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'Shark Tank' Lori Greiner calls out contestant for 'not even looking at her' in wild outburst: "That's odd..."

Dr. Sarath Malepati’s pitch for EZC Pak was derailed after Lori Greiner accused him of disrespecting her

On a heated episode of ‘Shark Tank’, Lori Greiner got in one final word against a contestant she accused of displaying biased behavior during his pitch. Sarath Malepati, a physician, came on the show to present EZC Pak, a five-day immune support pack of echinacea, zinc, and vitamin C. However, the pitch quickly devolved into a contentious back-and-forth as Lori felt she was being dismissed in favor of her male co-panelists. As Lori started giving her feedback on the product, she noticed Malepati was not looking at her but was only addressing the male sharks.

“You are kind of looking at me funny. Do you agree with what I am saying or not?” she asked him, pointing out that he seemed to be dismissing her feedback. When Malepati continued by addressing Mark and the other male investors, Lori became visibly frustrated. “Well, wait a minute, why are you ignoring what I am saying?” Greiner said again. “That’s odd to me. I’m talking to you and you are looking over at Mark. And I’m telling you I’m into it.”

Despite Lori still talking to him, he cut her in between as he spoke to Mark again. “Mark, I’m from Pittsburg.” This was the final nail in the coffin for the Shark, who became beyond annoyed at this point at Malepati's behavior. “Wait a minute. You know what, I’m just gonna finish,” Lori added furiously. “I was the customer, I’ve been taking zinc for years, and I’m a believer in this, I’m the one talking about antibiotic resistance and how important it is. But the fact that when I am talking to you, you don’t even look at me, I’m out.”

Malepati, however, apologized, saying he hadn’t meant to offend her. But Lori, never one to mince words or sugarcoat her sentiments, wasn’t buying it. She told him how his behavior reflected a larger issue women face in business dismissed or overlooked simply because of their gender. “I am offended. I feel like you don’t respect me as a female sitting here.”

It also got the attention of the other sharks when Mark Cuban surmised he was probably nervous, not dismissive. But Lori dug in, underscoring that as an investor—and a woman—she deserved respect. “I have a lot of respect for you,” Malepati later added in an attempt to convince Lori. “I think one of the things I really like about you is you are so positive, you’re so upbeat, and you’ve helped so many people.”

Despite the ongoing drama, other male sharks were quick to interrupt, taking a stand for Malepati. However, Lori wasn’t buying any of it. “I am all of the above, but also as a woman and a woman in this world and a woman in business, I think it’s really important for women to speak up for themselves and stand up for themselves in a respectful way,” she said. “I’ve not very often, I don’t think I’ve ever reacted like this on Shark Tank, but I looked right at you, maybe you were shaken by what Mark said, maybe you were. I don’t know. But I do know when you came out here, you were looking at everyone else and not really me. I sense some chauvinism here, and I’m out again.”

In the end, Malepati made a deal with Kevin O'Leary, but the tense exchange with Lori left things on a sour note. Later, he said that he had been shocked at the accusations leveled against him by Lori and added that that kind of person wasn’t him at all. After the backlash, Malepati spoke about his situation and what he went through, being at the receiving end of biased opinions because of his background and foreign-sounding name. He said that not maintaining eye contact was not done on purpose, but he could see how it would have appeared that way.

In his public statement, he wrote, “As a person of color and someone who’s gone through life with a foreign-sounding name, I know what it feels like to be slighted and overlooked. I am sensitive to that. It was never my intention to avoid eye contact with any of the Sharks, but I understand that’s how it was perceived and I apologize.” This move was also applauded by his investor O’Leary.

Dr. Malepati’s brand EZC Pak, which sells immune support pills, appeared on ‘Shark Tank’ seeking $125,000 for 5% equity in his business. After some negotiation, Kevin O’Leary offered him a deal of $125,000 for 5% equity and a $1 royalty until O’Leary recouped $450,000. Since its appearance on the show, the company has been operational and is estimated to generate $4 million in annual revenues, according to 'Shark Tank' updates.