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900 pitches later, ‘Shark Tank’ judges recall the moments that stood out for better or worse

'Shark Tank' has seen it all—from brilliant innovations making it big into multi-million dollar successes to out-of-the-box ideas

'Shark Tank' has seen it all—from brilliant innovations making it big into multi-million dollar successes to out-of-the-box ideas that turned investors speechless. Now, after conducting more than 900 pitches in slightly over a decade on air, its veteran investors break their silence to reveal what they still remember from the popular ABC series. On a long day of filming in Culver City, California, the regular sharks—Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, and Kevin O'Leary—sat down with USA Today to discuss the pitches that made them laugh, cry, and roll their eyes.

When asked about success stories, O'Leary brightened up speaking about 'Plated', the meal-delivery service, which appeared in Season 5. "They were great operators, great entrepreneurs, had a great idea at the right time," O'Leary reflected. "They started with nothing and they walked away with $300 million" after getting sold to 'Albertsons' supermarkets. For Cuban, there is one pitch that forever stands out in his head—'Simple Sugars', done by 19-year-old Lani Lazzari in Season 4. "She was poised, she knew her business cold," Cuban said. "It was like she had been in business for 25 years and she just happened to walk in to pitch us. She had it all together and it was just incredibly impressive."

But not every pitch struck gold. Corcoran can't forget what she considers the show's most bizarre presentation. "The worst pitch is probably the crazy engineer who had a Bluetooth device that would only work if you surgically put it in your ear," she said, adding, "When it ran out of battery life, you have another surgeon take it out of your ear and recharge it. Nutso!" John has his own contender for the worst pitch—the 'Sullivan Generator' from Season 3. "The guy wanted to build some kind of system in the ocean that twirled around sand and created gold," John remembered with amusement, adding, "I went home and I put a bunch of sand in a blender. I thought I was going to get a pinky ring or something. Nothing ever happened."

The show has also introduced impactful moments of emotion. Cuban relates the heartwarming story of 'Cup Board Pro' from Season 10 presented by siblings Kaley, Keira, and Christian Young, as per Business Insider. Their father, a 9/11 firefighter who died because of cancer, had wished to make a pitch for his groovy cutting board himself. After sharing their story—and before presenting the merits of their product—all five Sharks came together for the first time in the show's history to support the business. "We were all crying," Cuban recalled, "Since we've helped them, the product's doing really well."

Sometimes, a weak pitch can hide great potential. O'Leary pointed to one example: 'Potato Parcel,' a service that puts faces on potatoes and ships them. He mentioned that he now owns the deal and has made a lot of money from it. "It's funny and whimsical," he said, especially considering they charge $18 for a potato.

Conversely, some presentations that are awkward mask real talent. Cuban invested in 'Tower Paddle Boards' despite the founder's stumbling pitch. "The guy stumbled on everything, but the one thing he conveyed was that he was an expert in search-engine optimization," Cuban explained. The company has since generated millions in revenue, making Cuban "probably ten times my money." Similarly, Greiner saw potential in the high school student founder's pitch, 'ScreenMend', for window screen repair. Though the presentation was basic, it turned into a multimillion-dollar success.

Perhaps the most memorable pitch that got away was 'Ring', initially presented as 'Doorbot' in Season 5. "Jamie Siminoff sold his company to Amazon for $1.2 billion," John noted. Siminoff’s success came full circle when he returned to the Tank as a guest shark in Season 10. As new entrepreneurs continue to face the Sharks, these unforgettable pitches set the bar for what’s possible—whether by offering valuable lessons through failure or inspiring others with remarkable success stories.