REVIEW

TV Review: American Inventor

Written by amba
Published March 17, 2006

I thought an American Idol for inventors would be fun to watch. The promos for the new ABC reality show focused on the passion of inventing as a particularly eccentric and obsessive form of the American Dream, that could occasionally give rise to something truly ingenious and useful.

I've never watched the early rounds of Idol, though (is that unpatriotic?), so I was unprepared for the formula: the grotesquely bad competitors who get scathingly weeded out by the judges, who sit and squirm as if they had hemorrhoids and make "Oh, please" faces. The first several "American Inventors" and their inventions are so comically bad (one guy invented a sort of garment bag you can zip yourself into if you have to pee in public) that I'm pretty sure they're actors hired to portray losers, and their pitches and their post-rejection interviews are scripted, sore-loser *bleeps* and all. When they get past the really grotesque ones, then they get to the pathetic and heartwarming ones who've mortgaged their houses to invent a new kind of shovel. Instead of squirming, the judges tear up.

Where have I been? This is some kind of Darwinian commedia dell'arte, a very stylized farce about the ruthlessness of economic selection, the fact that most of us and our grubby little dreams are just not going to cut it, and are ridiculous for thinking that we could. A strange capitalist ritual of human sacrifice by ridicule. OK, OK, so it's a parody of that idea. Where is my irony?

Cruel humor isn't funny to me, even when it's so over-the-top and unreal that it ought to take the sting out. I turned the show off. I had mistakenly thought that it was going to be a real competition between real inventors, some of whom would no doubt be dotty and quixotic, but I didn't expect them to be contrived cartoons set up to take a pratfall. My bad.

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TV Review: American Inventor
Published: March 17, 2006
Type: Review
Section: Video
Filed Under: Culture: Society, Video: Reality TV
Writer: amba
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#1 — March 17, 2006 @ 06:42AM — Joanie [URL]

Congrats! This article has been placed on Advance.net

#2 — March 17, 2006 @ 08:55AM — Crazoo [URL]

I doubt it's scripted. It's just like American Idol, the auditions show more wacky and crazy people and their equally crazy inventions.

I'm sure once the auditions are done, we will see a lot more better ideas.

I do agree with you about the people pleading their cases. They seem to think the judges owe it to them for bringing their incredible "inventions" on to the show. I guess when you're working that hard and spending so much time and money on an invention, you kind of expect the judges to just marvel at it. Hopefully the show will be a wake up call to all these wannabe inventors.

There were a few good inventions on the show though. Notably the edible snow globe thing - that seemed like a good, simple idea that could sell well. Nothing else really caught my attention though. Half the show was sort of like watching a freak show =/

#3 — March 17, 2006 @ 09:54AM — nick

The Wife and I actually loved the show - Bravo !

#4 — March 17, 2006 @ 10:27AM — Ted

I think you're being a little too hard on the show. It's an open casting call, just like American Idol. That means you're going to get everything from the best to the worst. Additionally, there's probably much more bad ideas than good ideas because (a) it's hard to come up with a good idea and (b) some truly good ideas have probably been picked up on their own.

Plus, this is the first season of this show. One of the great things about the show is that as it airs it will educate its viewers about what sort of things are needed for a product (and its pitch).

I don't think the show is a caricature at all. I don't think it's scripted. I think it's accurate.

Finally, I think this show encourages its audience to become more interested in product development. This is perhaps a more practical way to accomplish the mission of projects like FIRST (www.usfirst.org). How could elevating invetors to the level of pop stars be a bad thing?

#5 — March 17, 2006 @ 10:35AM — Mark Saleski [URL]

you know, i used to wonder about scripting thing during the first rounds of american idol. i mean, are people really that stupid? i suppose they are.

but on this inventor's thing, it did seem like some of the early people were not 'real'. my example is that guitar player/put the cord in the back thing.

most guitarists, myself included, just put the cord through the neck stap and then plug in.

what that guy was suggesting was a completely re-rout of every guitar body. it wasn't an invention so much as a suggestion...and a silly one at that.

#6 — March 17, 2006 @ 13:40PM — Mark A.

-Edible snow globes: yes they are edible but where was the snow??? Snow globes are usually filled with water and "snow". They lady just simply put a plastic bowl over the candy and declared it a snow globe

-kids in plastic air cushion: only in the San Francisco Bay Area one can come up with psycho junk like this.

-Pit and shell hiding bowl: two guys that had a hit single once, never heard of them, do you know them? The idea is ok but why were they not able to produce a prototype? And one guy said "We're gonna be famous again".

-Gym in a bag: WTF? You can see the rubber band exercise thingy every other night on informercials. The guy didn't invent anything and he claimed he spent already $100,000??? This man is BSing everyone.

-Solar-powered cooler: one of those no-brainer ideas the cooler companies are probably working on it for the past 7 years.

-suits for cars: this man was clearly insane.

-toilet paper holder with soap: not bad of an idea, would be great for the middle east where they don't use toilet paper and always wash their behinds with water.

-Easy branch cutter: this was unbelievable! You can buy this at every hardware store. That just shows you that none of the judges ever did any yard work.

-bed pouch: that was fun to see her face after she learned that someone invented it already. And she claimed that she spent $8000 on it already.

-car window AC: well it was just a fan in a clear suitcase, but at least he had a prototype.

#7 — March 19, 2006 @ 12:00PM — Capcom_Man

This shows sucks, despite rare inventors with cool ideas. This is parody of Americian Idol. This show is patheic and degrading the USA! This is the most/worst jokable TV programming I have ever seen. This is a BIG SHAME ON USA! Japan made better products than this! CANCEL THE STUPID SHOW!
ABC needs to make better choices than this! ABC is not FOX!

#8 — March 27, 2006 @ 22:54PM — darren [URL]

The guitar thing has been solved already. It locks your cable in and doesn't involve much effort on your part. It's cheap and should be in stores rather soon. Visit www.klassiclock.com for info.

#9 — April 13, 2006 @ 22:20PM — master of ceremonies

I watched a little of the show on thurs apr. 13

and the closeups of the wannabe's wimpering and

pouting to the 'american idolesque' judges was

ridiculous.

television must be better than this.

it's all money driven and no one cares as long

as profit is there for the big wigs.

#10 — April 14, 2006 @ 08:35AM — simmsays [URL]

It makes me upset that they made the inventors grovel. Why is it relevant how much you suffered and dacrificed. Why can't it be its a great invention and I was really smart and creative in getting it to this point without my house in foreclosure and fired from my job.

Its insulting to all inventors.

Simmsays...

href="http://blogcritics.org/mt/mt-comments.php?mode=red&u=http://www.AmericanInventorSpot.com">AmericanInventorSpot.com

#11 — April 20, 2006 @ 20:53PM — Compaq [URL]

This program has yet to present any content. It is a huge diappointment. The people that produce it need to go back to the basics. It is repeating the same junk content every time I have seen it.

#12 — April 20, 2006 @ 21:21PM — simmsays

Is anyone watching the show anymore? Or are they goinng to now fall to fourth place?

Simmsays
http://www.AmericanInventorSpot.com

#13 — April 24, 2006 @ 21:25PM — JOHN ZIEGENHORN [URL]

I,personally, was invited back for the second audition in HOLLYWOOD (actually Inglewood, Ca.)Experiencing preferential treatment from the ABC crew,I had high expectations of being one of the finalists.Being #2 in the USA to be in front of these 4 Judges I soon found out they probably have never barbecued their entire life!!! Armed with a recently issued PATENT, they just could not fathom the U.S public accepting a REMOTE-CONTROL BBQ GRILL!! (let alone show it to the public. Sincerely,John Ziegenhorn

#14 — May 4, 2006 @ 22:27PM — Rosemary Schultz

Most of the show is pathetic, but I admit to loving the baby car seat Janusz invented, and think every mother on the planet will want one. I couldn't believe the toilet seat 'purifier' got as far as it did; I know nobody who'd spend a dime on that one and Doug thought it would be a huge seller. Problem is the places that really could use it (public restrooms) use only split seats with no lid, and who would want to touch a public lid anyhow? I would definitely buy the door hook/closer though because public restrooms are notorious for doors that won't stay closed and no hook for your purse. I hope the infant seat by Janusz wins.

#15 — May 20, 2006 @ 04:39AM — Chuck

I have a unique perspective, since I worked with Janusz every day until January when he left for the show. He is a truly nice guy, who doesn't like to talk about himself. It was very painful seeing him on the stage, with the producers forcing him to repeat his past family tragedy over and over. The way he talked on the show is really the way he is, very sincere and soft spoken. He is a good designer, and I was glad to see him win.

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