Top 10 Shark Tank Products the Sharks Regret Taking
#10: CATEapp “Episode 402”
Our first entry on this list was dubbed the “cheaters app” by one of the sharks. The entire point of the app is to conceal any communications on your mobile device that you wish to keep private. You choose which contacts you wish to keep hidden, and any text messages or calls are diverted to the app, hiding them from plain sight. Although the founder got a combo deal from Kevin O’Leary and Daymond John, the app is nowhere to be found. The website no longer exists, and their last tweet was in 2013. Similar apps have since surfaced but this one is now long gone.
#9: Qubits “Episode 110”
During the first season of the show, “Shark Tank” saw Mark Burginger come in and try to pitch his “construction toy” concept to the investors. Qubits as they are called are essentially a series of interlocking, flat plastic pieces that kids could use to build whatever their imagination came up with. Daymond gave Mark a contingency offer which hinged on the ability to get a major toy seller to buy into the concept. Ultimately, they couldn’t convince other toymakers to take the product on, and Daymond pulled out. Despite the hurdle, Qubits is still in business and continues to actively sell products on Amazon.
#8: Three65 “Episode 12”
Will Strange is an entrepreneur from Australia who pitched the idea of a subscription service for men’s underwear on the Australian version of “Shark Tank.” He successfully got an offer from Naomi Simson and Janine Allis and that would have been the end of it. However, during his appearance, concerns came up over his ability to balance this work, with that of another business he was managing. After the episode aired, Will ultimately decided to dedicate his attention to his Sports Performance Tracking business. Three65 was ultimately sold off, and then eventually closed its doors for good in October of 2019.
#7: Hy-Conn “Episode 207”
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Who would have thought a fire hose attachment would spark such a huge deal. Mark Cuban offered 1.25 million dollars to buy out Hy-Conn and guarantee employment for its creator Jeff Stroope. Jeff had created a specialty adapter for both fire and garden hoses that allows them to be connected far easier than traditional means. The deal fell through when Stroope and Cuban disagreed about how to best get the product into the market. Cuban wanted to license the design to another company, where Stroope wanted to retain full control. Jeff ultimately prevailed but as of 2019, their Facebook and Twitter pages have gone silent, and their online store seems to be missing.
#6: Night Runner “Episode 3”
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It’s dark out and you decide to go for a run. Just as you’re picking up speed and seeing your heart rate go up, you trip and stumble over something in your path. Doug and Renata Storer pitched the Night Runner 270 shoe lights to the sharks in Season 8. Robert Herjavec made them an offer and it seemed they were well on their way. As it turns out, they didn’t end up needing Robert’s money. Once their episode aired, their business took off on its own and they no longer needed a major investment to be successful. The shoe lights continue to be sold today and they have now expanded their product line even further.
#5: ShowNo Towels “Episode 304”
Take one big towel and cut a hole in the middle. That’s a ShowNo towel. Shelly J. Ehler came into the shark tank and convinced Lori Greiner to go into business with her. The plan was to try and sell these towels to water and other theme parks. Three years after the episode aired, Shelly threw in the towel and gave up on her business. Unlike others, she didn’t get a wave of orders after the episode aired. Despite a deal with Disney World’s water parks, the towel business didn’t take off, and her deal with Greiner was less appealing once the cameras were off.
#4: The Body Jac “Episode 105”
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Barbara Corcoran made a deal with Jack Barringer, AKA Cactus Jack. If he could shed 30lbs using his exercise machine, she’d match Kevin Harrington’s deal and fund the other half of Jack’s 180k ask. Sure enough, Jack did lose the weight, and infomercials for the Body Jac were produced. However, it seems somewhere along the way things fell apart. Corcoran has gone on record several times stating her deal with “Cactus Jack” as being one of her worst. Both their Facebook page and website are now defunct, and their product listings on Amazon are shown as “Currently unavailable.”
#3: Sweet Ballz “Lynnae's Gourmet Pickles, Postcard on the Run, Rolodoc, Sweet Ballz”
As we’ve seen on this list, deals often fall through after a show airs when the investors learn of details not disclosed at pitch time. For Sweet Ballz, it started falling apart immediately after their appearance on the show. Despite securing a deal with Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran, James McDonald and Cole Egger ended up in court over a dispute around ownership of the company. Between restraining orders, fights over the use of company website domain names, and salary disputes, it’s a business that has been plagued by drama. Details of how this has affected the shark’s investment are hard to find, but one can only assume this is a ball they’d rather not run with anymore.
#2: Toygaroo “Episode 202”
Framed as “Netflix for toys,” Toygaroo was a subscription-based business where customers could pay a monthly fee to receive a box full of toys every month. Both Mark and Kevin came in on a deal together with owner Nikki Pope. With powerhouses like them behind her, you’d think it would have been a recipe for success. She appeared on several shows to promote the brand which brought an influx of customers. However, the company was just two people, and Nikki was feeling the weight of responsibility as the subscriber base began to grow. After failing to meet demand, Toygaroo went bankrupt in April of 2012.
#1: Breathometer "Breathometer, Man Medals, Mango Mango"
It was presented as a smartphone-compatible breathalyzer. Blowing into the device would yield a reading of one’s blood-alcohol level. In a rare showing of unity, founder Charles Yim secured one million dollars worth of funding from all five sharks. The product soared after the episode, but details emerged about its accuracy. An investigation determined the product often yielded a lower score than reality. This resulted in a settlement with the FTC that required the company to refund anyone who had purchased the product. The app and product itself were also discontinued. Mark Cuban described the experience best in a Vanity Fair interview: [“Worst execution in the history of Shark Tank.”]
