Top 10 Most SAVAGE Shark Tank Rejections

Theoretically, an innovative real estate venture is something many of the Sharks would readily bite at. But, when founder Aaron McDaniel strolled into the tank, requesting $50,000 for a 5% stake in his crowdfunding real-estate platform, he was torched with immediate skepticism. Mark Cuban listened for barely a minute before dropping out, expressing hatred for the idea. The other Sharks were slightly more forgiving. Still, they would each take turns at bat, calling the business risky and even potentially criminal. In the end, Kevin O’Leary made an offer: $50,000 for a whopping 50% stake in the company. However, when McDaniel tried renegotiating, he was met with a prompt and harsh dismissal from Mr. Wonderful.

Many wacky ideas have passed through the Tank, but Cougar Limited made a strong case as the wackiest. The product? An energy drink created for and marketed towards, “cougars” — as in, middle-agedish women who seek out relationships with younger men. It’s no surprise that the Sharks smirked their way through the entire presentation, poking fun at the founder’s peculiarly gendered beverage. Ultimately, the Sharks wasted little time berating the founder or his product and quickly cast aside the idea as outlandish, unsustainable, and insulting. From start to finish, not a single judge found the pitch even remotely convincing.

A watch that replenishes negative ions? How could things got possibly go wrong? Esso Watches founder, Ryan Naylor, appeared stunned as the Sharks picked up on something fishy the moment his pitch began. Even after Lori Greiner’s balance seemed to improve while donning the wrist piece, Mark refused participation and announced his allergic reaction to the scam before dropping out. Naylor then admitted to being without any approved independent lab studies. At that, the Sharks scurried away, and Lori called the gadget a liability nightmare. Perhaps the harshest words came from Daymond John. He accused Naylor of copying the watch design from another company and lying about it. Needless to say, Naylor quickly found himself Sharkless.

Any “Shark Tank” enthusiast will remember Throx: Edwin Heaven’s company founded on the mission to solve the age-old conundrum of the missing sock. How did he plan to do this, you ask? Simple: add a third sock to the pack. To put it mildly, the Sharks had difficulty taking his pitch seriously. Mr. Wonderful cut to the chase, predicting that large clothing companies would crush him the moment he posed a threat. The remaining Sharks unified around the idea that the venture sounded unprofitable—and all dropped out without hesitation. Although, if it counts for anything, years later, Barbara Corcoran admitted that the company came to mind whenever she found herself searching for a missing sock.

#6: Track Days

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Action movies consistently rank among the highest-grossing films. But, after hearing James Lavitola and Brian Pitt’s pitch, requesting $5 million to jumpstart production for a motorcycle action flick, the Sharks quickly clenched their wallets. Mark Cuban backed out as soon as he confirmed he was being asked to invest in a feature-length film, and Daymond John followed close behind. The film duo admitted to having no script or commitment from a noteworthy actor, and Kevin O’Leary demanded they put an end to such a disastrous idea. The final Sharks, Barbara Corcoran and Robert Herjavec, couldn’t stomach such a massive investment for such a minuscule probability of success, leaving “Track Days” to wither on the vine.

Few founders have endured more knocks than Mary Ellen Simonsen and her attachable sticky note holder. Kevin O'Leary wasted no time finding the humor in her product's value (which, yeah, is slim to none). After the founder revealed she hadn't sold a single unit, Simonsen found herself in hot, shark-infested water. Robert Herjavec took a… more or less subtle approach–it’s difficult to determine–and even Daymond John flat-out called it a "useless idea." Even Barbara Corcoran, who admired Simonsen's steadfast resolve, couldn't find anything salvageable about her product. Unfortunately for Simonsen, she just couldn't get her idea to stick.

Mark Cuban is notoriously critical of health supplements. So, when the founders of MinusCal opened with grandiose claims, saying their products were scientifically proven to eliminate calories, Cuban’s “bull shark” alarm went off. And once the founders began tiptoeing around their efficacy claims, steam practically shot from Cuban’s ears. He even tried persuading the other Sharks to avoid investing before their pitch concluded. Robert Herjavec pushed back, saying Cuban was displaying arrogance. However, once the MinusCal founders began to flub their science, stating that they never made claims their product could guarantee weight loss, Herjavec got up from his seat to show them their own sign that said “Lose Weight” in large bold letters. With credibility eroded, Cuban ended the segment urging all viewers to avoid the product.

Pavlok remains one of the most contentious confrontations on “Shark Tank” to date. Founder Maneesh Sethi pitched his aversion therapy bracelets, which were supposed to help users break bad habits by emitting an electrical shock. Almost instantaneously, Cuban called the idea nonsense and the founder a con artist. (Gotta love how quickly he spots clownery!) After revealing there were no clinical trials, Greiner and Corcoran withdrew. Finally, it came down to O’Leary, who shocked everyone with an offer. But, even more surprisingly, Sethi arrogantly refused, saying he was willing to work with any Shark except Mr. Wonderful. This slight caused O’Leary to let loose a hailstorm of expletives as he sent Pavlok packing.

Although it occurred during “Shark Tank’s” first ever episode, Ionic Ear is easily one of the show’s most memorable pitches. Founder Darrin Johnson shuffled into the tank and calmly explained his idea for surgically implanted ear headsets. Daymond John needed only to hear the word “surgery” before backing out, calling the idea disturbing. The more Johnson spoke, the more ludicrous his concept sounded. The Sharks were both petrified and mystified by his mad-science project. One by one, they all jumped ship. But, it was Barbara Corcoran who summed it up best, saying it was “the weirdest damn thing [she’d] ever heard.”

“Shark Tank” has featured many miserable pitches, but there’s something eerie about watching one pertaining to the medical field. The Rolodoc founders appeared to lack a basic understanding of their own service, which was supposedly a social media platform meant to connect potential patients with doctors. However, outside of confirming their plans for targeted advertising, the pitch lacked substance. Greiner quickly called out the hazardous nature of their idea and how it had liability scribbled all over it. A shocked Cuban kept repeating how poor they were at explaining themselves, and how the bits he could understand sounded pointless and dangerous. In the end, no offers were made. Cuban even rose to shake their hands, congratulating them on how bad their presentation was.