American Inventor - Good Inventions? Good Television? Or Neither?
Episode 3 Recap by Gayl Killough
June 21, 2007
Joe Sparks, 50, a fitness trainer has an invention that teaches people how to run while running. Sara mentions that he lost her when he says it teaches people how to run. People know how to run naturally, so I assume his invention might have something to do with proper form and technique of running. He was given so little time on his invention idea that I can only guess what the idea was really about at this point. Another no from the judges.
Dean Rose, 45, a dental technician has invention that allows one to tan on fake abs. It looks really fake. No's from the judges.
Steven Frey, 41, an engineer, has an idea to open a six-pack in a way that looks like the beer taps in fancy bars. It is really that hard to just open a can by hand? I think the average person will be content to open a can by hand and that bars will want real tap machines, so I am not sure what the market would be for this. I can believe that an engineer came up with this idea because it seems like it takes something simple and makes it more complex. Another example of no's from the judges.
Steve Imes, 37, private jet pilot has a bouncy chair invention. So little was shown of the idea that I could not even begin to understand the idea. George is laughing and the judges keep getting the giggles. The judges comment that Peter makes them laugh and I am wondering if there is a lighter side to Peter that is not shown on television or if I am supposed to be laughing at his sarcastic comments about the contestants? Yet another example of no's from the judges.
David Le, 42, nail salon owner, has an invention that includes a helmet and shoulder pads. He has spent $2,000 and the last 2 months working on it. He may be a victim of a really rushed prototype that looks bad, but the underlying idea might be all right. I cannot tell what the invention actually does, but it is a reminder that a prototype should look as much like the finished product as it can because the judges are reacting to what they actually see instead of the reasoning behind the invention idea. The judges can not quit laughing and he gets no's from the judges.
A quick clips of the host Nick interviewing people in the crowd about how much they have spent on their inventions. This leads into the introduction that no one has spent as much as the next contestant. He has spent 5 years on his idea and his older brothers back him and his idea so much that they have mortgaged their homes to come up with money for his idea. He feels like he owes his whole family at this point. Wesley Caudill, 39, a welder has an invention called expert racers that simulates drag racing. He has spent $300,000 on his invention idea. I can see his idea selling on the toy market and it looks like it is fun, but he has spent way too much money and he admits that he made a lot of mistakes. He mentions a business loan and then I remember that failed businesses can be in the range of $300,000 far too easily. This is why many people audition for this show because while they have the creativity for inventions, it is a whole another thing to try to have one's own business. There are also too many companies out there that prey on inventors wanting to start their own business, but take advantage of them instead. There are a lot of mistakes that an inventor can make that cost money and it sounds like he has tried really hard to make a success of this invention and paid too dearly for it. Peter says no, but the other judges say yes so he makes it the final round within Chicago. George Foreman says that he took about $300,000 of his own money and invested in an old boxer and the risk paid off. The old boxer he is referring to is himself.
Silvio DiSalvatore, 49, a filmmaker needs to be seen to be believed. I can't properly describe him. To say that his presentation is over the top is an understatement. I can believe that he is an independent filmmaker and he does have a flair for the dramatic. I can't help but think that he should be on a different reality show, like one for movie producers, but in a broader way of thinking, he does have an invention. His idea is "Black Cougar" a superhero that is the only devoted to saving children. He has already made a movie on the idea. I don't think this fits the concept of the show of having a single item that can be sold on the mass market, but movies do sell lots of movie themed products in the mass market so it kind of still fits with the concept of the show. He gets no's from Peter and Pat and starts to leave. He understands the math that 2 no's means that he can't get a total of 3 yes's to make the final round. Sara tells him that she and George still want to vote and that they can try to convince the judges that said no to change their mind. George likes his passion and gives him a yes. Sara states that Spiderman would have been made fun of on this show and she gives "Black Cougar" a yes. Pat and Peter are asked to reconsider, but they still say no. So the final vote remains split and DiSalvatore is not a finalist.
I have already complained several times that too many of the contestants are edited to the point that only a few seconds of the actual invention is shown and that I need to see more of the actual product before I can make a more accurate judgment. If they were given more time to speak, I might have a totally different opinion of the invention. Well, they let DiSalvatore talk and talk and talk some more. I did not think the presentation was going to ever end. The idea is not for me, although, I do give him credit for being entertaining. I think the best thing for him is to use the publicity that he has gotten from this show for his idea. If he really has a solid idea, then the publicity that he has received should be enough to launch his superhero into reality.
Next week, is the final part of the auditions from New York and Chicago. So far, no finalists have been chosen for New York out of the auditions that were shown in this episode. Nothing is shown about a New York finalist in the preview. There is a teaser at the end that there might not be a finalist chosen for New York. If it turns out that there is not a finalist from New York, then I blame the people connected with this show for not looking hard enough or for not knowing what to look for. I just don't buy the idea that there were not at least several good invention ideas that were available in New York. Looking at the large number of people auditioning, I am assuming that there had to be a screening round before the audition round aired on television before the real judges. The screeners would have the job of looking for contestants that make for interesting television and if they sacrificed good inventors because they were considered too boring, then don't whine about the lack of good inventors not being available. That would be the fault of how the show is structured and not the fault of the people who showed up for the auditions.
Chicago is shown having one final finalist to represent the city. A few were quickly shown making it to the final round within Chicago and I hope to see more of their inventions, plus hopefully more finalists for Chicago and New York?
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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