‘Shark Tank’ review: FiberFix, Ten Thirty One Productions (L.A. Haunted Hayride), Total Merchant Resources

Well, this was an interesting “Shark Tank” episode, now wasn’t it? We had three very interesting negotiations, and for the last one, we had quite possibly the most boring one of all time. Why put this in the best spot which is the product that you are going to remember the most? We’ll have more on that later.

Are you new to our “Shark Tank” reviews? If so, know that we are judging these products based on our own impressions of our interest in them; not only that, but we also have links to each individual product below attached to their name.

FiberFix – These two guys have a great product. There’s no other way around it. Duct tape is really only good for so much, and this is the product that really helps you actually fix products in a way that can help them to last.

The biggest problem with the pitch? The guys came in here undervaluing their product, and then looked like jerks when they got greedy and started to ask for more after the fact. They got the deal with Lori Greiner, who is probably the right person to help them, but did they really get it the way that they wanted? That makes us less excited about it as a customer.

Elephant Chat – In our preview article, we tried to give these people the benefit of a doubt in that they look as though they are genuinely invested in creating something that helps people, but at the end of the day these are people who have basically gotten money from friends and family for something that is a product that really was only a way to help their own marriage. What works for them is hardly going to work for everyone, and with no deal here for a product that is ridiculously expensive, we imagine that the elephant is eventually going to be more of a cause for anger than comfort. It’s a shame, since it is a rather cute elephant at the center of all of this.

Ten ThirtyOne Productions – This group behind the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride got themselves an incredible deal, mostly thanks to Mark Cuban basically taking Daymond John’s negotiations and running with it. $10 million is still a hefty price tag here, but Mark is right: We sense that there is almost an anti-technology movement in some ways now, where people are looking more to go out and experience things. Mark paid $2 million for 20% of the business.

Total Merchant Resources – First of all, these guys look like they are in the business of lending. We also understand that helping small businesses get money that they need is important, but, did we really need to see it on this show? It’s just that money is such a stressful topic for many, as is this particular industry. We much prefer the show to have products that are easy to look at and discuss, rather than something stuffed full of financial jargon that many don’t understand or care about. For that reason, it was our least-favorite pitch of the year.

You could say that Kevin O’Leary fleeced these two guys by taking 50% of their business, and maybe he did, but Kevin made great points: His name alone on something financial-related is enormous, and all he has to do is double the earnings to make this worthwhile. We still see it as a good deal for all parties involved, even if it almost put us to sleep.

If this episode was just the first three pitches alone, we would have given it a solid B+. But, since the final pitch was a complete and total failure as far as entertainment value, we have to move the grade down and say that this was the worst overall hour of the season. Grade: C-.

Click here if you want to read some more highlights from this season, and you can vote for your favorite product on the night below.

Photo: ABC