In theory, if we introduced a show where all you had to do was watch people come up and pitch their best business and product innovation ideas to potential investors of their company, you would definitely feel like it is an over-bearing, boring show, probably paid off by a wealthy bunch of people to make it on air on television.
However, for so many years now, Shark Tank has not only been a huge public favorite with the promising watch time and advertisements but also the amazing rating response and multiple nominations and award wins to its name. But then again, Shark Tank isn’t what we have put it down to seem in theory. In fact, it is exactly what its name suggests – a shark tank.
The show’s personality has to be credited to the amazing personalities of the judges, who just seem to be having the time of their lives on the show. Then again, if we were paid to judge people’s best and worst business ideas, the banter that follows would be really entertaining for sure. So, whether together or on their own, Shark Tank’s success has to be for the judges.
Not to mention that the show has been running for so long now that the judges have really started to lean into their showbiz personalities. For instance, Kevin O’Leary won’t go about a single episode without reminding everyone that he is “Mr. Wonderful.” Now, if you are an avid watcher of Shark Tank, you’d know this is entertainment.
Similarly, to top it off, some frequent guests make the rounds of the show. Sometimes they are other celebrity showmen like Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Hart or other business people like Charles Barkley that keep the show ablaze and entertaining. It is safe to say that Shark Tank has yet to run stale for the viewers who really seem to find it so entertaining.
With all that being said, the true essence of Shark Tank lies, in fact, in the people that come to pitch their inventions and businesses. The reliability factor of it all makes Shark Tank a true entertainment piece. The amazing successes and big stories that are paved because of Shark Tank are now household products of our daily lives.
However, we can’t sideline the products that failed to impress the judges and couldn’t win a funding deal on Shark Tank. But shockingly, this failure didn’t result in them losing their confidence. Instead, they still continued on and did highly and became great products and businesses. What they did do was provide much-needed comic timing for Shark Tank.
Best Episodes of Shark Tank
Hence, in honor of all this drama and entertainment fodder, we have compiled a list of 12 of the most iconic and some of the best Shark Tank episodes to ever exist since the beginning of it all. We assure you that this list will combine it all with successful pitches, filed pitches, funny stories, and iconic judges that have made Shark Tank what it is today!
So let’s get the popcorn and get started, shall we?
Season 1, Episode 1 – Ionic Ear, Mr. Tod’s Pie Factory, Ava the Elephant, College Foxes Packing Boxes, Wispots
The top spot just had to go to the premiere or, as people would call it, the “pilot” episode for Shark Tank. The memorable episode, by simply virtue of all that, started this addictive series and made it a regular part of our lives. One can’t surely forget the episode was packing it all in right from the get-go.
However, as everyone knows, one episode is not responsible for only showcasing a single product. In fact, it showcases a multitude of pitches out of which some stand and goes on to become successful, and some are doomed to failure with the sharks not finding any potential in them whatsoever.
In this case, Ava the Elephant very much stood out, proving right off the bat what a successful pitch looks and sounds like. Tiffany Krumins became a household name thanks to her popular kid’s medicine dispenser (discontinued). Today it can be found in a number of retail stores like Walgreens and CVS for you to purchase.
Season 3, Episode 7 – Kisstixx, The Heat Helper, Scotte Vest, The Smart Baker
The Kisstixx guys came with a proposal of $200,000 in exchange for a 20% business share. As they started to talk more about the product, it was revealed that the product had earned them more than $80,000 in sales within a year. Dallas specified that when he was in high school, his sole purpose had become to earn kisses from the ladies and soak in the sun.
However, lying for long hours under the sun gave him dry and chapped lips. So he was adamant about a better experience for both parties involved and went on to try almost every lip balm out there in the market but to no avail. Neither did the lip balms soften his lips nor taste any better. In fact, he put it as “cherry cough syrup” flavoring, which he found disgusting.
So naturally, he took it upon himself to up his kissing game with the ladies by creating his very own lip balm, now proudly acclaimed as Kisstixx. And to make his point, he gestured for Mike to take out the pina colada and strawberry daiquiri flavor samples that they had bought. He told everyone that these two flavors would go on to create a Miami Vice drink flavor together.
Season 6, Episode 6 – Horse Pants with Jimmy Kimmel, HoneyFund, The Oilers, BeatBox Beverages, EmergenSee
There are a number of Shark Tank pitches that one can remember because they were just so hilarious and episode 6 of season six was definitely one of them because the set was graced with the presence of ABC’s very own late-night show host Mr. Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy is known for being the prankster that he is, and along with his partner in crime, Guillermo, he was back at it.
Jimmy brought the idea of what he named Horse Pants. Now the name of the product was enough to leave the judges in splits, but they still went ahead for Jimmy to finish his pitch. Hence, it turned out that Jimmy was doing this bit as a promotional bit for his own show and a cross-promotional stunt for both ABC shows going hits.
So the iconic moment was none other than Jimmy exclaiming in all his seriousness that horse pants are a real product and, indeed what the name suggests, pants for the horse. The Sharks were thoroughly amused, and so was the audience, as the refreshing appearance of Jimmy and Guillermo, along with the human-to-horse trouser ratio, was hilarious.
Season 6, Episode 9 – Storm Stoppers, Pipsnacks, Squatty Potty, Heidi Ho
Some pitches are just so non-sensual that they seem more like a joke or a prank than a serious pitch. And so, in episode nine of season six, something similar happened when everyone was ready to have a good laugh about the pitch before telling the poor inventor to take a hike and make way for some real business and serious pitch.
However, everyone was rather taken aback when Bobby Edwards got to explaining that Squatty Potty was indeed all business and actual innovation and no jokes. The vibe of the whole room suddenly changed when the judges realized that he meant business. He was there with a pitch of $350,000 in return for a 10% stake in his business.
Squatty Potty was an innovative concept of a footstool that was made so that it becomes easier for toddlers to climb onto the Potty and be comfortable while they go about their business. Considering the amount of money he was asking for, he wasn’t giving a big enough share in return. However, despite the humor, Squatty Potty grew as a multi-million dollar business and saw huge heights of success.
Season 4, Episode 8 – No Fly Cone with Seth MacFarlane, Plate Topper, Cool Wazoo
One such innovative invention was Cool Wazoo – a 5-in-1 baby product that is essentially a baby cover but functions as five different usage options from a diaper changing pad to car shade, grocery cart cover, restaurant baby chair cover, and swing seat cover, all in one. And predictable, the invention is by a mother, Ginelle Evans, who initially struck her as an idea for her baby.
She initially wanted a seat cover that she could lay on a sun-exposed surface for her daughter to sit on without getting burnt. In fact, the idea came to her when her daughter did get burned upon sitting on a park swing. So because her daughter got hurt and she couldn’t find anything that would fulfill the purpose of protection before or after, she made one herself.
Shark Tank emerged as the key player in her business game. She knew impressing the judges would mean a good funding deal and possibly a business professional onboard, which would also help her with administrative matters. So she made her way to national television with her Cool Wazoo and a pitch of $65K for a 25% equity of her business in return.
Season 5, Episode 6 – Ten Thirty-One Productions, Fiber Fix, Total Merchant Resources, Elephant Chat
Melissa is a former executive for Clear Channel Communications. Now, as the owner of Ten Thirty One Productions, she launched this major Halloween-themed live horror company in 2009 in Los Angeles, California. She had one goal in mind – to be able to stage the best-haunted hayrides in the country. And given the success she achieved, she was all set on it.
In fact, her success didn’t even have to take much time to showcase her numbers as almost immediately, she was a famous name around town in the local entertainment industry. Every fall, for consistent seventeen nights, Ten Thirty One Productions would put up a show called “Haunted Hay Rides,” merely selling for $30 a ticket.
There were also premium slots available for guests who would rather take a private wagon to enter a maze designed purposely for the objective of “true dread” called “Purgatory Side Show.” This is precisely where big money started rolling in, as the fear of missing out kept people coming back every season.
Season 4, Episode 7 – Scrub Daddy, The Shemie, The Bear & The Rat, SBU Unicycle
Some products on Shark Tank have done so enormously well looking back, many people today would not even believe that in reality, they too started as pitches nowhere else but on Shark Tank. The infamous Scrub Daddy that we all have in our home today use almost every day and love for our daily cleaning routines was once a pitch on Shark Tank season 4.
Therefore, the episode had to make it to the best episodes of Shark Tank of all time, given how amazing the genius behind Scrub Daddy actually went on to do for himself. From cleaning dishes to surfaces, the amazing combination of material, shape, and durability of the product made it the perfect pitch for all the judges to go gaga after it.
Aaron Krause was thought all up Lori’s alley with her relationship with Bed, Bath and Beyond and QVC. He made a worthy decision to work with the offer because it was definitely a product worth staying with over the years (given how tremendously it is doing today). Scrub Daddy is a hall of fame product to have come out of Shark Tank.
Season 9, Episode 13 – The Original Comfy, Modern Christmas Tree, Christmas Tree Hugger, RokBlok record player
A venture in works from the 1960s by his grandfather, it was officially redesigned to match current design tactics in 2011. Matt went on to showcase his works at Denver Modernism Show in 2011, where they became a huge hit. It was more of an ode to his grandfather. Matt wanted to carry on his grandfather’s legacy after the latter was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Fast forward to the 50th Anniversary celebration of The Modern Christmas Trees, Matt successfully surpassed his goal of acquiring $15,000 in funding to create a new special edition called The Jubilee. Soon enough, the business was making waves, almost guaranteeing Matt a feature on Shark Tank a year after.
His initial offer of $100,000 worth of investment with 10% equity in the company was met with disapproval and negotiations. Despite the judges loving the innovation, they couldn’t agree upon the suggested deal as they thought the unit price was on the heftier side. The visual appeal was definitely there, but the question of scaling the business was on edge.
Season 5, Episode 20 – Define Bottle, iReTron, Boo Boo Goo, Henry’s Humdingers
A seemingly innocent, ordinary child, but one brilliant, gifted individual. She came up with the idea of a product she now calls Boo Boo Goo. It is basically a skin protectant formula that allows you to paint onto a cut or bruised skin area in a sort of a painted band-aid fashion. It is a design-oriented product catered toward children so their “boo-boos” can be protected. It is innovative, fun, and comes in different colors, including skin tones.
Moreover, it is environmentally friendly, taking up a notch on the standard from the regular band-aids. The regular stick-on band-aids from common brands are hardly ever biodegradable. This means that every band-aid you ever threw out accumulated into a giant band-aid ball of rubbish and ended up in a landfill. Additionally, it also makes sense that because Boo Boo Goo is a multiple-use formula packaged in a bottle, it is also highly cost-efficient.
So with these fantastic features and a product outsmarting even the average adults around her, like any daughter, Kiowa went to her dad. Andrew was impressed by his daughter’s intelligence and truly wanted to help her perfect the product for expanding the line and distribution. However, they first needed to perfect the formula, so they went on to consult three doctors specializing in wound care.
Season 5, Episode 12 – Cashmere Hair, The Hanukkah Tree Topper, Tipsy Elves, Line-Netics
Rachel’s goal with Cashmere Hair was to be a hairstylist who used to see clients struggle on a regular basis with their hair. She came up with the idea of Cashmere Hair to address it once and for all. Hence, she went for advice and friendly consultation with her “gal pal,” Melissa, who is also a celebrity hairstylist from Beverly Hills.
Together they were working on a model photoshoot when they used their very first, what was soon to be arranged as an iconic design element of hair extensions on the model. As they started receiving compliments and queries about it, left, right and center are when they decided to go ahead and start their business.
It was going to be one of the finest looking, feeling, and adaptive clip-on hair extensions that the world has ever seen. Made with 100% Remy human hair with the cuticles intact for a more luxurious look and richer feel, it was like a Rolls Royce of hair extensions in the making.
Therefore, a predictable next step on their journey was to show up on Shark Tank. They wanted to impress the judges with a good enough stake in their business in order to take it forward. Hence, the Beverly Hills diva duo showed up with a pitch of $45,000 for a 15% stake in their business. They revealed their sales had amounted to $40k already within six months of startup.
Season 5, Episode 2 – Breathometer, Man Medals, Mango Mango
It is rare on the sets of Shark Tank to find almost every shark have a go on the pitch because of how interesting it seems. But don’t you think it is almost like a rare species of animal when all the sharks want to pitch in within a single feature? Well, something like this happened when it came to Episode 2, Season 5, when Charles Yim came with a Breathalyzer.
The innovation in the design of the product was what had all the sharks immediately on their toes when they saw how amazingly the breathalyzer could connect to the smartphone and perform like a dedicated application. The 30% stake was open to being split by all the judges, with 5% going under each.
However, the memorable part of the episode was not that the sharks were so eager or that the product was so innovative. It was, in fact, the Breathometer crashed and burned. Turns out, the final product was yet to be perfected to work as intended, and even the FTC was involved in trying to refund it to people who had already placed their orders – talk about drama.
Season 9, Episode 5 – Mirmir Photo Booth, Human Bobber Life Jackets by H3O Sports, Ash & Anvil (Ash & Erie) Clothing for Short Guys, Kwik-Hang Curtain Rod Brackets.
One such brand is Human Bobber. Back in 2009, a Florida couple, namely Doug Schultz and Justin Rietema, were like any regular couple who used to love their summer time in pools and the ocean. However, the unique and interesting thing they would do is they would wear their life jackets upside down in a more unconventional manner.
However, because the design of the life jacket wasn’t meant to be used like this, it would often become uncomfortable and slip from underneath the arms. So the couple who happens to be working as landscape architects put their design ideas together to come up with a better, more perfected design for a floating life jacket.
Over time their reputation with their design grew, and eventually, they were able to create a floating life jacket that could be worn around different parts of the body for all sorts of reasons, from working or playtime in a water body. Given their success with the design, they applied for a patent and succeeded in reigning the world’s first patented multi purpose life vest.
Our Final Thoughts
Over the years, Shark Tank has time and time again perfected what we call “show business.” With recurrent names and segments associated with it just the same, it is quite a true bunch of people that have not given up on the heights this show will go to. Then again, with technological advancement, it is safe to presume that many innovations will fly high on Shark Tank.
After all, it is rare to find a good mix of drama, entertainment, knowledge, and suspense in one show, but somehow Shark Tank manages to fit everything in just the right quantity without overdoing any of the other aspects. It is truly one of those shows that will never get old for any of the age groups that find solace in watching it.
So whether you are a dad interested in the business aspect of it or a teenager interested in knowing if your favorite person made it on TikTok, Shark Tank is a successful show and is rightfully here to stay. Running on national television since 2009 and with the 14th season in the pipeline, be sure to tune in for your regular dose of the sharks at Shark Tank.
