As Seen On ‘Shark Tank': 10 Worst Inventions

ABC’s hit reality television show, “Shark Tank,” is widely successful because of the diverse personalities of the Sharks as well as the contestants. From a panel of industry-savvy entrepreneurs with great fame and fortune to optimistic hopefuls with self-proclaimed revolutionary ideas, the show provides endless entertainment for viewers. But, outside of the success stories on “Shark Tank,” there has been total train wrecks that have left both the Sharks and the audience in awe.

“Shark Tank” has proven that just because an idea may seem stupid does not mean that it is doomed to fail. While some inventions have been laughable, there are a few ideas that have been so low-priced that investors have been happy to take the gamble. This goes to show that risk can, on occasion, bring reward.

What are the worst “Shark Tank” inventions? We found 10 inventions that stand out among others as the absolute worst in the history of the show. What’s even more shocking is that some of these have even led to striking a deal with the Sharks. Let’s start with one of the wackiest inventions that literally turn your toddler into a jumbo-sized chew toy for a dog.

Squeeky Knees, Lisa Evans

What is one of the most annoying things about having a dog with a squeaking toy? What is one of the most annoying things about having a baby? The answer to both of these is the same: the noise. The inventor of Squeeky Knees actually expected people to want to combine the two by creating clothes with knee pads that made a squeaking noise. The only benefit that we see is in knowing where your child is from the obnoxious sound.

The negatives far outweigh the one positive for Squeeky Knees. The creator, Lisa Evans, said that the knees acted as a sort of GPS device for her child. Unfortunately, the GPS does not feature an intricate satellite device that can locate someone anywhere on the planet; rather, it relies on the squeaking of a toy. It can be a pain for parents to see their children suffer scraped up knees but, it’s worth it to not have to hear that God forsaken noise all day.

Moberi, Ryan Carpenter

Smoothies are delicious and can be very refreshing after being out in the heat for a while or after a good work out at the gym. When your goal is to cool down, who in their right mind would want to make their own smoothie by pedaling a bicycle until it’s blended? You would think that this smoothie would be a little cheaper too since you have to make it yourself, but it won’t even save you a dime!

Each of the Moberi smoothies is $6, which is a little high even for the average smoothie. It’s no surprise that Moberi came from the health-conscious city of Portland, Oregon, where people are encouraged to ride bikes everywhere and drink smoothies all the time. The idea didn’t quite catch on with the Sharks, but we’re sure it has a nice little niche market in a city like Portland.

Invisiplug, Michael Barzman & Bryan O’Connell

Surge protectors are often big and bulky, and take up an awkward amount of room. Sometimes, you have no other choice but to leave them out in the open, completely visible, which makes them a complete eyesore. Well, now there’s a solution for that thanks to the Invisiplug, the surge protector that blends into your hardwood flooring. Oh, you have carpet? Well, that’s just too bad.

What makes the Invisiplug so bad is, well, everything. Not only does it stick out on most floors, but even if it did blend in, you would still see all of your cords plugged into what looks like the floor. Isn’t that just as bad looking as an actual surge protector on the floor? For some reason, this invention was picked up by Lori Greiner and showcased on QVC. Apparently, there’s a high demand for incognito surge protectors despite its ridiculousness.

180 Cup, Solomon Falls

The cheapest way that college students drink beer is by using red plastic cups. Similarly, the cheapest way that they drink hard liquor is from dusty shot glasses that they grabbed from their parents’ house before moving into campus. The 180 Cup conveniently eliminates the need for two separate glasses by blending the two together as a disposable beer receptacle and a shot glass. All you have to do is flip the cup over when it’s empty.

The idea came from Solomon Falls, who simply took the standard Solo cup that everyone uses and dented the bottom extra hard to create a faux shot glass on the bottom. Falls actually received a patent for the invention and has since done millions in sales, mainly thanks to college students. Daymond John was not a huge fan of the idea, but liked the profits enough to pay $300,000 in exchange for 25% of the 180 Cup company.

Elephant Chat, Jason & Amanda Adams

If you are in the midst of a huge argument with your spouse or roommate, you can now resolve all of your problems thanks to a stuffed elephant. Unfortunately, we aren’t kidding. Jason and Amanda Adams came up with the idea of conflict resolution through toys by creating Elephant Chat. The Elephant Chat is a stuffed elephant that hangs out inside of a Plexiglas case until you are ready to confront your significant other, roommate, friend, etc.

The idea behind the Elephant Chat is that you are supposed to take the cover off of the elephant and say the magic phrase, “Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.” You then remove the elephant from the case and pass it back and forth while you squabble over your concerns and issues. If that doesn’t sound like the most guidance counselor-esque way of resolving a situation, we don’t know what does. There has to be a better way.

SquirrelBoss, Michael DeSanti

If you fall into the mild to moderate category of the sociopathic spectrum where you want to do slight harm to small woodland critters, then the SquirrelBoss might be for you. This is especially true if you are a fan of birds, since the SquirrelBoss is a birdfeeder meant to keep squirrels from eating the bird’s food. Michael DeSanti hated squirrels eating the bird’s food so much that he got the idea to shock them whenever they invaded his birdfeeder.

DeSanti says that the shock the squirrel receives is not life threatening in any way and only serves as a warning. The only way to shock the squirrels is by remote control, so you get to see the little buggers run off after zapping them. The Sharks weren’t too interested in harming small animals, so all five passed on the product even after shocking each other.

Arkeg, Brant Myers & Dan Grimm

The Arkeg seems like a cool idea if you want to have some buddies over, drink a few beers and play video games. The Arkeg machine combines drinking and gaming by serving as a full-size arcade machine that doubles as a beer keg. There are nearly 70 games available for you to play on the Arkeg and it holds up to five gallons of your favorite brew. It sounds incredible, right? The biggest problem that the Arkeg ran into was its price point.

No one in their right mind is going to pay the $4,000 for an Arkeg just to play an emulator and drink beer when you can make a similar setup at home for $200 or less. Although some people will pay thousands for a vintage arcade game, they are typically dedicated collectors. The market for mass production and big profits is impossible and all of the Sharks knew it, which is why this one didn’t get an offer.

Wired Waffles, Roger Sullivan

A lot of people have trouble finding a heap of energy in the morning, so they usually turn to a cup of coffee or an energy drink. Not all people like coffee or energy drinks, though, which is what gave Roger Sullivan the idea for Wired Waffles. Instead of drinking your caffeine in the morning, Sullivan wanted the world to have the option to eat it, instead. That’s right; Sullivan created waffles infused with a shot of caffeine to get going in the morning.

From our best guess, no one has used the term “Energy Waffles” before Sullivan did on “Shark Tank” and, they probably won’t be using it for a while. None of the Sharks were interested in the waffles and, they suggested that eating caffeine wouldn’t be such a bad idea if it were a different food. Even Kevin O’Leary said that they tasted horrible and sent Sullivan out the door.

Man Candle, Johnson Bailey

It seems like all of the candles on the market have a very girly scent. There’s a good reason for that as most candles are used to cover up the odor that men can produce in an instant. In an effort to regain a presence in the aroma industry, Johnson Bailey came up with the Man Candle. The Man Candle features a line of candles that smell like some of the most masculine things on Earth, including bacon and, yes, even farts.

The Man Candle is certainly a niche market since some of the scents available were downright disgusting. It’s one thing to want a candle that smells like freshly cut grass, but it is a whole different ballgame when you’re talking about stale beer. Mark Cuban showed some interest, but decided it would not be good for his net worth to invest too much time and money into the Man Candle. Good call, Cubes.

Throx, Edwin Heaven

While the rest of the list has been in no particular order, Throx belongs in the number one spot for being the absolute dumbest invention not only on “Shark Tank”, but on the face of the planet. Edwin Heaven got tired of losing one sock in a pair, thus Throx were invented. No, it’s not some fancy sock catcher that you put into a hamper or a dryer; it’s not anywhere near being as useful.

Instead, Throx are triplets of the same sock so that you still have a pair if (and when) you lose one. Seriously, that was the entire pitch. This would be a fun idea for a gag gift at best, on which the Sharks definitely agreed. Heaven left the tank without a deal (thankfully). Now, Throx are only available for purchase on a website that looks like it was designed by somebody’s kid sister in 2005. This is definitely the worst of the worst on our list.

Moberi, Ryan Carpenter

Smoothies are delicious and can be very refreshing after being out in the heat for a while or after a good work out at the gym. When your goal is to cool down, who in their right mind would want to make their own smoothie by pedaling a bicycle until it’s blended? You would think that this smoothie would be a little cheaper too since you have to make it yourself, but it won’t even save you a dime!

Each of the Moberi smoothies is $6, which is a little high even for the average smoothie. It’s no surprise that Moberi came from the health-conscious city of Portland, Oregon, where people are encouraged to ride bikes everywhere and drink smoothies all the time. The idea didn’t quite catch on with the Sharks, but we’re sure it has a nice little niche market in a city like Portland.

Invisiplug, Michael Barzman & Bryan O’Connell

Surge protectors are often big and bulky, and take up an awkward amount of room. Sometimes, you have no other choice but to leave them out in the open, completely visible, which makes them a complete eyesore. Well, now there’s a solution for that thanks to the Invisiplug, the surge protector that blends into your hardwood flooring. Oh, you have carpet? Well, that’s just too bad.

What makes the Invisiplug so bad is, well, everything. Not only does it stick out on most floors, but even if it did blend in, you would still see all of your cords plugged into what looks like the floor. Isn’t that just as bad looking as an actual surge protector on the floor? For some reason, this invention was picked up by Lori Greiner and showcased on QVC. Apparently, there’s a high demand for incognito surge protectors despite its ridiculousness.

180 Cup, Solomon Falls

The cheapest way that college students drink beer is by using red plastic cups. Similarly, the cheapest way that they drink hard liquor is from dusty shot glasses that they grabbed from their parents’ house before moving into campus. The 180 Cup conveniently eliminates the need for two separate glasses by blending the two together as a disposable beer receptacle and a shot glass. All you have to do is flip the cup over when it’s empty.

The idea came from Solomon Falls, who simply took the standard Solo cup that everyone uses and dented the bottom extra hard to create a faux shot glass on the bottom. Falls actually received a patent for the invention and has since done millions in sales, mainly thanks to college students. Daymond John was not a huge fan of the idea, but liked the profits enough to pay $300,000 in exchange for 25% of the 180 Cup company.

Elephant Chat, Jason & Amanda Adams

If you are in the midst of a huge argument with your spouse or roommate, you can now resolve all of your problems thanks to a stuffed elephant. Unfortunately, we aren’t kidding. Jason and Amanda Adams came up with the idea of conflict resolution through toys by creating Elephant Chat. The Elephant Chat is a stuffed elephant that hangs out inside of a Plexiglas case until you are ready to confront your significant other, roommate, friend, etc.

The idea behind the Elephant Chat is that you are supposed to take the cover off of the elephant and say the magic phrase, “Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.” You then remove the elephant from the case and pass it back and forth while you squabble over your concerns and issues. If that doesn’t sound like the most guidance counselor-esque way of resolving a situation, we don’t know what does. There has to be a better way.

SquirrelBoss, Michael DeSanti

If you fall into the mild to moderate category of the sociopathic spectrum where you want to do slight harm to small woodland critters, then the SquirrelBoss might be for you. This is especially true if you are a fan of birds, since the SquirrelBoss is a birdfeeder meant to keep squirrels from eating the bird’s food. Michael DeSanti hated squirrels eating the bird’s food so much that he got the idea to shock them whenever they invaded his birdfeeder.

DeSanti says that the shock the squirrel receives is not life threatening in any way and only serves as a warning. The only way to shock the squirrels is by remote control, so you get to see the little buggers run off after zapping them. The Sharks weren’t too interested in harming small animals, so all five passed on the product even after shocking each other.

Arkeg, Brant Myers & Dan Grimm

The Arkeg seems like a cool idea if you want to have some buddies over, drink a few beers and play video games. The Arkeg machine combines drinking and gaming by serving as a full-size arcade machine that doubles as a beer keg. There are nearly 70 games available for you to play on the Arkeg and it holds up to five gallons of your favorite brew. It sounds incredible, right? The biggest problem that the Arkeg ran into was its price point.

No one in their right mind is going to pay the $4,000 for an Arkeg just to play an emulator and drink beer when you can make a similar setup at home for $200 or less. Although some people will pay thousands for a vintage arcade game, they are typically dedicated collectors. The market for mass production and big profits is impossible and all of the Sharks knew it, which is why this one didn’t get an offer.

Wired Waffles, Roger Sullivan

A lot of people have trouble finding a heap of energy in the morning, so they usually turn to a cup of coffee or an energy drink. Not all people like coffee or energy drinks, though, which is what gave Roger Sullivan the idea for Wired Waffles. Instead of drinking your caffeine in the morning, Sullivan wanted the world to have the option to eat it, instead. That’s right; Sullivan created waffles infused with a shot of caffeine to get going in the morning.

From our best guess, no one has used the term “Energy Waffles” before Sullivan did on “Shark Tank” and, they probably won’t be using it for a while. None of the Sharks were interested in the waffles and, they suggested that eating caffeine wouldn’t be such a bad idea if it were a different food. Even Kevin O’Leary said that they tasted horrible and sent Sullivan out the door.

Man Candle, Johnson Bailey

It seems like all of the candles on the market have a very girly scent. There’s a good reason for that as most candles are used to cover up the odor that men can produce in an instant. In an effort to regain a presence in the aroma industry, Johnson Bailey came up with the Man Candle. The Man Candle features a line of candles that smell like some of the most masculine things on Earth, including bacon and, yes, even farts.

The Man Candle is certainly a niche market since some of the scents available were downright disgusting. It’s one thing to want a candle that smells like freshly cut grass, but it is a whole different ballgame when you’re talking about stale beer. Mark Cuban showed some interest, but decided it would not be good for his net worth to invest too much time and money into the Man Candle. Good call, Cubes.

Throx, Edwin Heaven

While the rest of the list has been in no particular order, Throx belongs in the number one spot for being the absolute dumbest invention not only on “Shark Tank”, but on the face of the planet. Edwin Heaven got tired of losing one sock in a pair, thus Throx were invented. No, it’s not some fancy sock catcher that you put into a hamper or a dryer; it’s not anywhere near being as useful.

Instead, Throx are triplets of the same sock so that you still have a pair if (and when) you lose one. Seriously, that was the entire pitch. This would be a fun idea for a gag gift at best, on which the Sharks definitely agreed. Heaven left the tank without a deal (thankfully). Now, Throx are only available for purchase on a website that looks like it was designed by somebody’s kid sister in 2005. This is definitely the worst of the worst on our list.