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The one 'Shark Tank' pitch that made Kevin O’Leary lose his cool and swear on live TV: "You are an..."

Among all the judges on ‘Shark Tank', shark Kevin O'Leary is well-known for his scathing criticism.

Entrepreneurs go to great lengths to gain the favor of sharks, who can turn fantasies into reality, on the popular show "Shark Tank." Among all the judges, Kevin O'Leary is renowned for his scathing criticism, making him the most strict judge. His scrutiny causes many to break down. However, one unforgettable pitch managed to break O’Leary’s composure entirely. In a rare moment on live TV, he lost his cool, using foul language that left viewers and contestants stunned. The incident is one of the most dramatic ones on the show.

Maneesh Sethi, the mind behind Pavlok—a habit-breaking device that delivers electric shocks—stepped into "Shark Tank Season 7" seeking a $500,000 investment for just a 3.14% stake. However, things quickly went downhill when questions about the product’s scientific validity and lack of clinical trials alarmed the sharks, as reported by Fandom Wire. Mark Cuban accused Sethi of being a con artist, and Lori Greiner wasted no time bowing out. Left with only O’Leary, Sethi made a mistake by rejecting O’Leary’s offer, openly declaring he’d work with anyone but him. True to form, O’Leary didn’t take the jab lightly and unleashed a fiery response, making the moment one of the show’s most intense.

He said, "Maneesh, you’re an a*hole, get the f*k out of here!" Despite this, Pavlok overcame all obstacles. The company took advantage of the opportunity to enhance its products and witnessed a rise in sales in the months after the incident. Additionally, they successfully started a new crowdfunding campaign. Talking about his time on "Shark Tank," Sethi said, "Going in I knew Kevin was not a great investor fit for our company. A lot of people don’t realize investment partnerships are about way more than money. Business style and vision for the company need to align as well." The pitch might’ve gone in vain, but Pavlok’s journey did get better.

Pavlok’s pitch on "Shark Tank" pitch didn’t exactly go smoothly, to say the least. However, in the aftermath, neither side expressed regret. Judge O’Leary made it clear that Sethi’s emotional response led to his disinterest in any future collaboration. Meanwhile, interestingly, Pavlok gets its name from the groundbreaking work of 19th-century Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov. Pavlovian or classical conditioning is a process that focuses on using external stimuli to either reinforce or eliminate behaviors. Sethi took this concept a step further by hiring someone to slap him whenever he used Facebook. It was a real-life application of the theory.

Over the years, Sethi realized that his concept had the potential to develop into a real product. As reported by Looper, it has worked well for treating behaviors like nail-biting, oversleeping, and binge eating, as he mentioned during his "Shark Tank" presentation. Products from Pavlok are sold directly on their website, and Amazon offers gadgets like the Shock Clock. Sethi shared his ultimate goal for Pavlok in a 2017 interview with Aaron Goldstein, imagining a society in which habit change is easily incorporated into daily life. He said, "I want 100% of the people who come into our ecosystem who say 'I will achieve this goal' ... to have a 100% chance of success." Sethi added that the company aims to change 10 million habits in 10 years.