American Inventor: Episode 3
When Will The Auditions End?
Recap by Gayl Killough
March 31, 2006
Well, the show American Inventor itself is not be very inventive since it
tries to follow the formula of American Idol very closely. However, I do
think that Simon Cowell and the rest of the producers have come up with
a new way to torture me. When are these so-called introductory auditions
going to end? I am ready for the real competition to begin.
A quick recap for those who are just now reading one of my articles. I
actually tried out for this show in Atlanta, so expect a lot of whining
from me, a lot more than usual. I want to be an inventor in real-life and
I have hundreds of ideas. I will share my personal Atlanta audition
article when all of the Atlanta contestants are initially shown. I
signed a contract and I am supposed to wait to talk about the
contestants until after they are aired on television. The first audition
round being aired is really the second audition that was considered the
Hollywood round. In Atlanta, there were three rooms of judges. I only
auditioned before Mary Lou out of the judges show on television and I
was told that everything about my invention idea was great. Unlike how
it is shown on television; everyone had to wait six to eight weeks to
hear back on an answer. Only those who were selected were contacted. I
waited and waited, but never got a response back. Since I was told I was
great and only received the highest of praise, I have no idea why I was
not selected to continue to the Hollywood round or the first round shown
on television. I do have plenty of theories as to why I was not
selected, but I was actually never told why I was not selected. So is
this show really a reality check for inventors?
We are shown background clips of Washington D.C. and then back to the all
too familiar audition room that is actually in Los Angeles. The first
contestant says that the idea just came to him in the middle of the
night. Oh no! This is a bad sign. I have had a lot of ideas in the middle
of the night that should have stayed in my dreams. I am also worried
because a concept for an idea is only the first stage of an invention
idea. A concept for an invention and an actual product idea that is new
are on opposite ends of a long process of thought and work. I am worried
that his idea is only a concept at best. Well, his idea is a robotic
petter for animals. It comes across as creepy. I am trying to give him
the benefit of the doubt that he is being badly mis-edited, but I don't
see any way to save this idea. I have been wrong on many occasions and
will admit it though. If you like the product, then support it and buy
it. However, it is a "no" from me based on what I seeing. The judges
tell him no.
Next is an exercise product that can be used while sitting in any chair.
Peter says that he would like to see the exercise equipment used by
someone who is less fit. He volunteers Doug. Doug thinks that it could
use more tension, but that there is something to work with as an idea.
He gets a yes from a 4 judges. I am glad for him, but I am confused. I
guess my problem is that most exercise equipment looks too much alike to
me. I don't understand why certain other products such as toys, games,
bras, etc. are considered too similar to what is already on the market
when I personally disagree, yet exercise equipment is doing well so far?
I will admit that I must not understand the market for exercise
equipment and leave it at that.
There is a Monk look alike contestant. My mother loves the show Monk, but
I am getting off-topic. Although, it is not like I stay on topic either.
His invention is a type of dog poop scooper. He says that dogs can be
trained to line up with the equipment, but I need to see this
demonstrated before I am convinced. I don't know what to think yet.
Mary Lou gives it a yes, but the men say no.
Next are a lot of fast clips of products shown of ideas that made it to
the next round. I wonder if these are quickly shown because they will be
featured in a later show. This is supposed to be a proof that people are
actually making it to future rounds. The ideas that stick out to me are
a special basketball glove that forces the user to use the fingertips (I
can see great application for this) and a tailgate chair. The rest was
really a blur. I hope they get airtime later.
The next contestant highlighted appears to be a teacher. Her idea is for
disposable bedding. She wants to leave the world a little bit better. I
feel bad basing my comments on what I only see on television, but my
answer is surprise no to her idea. Stick with me on this. While I am
currently looking for permanent and professional work, I have been
working different temp jobs. One of my recent jobs has been what is
called a patient sitter on third shift. One of the duties is changing
the diapers underneath elderly patients. I do have personal experience
with this unfortunately. In the place I worked for, there were three
layers of different types of diapers between the bed and the patient. I
only switched out the diapers that need to be switched. This saves paper
and it kept me from not having to move the patient too much while
sleeping. If I understand her invention idea correctly, her idea is all
one piece. I think this is a bad idea. It would be a lot harder to switch
the whole bedding sheet. The patient would have to be moved a lot. You
don't want to wait until the morning or any long length of time to
change diapers either. Also, I don't see the need. Using layers of
diapers works fine. Plus, the patients need lots of diapers, more than
was shown in her prototype. There could be applications for people who
go to bed and get up on their own, but I don't think her idea, at least
the way it came across on television, is the answer. Maybe partial
bedding that can keep the diaper more securely in place, yet is not too
difficult for someone else to change, especially with a patient who is
still in bed.
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