American Inventor - A Lot Of Crazy Ideas And Some Good Ones
Episode 2 Recap by Gayl Killough
June 14, 2007
This week on American Inventor we start with a quick introduction of the judges George Foreman, Sarah Blakely, Pat Croce, and Peter Jones. Unlike last week, the introductions are short and the show wastes little time in introducing the first contestant.
Up first is Milton Butler who has 12 kids of his own, 13 grandchildren, and 12 adopted kids in addition. Host Nick Smith looks genuinely surprised and impressed. I have to say I really like him as a host, he has energy, finds out interesting things about the contestants, and I can understand what he says when he talks. The host helps to energize what would normally be filler time. Butler's invention is a 5 in 1 lawnmower that can attach to any lawnmower. He built it in his wife's kitchen and it appears that he actually uses it himself (in other words this appears to be a working product and just not a prototype). I also notice that he considers the kitchen to be his wife's territory and that the lawn is his territory. Although with 24 kids, I have to assume that the kids really own the whole place. Sara likes that it can attach to any lawnmower. All the judges like the idea and he gets 4 yes (even Peter said yes).
Well, this is a positive start. I enjoy the good inventions much more than the so -called bad stuff. Well it looks like the positive start is about to be over or at least being positive is not always a positive thing. Just by how he is being edited, I can tell that Skylar Quarles is going to be considered a bad audition. He has bracelets that have positive thoughts printed and pasted on them. This is proof that positive thoughts alone will not get a person through life or through to the next round of this show. Well, I wanted the show to continue with a positive aspect, but that is not what I had in mine. He gets 4 no's. If George says no, then a contestant is really in trouble.
Gregory Smith's invention is a glove inverter. A specialized stick on a pole is what it looks like. In my days when I worked in a lab, I remember using blunt sticks and tongs to turn my heavy-duty lab gloves inside out. As far as I am concerned, this invention already exists. If there is more to this invention, it was not aired on television. He gets 4 no's. More proof that George does not always say yes to the inventors.
Arbor (one name only) with a multi-task stick that he invented many years ago. He has traveled through Central America. He is the stereotypical hippie. They give him special treatment on this show by showing him at home in his house in the introductory part. Well, this had to take extra time for someone working for the show. He comes into the audition playing his flute. That would impress me more if this was a musical show, but it still does catch my attention. I do have to give him credit that he has a specialized stick that has been modified to play 10 sports, be light, and just the way he wants. There could be a market for this, even though it is a modified stick in a basic sense. What I think is more innovative are all the uses that he has found for a modified stick. It is obvious that he spent a lot of twirling his flute around and thinking about ways to have fun with a flute besides the typical. Sometimes the most fun can be with the most basic of stuff. He gets 2 no's and he moves on. A contestant needs 3 out of 4 yes votes, so 2 no votes means no.
Erica Fand and Shelly Kohan have an invention called Fresh Cuts. It takes the appearance value of silk flowers and combines it with the power of an air freshener. Now scented fake flowers do already exist, but I like how they have taken the concept to a more advanced level. The stems are interchangeable and the scent is moved through the stem in a gelatin base up through 5 adjustable "valves" in the center of the flower. They have spent about $10,000 on the invention idea. That sounds about right to me for an investment. My mother absolutely loved this idea and would buy it right now if she could. I like that they created the scents themselves using gelatins and oils. All the judges say yes.
Tami Harris has a sick husband who has not been able to work for 3 years. Her invention is a motorized cake icier. She gets enough yes's and she is a finalist. This is a lot better than it first sounds. Unlike conventional icing tools, hers allows the user to only use one hand. The competition is the squeeze bags and the caulking gun type of dispensers. I personally do use the caulking gun types sold in the cake decorating isles; only I don't use it with cake icing. I like to experiment with gelatin and paste mixtures for my "craft" projects. Yes, I did like to play with my food as a kid. Well, mostly I really just like to play with the stuff and crafts are my excuse. I would buy her product because I really could use an extra hand when making crafts. The irony is that I rarely cook food in my kitchen. I have yet to build a lawnmower in my kitchen though, so Butler has one up on me in that regard.
Tasesa Akeripa has a specialized fan hat that is cone shaped. I did not understand his idea at all. He gets 4 no's.
Gayl writes government documents for a living and hopes that people will actually read her blogs. Her hobbies include inventions, music, and toys. Her true American Idol will always be B.B. King. Grand Master Flash is her favorite inventor. She can be reached at Gayl@RealityTVCalendar.com
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