didn’t like you then, and I don’t like you now,” Corcoran told Martin.
Wake N’ Bacon
Matty Sallin entered the Tank in 2011, around the height of the bacon craze in the US. He came to the Sharks looking for $ 40,000 for 20% of his company Wake ‘N’ Bacon, which made a wooden alarm clock that broils bacon set to the time you wake up.
Not only did Sallin not know basics like the cost of production, but the clock was a potential fire hazard. On top of that, the Sharks pointed out that the novelty would eventually wear thin for many bacon fans whose rooms developed a permanent aroma of grease.
At least Sallin had the composure to leave with a smile and “thank you” after O’Leary told him, “I’m going to put that in my Museum of Really Bad Ideas That Kill People”.
Attached Notes
Mary Ellen Simonsen asked the Sharks for $ 100,000 for 20% equity in her company Attached Notes, a retractable board that you attach to either side of your laptop monitor to place your Post-It notes.
Herjavec asked her to convince him “why this isn’t the worst product I’ve ever seen”, to which Simonsen replied that the laptop business is a billion-dollar industry. She mentioned that she hadn’t actually sold any yet.
Apparently, Simonsen didn’t notice that even in 2009, when she gave her pitch, there were multiple services for creating e-notes for your desktop.
Ionic Ear
The Sharks agree that a pitch from the pilot episode remains the most ridiculous in the show’s history.
Johnson was humorless and didn’t prove his qualifications. There may be a time when implanted technology will be a thing, but the Ionic Ear wasn’t going to be the pioneer.
Throx
Edwin Heaven, an entrepreneur who both sounds and looks like a Vegas magician, entered the Tank looking for $ 50,000 for 25% equity.
His company, Throx, produced socks sold in threes so that you’ll always have an extra sock after you lose one of them. There’s nothing extraordinary about the sock quality, but hey, you get three in each pack.
The Sharks did not see it as a real business opportunity, and O’Leary called Heaven a “vampire cockroach”.
No Fly Cone
Entrepreneur Bruce Gaither had an idea that involved using dog poop to attract flies to his trap. To bring his idea to life, he asked for $ 25k for a 15% stake. Sure, he gets points for bringing his adorable golden retriever onto the show with him, but a cute pup isn’t enough to change the Sharks’ minds.
Aside from the fact that this product can only be marketed to dog owners, the Sharks made the legitimate point that no one would want to use the device in their homes for obvious reasons. Even “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane’s endorsement couldn’t save this doomed pitch.
Wink Frozen Desserts
The most crucial part of the phrase, however, is the words: “tastes great”. This low-cal substitute for ice cream has many selling points, including it being dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and vegan. But as the sharks are quick to point out (much to their dismay, because some of them seemed genuinely interested), it doesn’t taste good.
And so all its virtues become somewhat moot. It’ll still sell, sure, but only to a much smaller demographic. And for that simple reason… the sharks walked.
Squirrel Boss
Michael DeSanti markets his product as the world’s first “interactive squirrel-proof bird feeder.” The “interactive” bit is what’s key here. You see, the bird feeder isn’t exactly “squirrel-proof” so much as it’s an opportunity for sadists to torture the small fluffy-tailed animals.
Animal cruelty aside, the obvious problem here is that you’d need to be sitting around all day holding your zapper at the ready for this product to work. Unless this is a pitch exclusively for the unemployed or infirm, it didn’t really make a whole lot of sense to anyone. Don’t worry: no squirrels were hurt in the making of this episode.
Ecomower
Andy Humphrey, the creator of the Ecomower, is another entrepreneur who should have chosen his words more carefully. Though his manual lawn mower has curb appeal, the way he goes about selling it rubs some of the sharks the wrong way. Yeah, Daymond John is not on board. And as soon as he starts tearing apart the pitch, even Sharks who initially seemed open to the concept begin to express similar doubts.
The major selling point is that this is a push mower that doesn’t require sharpening, but when Daymond and company grill Humphrey about this supposed advantage, it quickly begins to lose its competitive edge. To the surprise of a few, Ecomower is no longer in business.
Track Days
If you’ve ever wanted to feel like a Formula 1 race car driver, then Track Days are for you. But the Sharks don’t see a market for this luxury product. The cost per hour is $ 1,500 and only offers a 4-seat car that’s essentially an experience instead of a rental.
Of course, even with these guarantees, the sharks weren’t convinced enough to invest in this business venture because it’s hard to imagine who would use this service without any prior driving experience or knowledge about cars in general.
3 Shark Tank Companies That Failed:
ShowNo Towels
The relationship between Shelly Ehler and Lori Greiner was tarnished from the start. According to Shelly Ehler, Greiner warned her not to cash the check the next day. And later tried to change the terms of the deal (she demanded 70% of the company instead of 25%, and when Shelly Ehler refused. Whereas Greiner changed the deal to a loan that could only be used for the sale and not for other expenses).
“My Shark Tank deal with Lori Greiner went south. I once cursed my “Shark partner” for screwing me over. But now I am grateful to her. “She taught me so much more than she thought she would, and none of it had to do with business” – a quote from Shelly’s blog post, which is currently being taken offline [3].
Also, the company had a lot riding on a big deal with Disney. After online sales of the product were not impressive enough, the profit margin did not meet Disney’s expectations. The deal fell through after many months of trying to move it forward. Another deal that fell through was a licensing agreement with Franco Manufacturing.
The company was dissolved due to both failed transactions and disputes between the founder and the Shark Tank investor. ShowNo Towels is another great example of Shark Tank failure among many Shark Tank failures.
Three years after ShowNo Towels closed, Shelly Ehler is back in business. She relaunched the website and is currently focusing on selling the towels primarily to people with disabilities. A market Lori Greiner did not think was big enough to pursue.
Body Jac
The Body Jac is an invention that makes it easier and more effective to do push-ups with a series of bands and target specific muscle groups.
On Shark Tank, Barbara Corcoran told Jack Barringer (owner of Body Jac) that he needed to lose 30 pounds to prove that Body Jac worked to close the investment deal.
He did so, and the deal went through, but the business did not have any success after that. Barbara Corcoran later called Body Jac one of the poorest deals she’s ever done and declared Cactus Jack took all her money. It is possible that in 2012, Body Jac went defunct.
In 2015, Cactus Jack ran his own commerce company, and the Body Jac was available for sale. However, after July 2021, the company went out of business.
There is no public information about the exact reasons for Body Jac’s failure. Still, we can nominate Body Jac as one of Shark Tank’s biggest failures within many failures.
Breathometer
The idea sounded great, as evidenced by the fact that all the sharks wanted in and invested together. However, after the deal closed, there were many problems.
They struggled to fill the many orders, and after a short time. It became apparent that the device was not working as advertised. The device’s results were not accurate, and occasionally it reported a blood-alcohol level that was far below the actual value.
This is a big problem because it could encourage people to drive when they cannot do so. The Federal Trade Commission stepped in and ordered Breathometer to give all customers a full refund (and take the product off the market) [4].
Mark Cuban called it the “worst execution in Shark Tank’s history” and accused the founder of misspending capital.
Despite these Shark Tank failures, the company is still alive and kicking (although it’s not known if the Sharks are still on it). Currently, the company is testing and promoting a new (but similar) product – Mint – designed to measure biomarkers associated with bad breath and gum disease. The company has a partnership with Philips in the oral hygiene space.
FAQ:
- What is the most profitable pitch on Shark Tank?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as there have been hundreds of pitches on Shark Tank over the years.
However, some of the most profitable pitches have included successful products like:
- BevBev, a wine-infused coffee, and tea company that raked in millions of dollars in investment from the Sharks;
- Liquid Money, is an innovative new product that allows users to turn spare change into digital currency;
- Dreamstime.com, a stock photo website that quickly became one of the largest online marketplaces for images and footage;
- What was the longest pitch on Shark Tank?
Other notable long pitches on Shark Tank include those from entrepreneurs like Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner, who are well-known for being tough but fair with their assessments of business plans and ideas.
- What are the worst Shark Tank deals?
Some of the worst deals on Shark Tank have come from pitches that were overly ambitious or unrealistic. These include ideas like a robotic dog that supposedly could respond to commands and take care of itself, as well as a company that claimed it could turn water into wine in just 4 days [5].
Other bad deals on Shark Tank have included those from entrepreneurs who received investment money but then ultimately failed to deliver on their promises or ended up going out of business shortly after receiving funding. Overall, it seems that the key to success on Shark Tank is to be realistic about the potential of your business idea and to have a solid plan for how you will execute it.
- Does Shark Tank show every pitch?
No, not every pitch on Shark Tank is shown on the show. Typically, only those that are considered to be the most interesting or entertaining get featured in an episode. This can mean anything from a particularly dramatic or emotional pitch to one that is particularly funny or memorable for some other reason.
Regardless of why they end up getting selected, though, all pitches on Shark Tank are carefully watched by investors and entrepreneurs alike as an example of what works – and what doesn’t – in a successful business plan.
The worst pitches on Shark Tank are those that are overly ambitious or unrealistic. Some of the worst deals include pitches for robotic dogs that can respond to commands and take care of themselves, as well as companies that claim they can turn water or popularly known as an effective pitch. The key to a good pitch is to be realistic about the potential of your business idea and to have a solid plan for how you will execute it.
Useful Video: Top 5 Worst Shark Tank Pitches of All Time
References:
- https://screenrant.com/shark-tank-worst-pitches-all-time-reddit
- https://www.businessinsider.com/worst-shark-tank-pitches-2015-9
- https://www.thetoptens.com/reality/worst-shark-tank-pitches/
- https://interestingengineering.com/culture/10-worst-shark-tank-ideas-and-pitches-of-all-time
- https://thehustlestory.com/the-21-most-famous-shark-tank-failures-what-you-can-learn-from-them/
