'Shark Tank' Season 11 Episode 15: Faux Italian chefs and theatrics interest fans more than the product itself
Pizza and a whole lot of theatrics? What's not to like? Andy and Eric Bert were on this week's 'Shark Tank' demonstrating their outdoor pizza oven that uses wood chips and propane together to accelerate baking time.
Dressed like Italian chefs, both Andy and Eric entered the tank with the hope of being funded. They were seeking $120,000 for 10% of their company Bertello. But, Kevin O'Leary and Mark Cuban wanted to know their reasons behind creating something that already has a market.
Even though Andy and Eric are passionate and have a concrete vision about their product, the sharks probably wondered why they would recreate a product with minor changes. "It’s not a business that I want to get attached to. I’m not that guy that's like, ‘Let’s heat up the grill. Let’s go make some pizza in the backyard.’ It’s just not a fit for me," Mark said.
Kevin, however, had an offer of his own but demanded 30% of the company but later settled for 25% and added: "I get behind this as Chef Wonderful and sell a lot of it because I’m an amazing chef."
“We got the same offer from Barbara and Kevin, but we went with Kevin because he believed in us from the start," Eric added.
Barbara Corcoran, however, loved the product but felt their energies were spent when they put an elaborate introductory act. Interestingly, much like the fans, Robert Herjavec was more focused on their act and the entertainment quotient they brought than the product they had on display.
"Can I buy apparel anywhere or can y’all hook it up and I’ll pay for it lol. Anything, I’m just a hugeeeee fan! :) @ABCSharkTank @ABCSharkTankTV," a fan wrote, while another thought the pizza brought an interesting twist to the episode. "#SharkTank had an interesting end tonight. Chef @kevinolearytv served charred sausage & pepperoni pizza & @robertherjavec almost started a 2 alarm fire. Mr Wonderful got the Bertello deal," the viewer wrote.
Catch all the new episodes of 'Shark Tank' on ABC every Friday.