‘Shark Tank’ preview: Bubba Q’s Boneless Ribs, the Virtuix Omni, and more

Usually with our “Shark Tank” preview articles, we really try to limit ourselves to talking about just one product that is featured on the show, but this time around there are two that are catching our eye for very different reasons. Any show that manages to have both microwavable ribs that are supposedly still good and also a virtual-reality console in it has the potential to be our favorite episode of the entire year.

Let’s start here with the basics: This episode features for one our favorite panels in Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, Mark Cuban, and Daymond John, and rather than a traditional upset, we will see the sharks heading over to a conference. Check out the full synopsis below:

“A former pro football player from Avon, Ohio tries to sell the Sharks on his delicious boneless baby back ribs which can be cooked in 2 minutes in the microwave—but will a strong pitch and tasty food be enough for the Sharks to bite? Two moms from Bayonne, New Jersey have a line of detachable mohawks to dress up kids’ safety helmets and entrepreneurs from Los Angeles sell whimsical animal themed hat/scarf combinations on “Shark Tank.” Houston entrepreneur has a first-of-its-kind reality interface for video gamers, allowing users to be completely immersed in their game experience–and Shark Robert Herjavec can’t wait to try it out. Plus, Sharks Mark Cuban and Daymond John travel to Washington, D.C. to be panelists at the Kingonomics Entrepreneurship and Investment Conference, an event for minority-owned businesses which also includes a casting call.”

Now, let’s share our first impression of two of the products that already have us intrigued. (Update: Click here to read our full review of this episode.)

Bubba Q’s Boneless Ribs – We love ribs, but the problem that we sometimes run into with them is that they’re just way too time-consuming to make. So the idea of having a “rib steak” without the bones and all the mess is enticing. Would we use the microwave to cook them? Probably not, but this is still an interesting claim for Al “Bubba” Baker’s company to make. This one is going to come solely down to taste, and we don’t see Barbara investing since she’s already got some skin in the BBQ business game.

Virtuix Omni – We’re avid video gamers here at CarterMatt, so the idea of a device that really immerses you into the game with movement and visuals is awesome. But, we’re also far less confident that this will get any offers. It may be fun, but even if you wanted to order one now, you’re not going to be getting it until May of next year according to the site. There are also three other problems that we can think of right now: Virtual reality has never worked in past incarnations on this level, the price point for just one of these at a sale price of $449 is more than a PlayStation 4, and most gamers we know prefer to just sit on their butts and play rather than move around. If we had a billion bucks we’d probably buy a few of them, but it’s a big investment otherwise for something that you may not even use that much.

Still, we’ve got a video below of it so you can see for yourself how this works.

Check back tomorrow night for our full review for this “Shark Tank” episode, and click here if you want to see some other “Shark Tank” highlights.

Photo: ABC