From a Bluetooth device surgically implanted into your ear to a massive generator that creates "hurricanes" that produce energy and gold, the investors on "Shark Tank" have heard some strange pitches over the past six seasons.
At the end of the recently aired 100th episode of the hit pitch show on ABC, Sharks Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, and Robert Herjavec gathered to reminisce about their favorite moments from the show.
Greiner asked her fellow Sharks what their favorite pitches were, and instead of going with what they considered to be the best, they opted to discuss the ones they found the most ridiculous.
We've summarized the eight craziest pitches they mentioned, and you'll quickly see why the Sharks find them so memorable.
The Ionic Ear sets a high bar for crazy in the very first episode.
The Sharks agree that a pitch from the pilot episode has remained the most ridiculous.
Darren Johnson seeks $1 million for a 15% stake in his company Ionic Ear. His pitch: Your Bluetooth earpiece moves around too much (this was 2009), which interferes with calls. So why not have the same technology surgically implanted into your ear canal? And at the end of each day, you insert a Q-Tip-like charger into your ear to charge the device.
Johnson is humorless and doesn't prove his qualifications.
There will likely be a time when implanted technology is a thing, but the Ionic Ear isn't going to be a pioneer.
Throx is based entirely on selling three socks at once.
Edwin Heaven, an entrepreneur who both sounds and looks like a Vegas magician, enters the tank in season 1 looking for $50,000 for 25% equity.
His company Throx produces socks that are sold three at a time 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 don't see it as a real business opportunity, and O'Leary even lets Heaven know that he considers him a "vampire cockroach." Yikes.
Things escalate quickly with the Carsik Bib.
Les Cookson is a dad with a couple of young boys who apparently have very little control over their stomachs. He invented the Carsik Bib, essentially a barf bag worn as a bib designed for kids in car seats. In season 2, he seeks $30,000 for 15% equity.
Almost immediately after introducing himself and the issue of carsick kids, he turns to his crudely made child-size dummy and pours a vile blend of pea soup and corn through the dummy's head, splashing everywhere.
The Sharks may have enjoyed the demonstration, but they don't see a viable business plan. "If I actually gave you 30 grand, I would throw up in this thing," O'Leary tells Cookson.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider