10 Worst Pitches of All Time on ‘Shark Tank’ That Got Unanimously Rejected

Fed to the sharks

Since its debut in 2009, "Shark Tank" has provided a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to pitch their businesses in front of the top ‘Sharks’ in the country. The 15th edition of the show is officially part of ABC's 2023 line-up and it is likely to release in late September or early October. While the show has given many successful products and memorable moments, there have been plenty of not-so-genius moments on the show. Here’s a look at the top 10 worst pitches of all time made on "Shark Tank"

1. Sticky Note Holder/ Flip-N-Notes

Mary Ellen Simonsen made a pitch for a wonderfully useless product that is used to hold sticky notes in place. She asked the Sharks for $100,000 in funding despite making zero sales and having no patent on her invention. Thus, it was no surprise that her pitch led to a quick rejection from all the sharks.

2. Haven Lock

The owners of Haven Lock, Alex Bertelli and Clay Banks, made the funniest pitch of all time on Shark Tank, seeking $500,000 for a 6% stake in their company that produced a door security wedge. This wedge apparently served as an alternative to ordinary doors which they claimed are easy to be kicked down. To demonstrate this, one of the founders tried to kick down a door on stage and failed to do so for several minutes. When he finally managed to do so, he was out of breath and could barely talk. Due to the poor pitch, none of the sharks made an offer.

3. Ionic Ear

Ionic Ear was one of the most bizarre products that ever featured on Shark Tank. Entrepreneur Darrin Johnson was seeking $1 million for a 15 percent stake in his company that made earphone-like devices that needed to be surgically implanted in the user’s ear and charged with a needle-like pin every day. Johnson was proposing a solution to Bluetooth earpieces falling out of the user’s ears. Due to the absurdity of the product, it got a big 'no' from the sharks.

4. Amber Charging Station

Amber Charging Station was one of the shortest pitches made on the show for a self-locking public charging station for people who need to charge their phones while in a public space. High production costs, no profits, security risks, and other reasons meant no shark was interested in making an offer. The inventors, Bill Shuey and Kyle Byrd, didn’t leave on good terms as one of them said he’d love to “rail Herjevac in the teeth.”

5. Be Somebody

The motivational app, Be Somebody was created to help connect people with peers who are skilled in fields they wish to pursue. The pitch made by Kash Shaikh (who was seeking $1,000,000 for a 10% share) started quite well before it went downhill after the entrepreneur started talking about his own life. He was abrasive and vague and his inability to defend himself led to a swift rejection.

6. Original Man Candle

The Original Man Candle was a product that would make the user’s house smell like a ‘man’s house.’ The fragrances of the candles varied from beer, golf course and football to even the smell of farts. The founder of the company, Johnson Bailey, sought $50,000 for a 25 percent stake in this venture, but the Sharks thought the product had no potential to attract customers.

7. The Skinny Mirror

Founder Belinda Jasmine presented a mirror that made people appear 5-10 pounds slimmer in a mirror called The Skinny Mirror. However, when she presented the idea to Sharks, the product was not patented. Further, the judges questioned the idea of the product and how it would impact people’s mental health. Jasmine had sought $200k for 20 percent of her business, an offer which was rejected by all.

8. Copa Di Vino

Entrepreneur James Martin introduced his 'Wine in a glass' product called Copa Di Vino and even got an offer from Kevin O'Leary of $600,000 for 51 percent of the company. However, Martin refused the offer and returned in another season posting excellent sales and profit margins. This managed to get offers from multiple sharks but Martin once again rejected the offers and proceeded to sip a glass of wine in front of them, and egoistically walked out of the tank.

9. RoloDoc

Brothers and doctors, Albert and Richard Amini pitched their mobile app that connects doctors and patients. While the idea for their product wasn’t bad, their pitch seeking $50,000 for a 20% stake was far from impressive and put a question mark on their business sense. They kept throwing in buzzwords like “social media” with no plan to back any of their ideas. While rejecting, the sharks questioned that they had no idea how to get doctors to use their app or how to monetize it.

10. Wake n Bacon

Wake ‘N Bacon was another bizarre product that essentially served as an alarm clock that starts cooking bacon at the time it is set to wake the user up. Mary Sallin sought an investment of $40,000 for 20 percent equity in his company, failing to realize that his product is a potential fire hazard that needs users to keep raw and unrefrigerated meat all night. It was obvious that the product received harsh criticism from the sharks and O’Leary even went on to say, "I'm going to put that in my Museum of Really Bad Ideas That Kill People.”