'Shark Tank' Season 15: Kevin O'Leary declines to invest in Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, Internet says 'these guys are talented'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Maniac Pumpkin Carvers jumped into the tank with their one-of-a-kind creations. However, because of the nature of their firm, the founders were compelled to walk away with no deal, as 'Shark Tank' investor Kevin O'Leary pointed out.
Chris Soria and Marc Evan make stunning pumpkins that have been displayed in museums. Their organization offers workshops for anyone who wants to enhance their pumpkin carving abilities.
Chris and Marc earned $150,000 from their virtual lessons and $90,000 from their personalized kits last year. They also make unique pumpkins and mail them nationally.
Chris and Marc demanded $150,000 in exchange for an 8% interest in their firm. So far, they are not providing direct-to-consumer services, which was a dealbreaker for Barbara Corcoran.
Kevin O'Leary did not believe the firm was scalable, while Mark Cuban stated that the investment was too difficult for him. According to Lori Greiner, the firm "didn't make sense."
Jason Blum was the final Shark standing, but he opted out of the deal. Because no Sharks approached Marc and Chris, they swam away from the tank empty-handed.
Kevin used his X account to provide more information on seasonal enterprises.
He said, "I look at it like this, I’d rather focus on a business that has the potential to make money year-round than put all my eggs into the basket of a seasonal business that may have only one or two strong sales periods within a given year."
I look at it like this, I’d rather focus on a business that has the potential to make money year-round than put all my eggs into the basket of a seasonal business that may have only one or two strong sales periods within a given year. #SharkTank
— Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) October 28, 2023
He further added, "There’s nothing wrong with seasonal businesses, but you have to understand the game you’re playing. And when your season comes, you better give it your all and CRUSH it."
There’s nothing wrong with seasonal businesses, but you have to understand the game you’re playing. And when your season comes, you better give it your all and CRUSH it. #SharkTank
— Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) October 28, 2023
'Shark Tank' fans find Maniac Pumpkin Carvers not investable
Similarly to the Shark investors, viewers at home weren't too stoked about Maniac Pumpkin Carvers either. While taking a dig at the firm, Redditors joked, "Their competition is free youtube videos."
Another user chimed in, "YouTube and other platforms are free, tools are available at any B&M for cheap, too seasonal....also, WHY AREN'T THEY SELLING CUSTOM CARVED FAKE PUMPKINS INSTEAD OF REAL ONES?! if you want people to pay $$$ for a custom pumpkin, it had better last for more than one season....and they would be exponentially cheaper to ship."
One viewer also commented under the thread, "These guys are incredibly talented but I didn’t understand how it c be an investable business." A fourth user guessed, "I bet Shark Tank reached out to them to come on this episode."
Others further wrote, "I wonder what they do for their normal jobs? There is no way this is their full-time thing."
On X, fans were flabbergasted as they asked, "$600 for a personalized carved pumpkin?!"
$600 for a personalized carved pumpkin?! 🎃#SharkTank @ABCSharkTank pic.twitter.com/pQiTBgUdRv
— Jamie Steinberg ♡ (@NotYerAvgChick) October 28, 2023
What is the cost of Maniac Pumpkin Carvers?
Fans who saw them on 'Shark Tank' may learn more about them by visiting their website, maniacpumpkincarvers.com.
By providing an email address, a person may be kept up to date on classes and perhaps win stickers, t-shirts, and personalized pumpkin carving.
Anyone interested in purchasing a carved pumpkin can contact the firm with their request and design for a pricing quotation.
Pumpings range in price from $150 for a simple design to $800 or more for elaborate sculptures. They also overnight transport the finished pumpkins all across the United States, so you may obtain your own customized pumpkin no matter where you reside.
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How FTX's Groupthink caused Kevin O'Leary to fall for a Crypto Scam
Kevin, a longtime crypto skeptic and reputed institutional investor, plays an important role in the growth and fall of crypto fraud FTX. Kevin was not your average crypto skeptic.
He later converted to crypto and became an FTX spokesperson. He may have lost up to $15 million in the FTX debacle.
Kevin, a CNBC 'Shark Tank' host, is known as "Mr Wonderful." He is a well-known Canadian entrepreneur, institutional investor, and TV personality. Kevin is an unusual victim of a bitcoin fraud, having dubbed cryptocurrencies "garbage" on CNBC in 2017.
FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried offered Kevin a $15 million contract to become an FTX spokesperson. He made confident statements and allayed concerns that FTX was a crypto scam.
Kevin asserted that FTX adhered to "rigorous standards of compliance" and offered "some of the best crypto offerings I've seen on the market."
Following the fall of the crypto scam FTX, Kevin stated that he had most likely lost the whole $15 million, albeit all the data had been scraped, and an investigation would be required to determine the extent of damages.
He believes that at least the $9 million he stored in cryptocurrencies on FTX has vanished.
'Shark Tank' Season 15 airs on ABC on Fridays at 8 pm ET.
Missed episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, viewers can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.