American Inventor was a reality television series based on a competition to be named America's best inventor. It was conceived by Simon Cowell and the producers of American Idol, and premiered on ABC in March, 2006.[1] It was organized as a competition between inventors nationally, resulting in one overall winner.
Twelve inventors and their products are chosen from a pool of hundreds by four judges. The 12 semi-finalists are broken down into four groups of three, with each episode focusing on a different group of three. Each of the twelve semi-finalists in each group receives $50,000 to improve their inventions and competes to become one of the four finalists. The finalists would then work with a dedicated prototype and design company who would help with expert advice and manufacturing assistance. Each group is assigned a judge who would judge their products that they have invented. Each of the four judges would then choose one inventor from their group to compete in the finals, for a total of four finalists. In the show's live finale, the four finalists present a 30-second commercial advertisement for their product, with the home audience voting by phone for the winner. The winner receives $1,000,000 worth of business support, entrepreneurial counsel, physical resources, and prize money.
Season 2Edit
Instead of 12 finalists receiving $50,000 checks to develop their inventions like in season one, six finalists, one from each of the audition cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Tampa and Houston, will each receive $50,000 and have one month to develop their inventions. The 6 finalists are narrowed down to three based on the judges' preference. Unlike the first season, the three finalists for voting were declared and were voted on by viewers immediately after the second-to-last show.
FinalistsEdit
Season 1 finalistsEdit
Anecia Safety Capsule: A car seat shaped like a sphere with a movable sphere inside it. In the event of a car accident, the sphere will move, lessening the force on the baby. (Winner)
Word Ace: A game that tells you a letter and a number and you have to come up with a word that starts with the letter and has a number of letters equal to the number. (Final 4)
Double Traction Bike: A bike with a seat on the handlebars. (Final 4)
The Catch Vest (aka Receiver Trainer Pole): A bar that sits in front of your body to help you catch footballs properly. (Final 4)
Inside Umbrella: An umbrella where the top part goes inside the bar. (Final 12)
Head-Line It: A rubber pad to go on top of your head to prevent sweating and itching under hats, helmets and wigs. (Final 12)
Sackmaster: A large shovel with a bag inside it to make sand-bag filling easier. (Final 12)
Here Comes Niya Doll: A multilingual set of dolls. (Final 12) The "Niya Doll" appear again in The Toy Box.
Bathroom Clip: A clip to attach to a bathroom door in case the lock is broken. (Final 12)
Tonerbelt: An exercise belt (Final 12)
EZ-X Portable Gym: A portable gym (Final 12)
Pureflush: A toilet that prevents the spread of bacteria upon flushing. (Final 12)
Season 2 finalistsEdit
Guardian Angel: A small, pressurized tank of water, disguised as a Christmas package, that is placed under the Christmas tree and attached to a small hose leading to the top of the tree where a fusible link is disguised as an angel. The heat from a fire pops the link and water suppresses the fire. There is also an alarm that works without a battery & intended to suppress (not fully extinguish) a Christmas tree fire and sound an alarm to get people out of the house alive. (Winner)
6-In-1 Convertible Brassiere: A convertible brassiere that accommodates the full wardrobe of small frame women with a "C" cup or above. This is a traditional brassiere that converts into six configurations and affords the full back to be exposed with comfort because there is no midsection and it can be worn with full wardrobe. The invention was later commercialized by Maidenform.[2] (Chicago Finalist) (2nd)
HT Racers: The design and fabrication of custom vehicles through the use of a computer program and patented tools. Intended for use by individuals and groups ages 9 and up for entertainment and educational purposes, this invention is a kit that lets teens design, engineer, and build remote controlled vehicles. (L.A. Finalist) (3rd)
The Claw: A ceiling or wall-mounted bicycle storage mechanism. The bicycle wheel is grasped by opposing hooks when the central plunger is depressed. Re-pressing the central plunger opens and locks the hooks for bicycle wheel removal. The bi-stable plunger relies on an internal rotary mechanism. (New York Finalist) (Final 6)
Wrap-a-Way Cabinet: A station to put in a drawer or attach to a cabinet to dispense paper towels, gift wrap, etc. (Houston Finalist) (Final 6)
EZT4U: A brewing basket that attaches to the common electric coffee brewing machine in order to brew tea. (Tampa Finalist) (Final 6)
Time slotEdit
American Inventor debuted March 16, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Each subsequent Thursday, it aired at 9 p.m. until the season finale May 18, 2006. American Inventor aired on ABC and on CH in Canada. The second season began on June 6, 2007, at 9pm on ABC. It aired on Global in Canada.
ControversyEdit
The makers of the program were accused of modeling American Inventor on a similar program called Million Dollar Idea.[3]
The validity of the claim that the Guardian Angel was invented by Greg Chavez is unclear. This same "invention" was actually a gag product on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on December 16, 1993, the first night Julia Roberts was a guest on the show. Leno used a lighter to trigger a smoke alarm within a Christmas tree which then caused the star on the top of the tree to spray a strong burst of water, putting out any potential fire. Several similar patents have been granted over the years, and Season 1 judge Doug Hall has also called it unoriginal, writing in his blog that he once worked on something similar for a client.
CreditsEdit
American Inventor was produced by Simon Cowell's Syco TV and FremantleMedia North America, Inc in association with Peter Jones TV. The executive producers were Simon Cowell, Liz Bronstein, Siobhan Greene, Nigel Hall, and Cecile Frot-Coutaz. Co-executive producer was Daniel Soiseth.
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources American Inventor news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message American Inventor was a reality television series based on a competition to be named America s best inventor It was conceived by Simon Cowell and the producers of American Idol and premiered on ABC in March 2006 1 It was organized as a competition between inventors nationally resulting in one overall winner American InventorCreated byPeter JonesPresented byMatt Gallant season 1 Nick Smith season 2 StarringPeter JonesEd Evangelista season 1 Mary Lou Quinlan season 1 Doug Hall season 1 George Foreman season 2 Pat Croce season 2 Sara Blakely season 2 Country of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons2No of episodes19ProductionProducersPeter JonesSimon CowellLiz BronsteinSiobhan GreeneNigel HallCecile Frot CoutazRunning time60 minutesProduction companiesSyco TVPeter Jones TVFremantleMedia North AmericaReleaseOriginal networkABCOriginal releaseMarch 16 2006 2006 03 16 August 1 2007 2007 08 01 Contents 1 Premise 1 1 Season 1 1 2 Season 2 2 Finalists 2 1 Season 1 finalists 2 2 Season 2 finalists 3 Time slot 4 Controversy 5 Credits 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksPremise EditSeason 1 Edit Twelve inventors and their products are chosen from a pool of hundreds by four judges The 12 semi finalists are broken down into four groups of three with each episode focusing on a different group of three Each of the twelve semi finalists in each group receives 50 000 to improve their inventions and competes to become one of the four finalists The finalists would then work with a dedicated prototype and design company who would help with expert advice and manufacturing assistance Each group is assigned a judge who would judge their products that they have invented Each of the four judges would then choose one inventor from their group to compete in the finals for a total of four finalists In the show s live finale the four finalists present a 30 second commercial advertisement for their product with the home audience voting by phone for the winner The winner receives 1 000 000 worth of business support entrepreneurial counsel physical resources and prize money Season 2 Edit Instead of 12 finalists receiving 50 000 checks to develop their inventions like in season one six finalists one from each of the audition cities of Los Angeles San Francisco Chicago New York Tampa and Houston will each receive 50 000 and have one month to develop their inventions The 6 finalists are narrowed down to three based on the judges preference Unlike the first season the three finalists for voting were declared and were voted on by viewers immediately after the second to last show Finalists EditSeason 1 finalists Edit Anecia Safety Capsule A car seat shaped like a sphere with a movable sphere inside it In the event of a car accident the sphere will move lessening the force on the baby Winner Word Ace A game that tells you a letter and a number and you have to come up with a word that starts with the letter and has a number of letters equal to the number Final 4 Double Traction Bike A bike with a seat on the handlebars Final 4 The Catch Vest aka Receiver Trainer Pole A bar that sits in front of your body to help you catch footballs properly Final 4 Inside Umbrella An umbrella where the top part goes inside the bar Final 12 Head Line It A rubber pad to go on top of your head to prevent sweating and itching under hats helmets and wigs Final 12 Sackmaster A large shovel with a bag inside it to make sand bag filling easier Final 12 Here Comes Niya Doll A multilingual set of dolls Final 12 The Niya Doll appear again in The Toy Box Bathroom Clip A clip to attach to a bathroom door in case the lock is broken Final 12 Tonerbelt An exercise belt Final 12 EZ X Portable Gym A portable gym Final 12 Pureflush A toilet that prevents the spread of bacteria upon flushing Final 12 Season 2 finalists Edit Guardian Angel A small pressurized tank of water disguised as a Christmas package that is placed under the Christmas tree and attached to a small hose leading to the top of the tree where a fusible link is disguised as an angel The heat from a fire pops the link and water suppresses the fire There is also an alarm that works without a battery amp intended to suppress not fully extinguish a Christmas tree fire and sound an alarm to get people out of the house alive Winner 6 In 1 Convertible Brassiere A convertible brassiere that accommodates the full wardrobe of small frame women with a C cup or above This is a traditional brassiere that converts into six configurations and affords the full back to be exposed with comfort because there is no midsection and it can be worn with full wardrobe The invention was later commercialized by Maidenform 2 Chicago Finalist 2nd HT Racers The design and fabrication of custom vehicles through the use of a computer program and patented tools Intended for use by individuals and groups ages 9 and up for entertainment and educational purposes this invention is a kit that lets teens design engineer and build remote controlled vehicles L A Finalist 3rd The Claw A ceiling or wall mounted bicycle storage mechanism The bicycle wheel is grasped by opposing hooks when the central plunger is depressed Re pressing the central plunger opens and locks the hooks for bicycle wheel removal The bi stable plunger relies on an internal rotary mechanism New York Finalist Final 6 Wrap a Way Cabinet A station to put in a drawer or attach to a cabinet to dispense paper towels gift wrap etc Houston Finalist Final 6 EZT4U A brewing basket that attaches to the common electric coffee brewing machine in order to brew tea Tampa Finalist Final 6 Time slot EditAmerican Inventor debuted March 16 2006 at 8 00 p m Eastern Standard Time Each subsequent Thursday it aired at 9 p m until the season finale May 18 2006 American Inventor aired on ABC and on CH in Canada The second season began on June 6 2007 at 9pm on ABC It aired on Global in Canada Controversy EditThe makers of the program were accused of modeling American Inventor on a similar program called Million Dollar Idea 3 The validity of the claim that the Guardian Angel was invented by Greg Chavez is unclear This same invention was actually a gag product on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on December 16 1993 the first night Julia Roberts was a guest on the show Leno used a lighter to trigger a smoke alarm within a Christmas tree which then caused the star on the top of the tree to spray a strong burst of water putting out any potential fire Several similar patents have been granted over the years and Season 1 judge Doug Hall has also called it unoriginal writing in his blog that he once worked on something similar for a client Credits EditAmerican Inventor was produced by Simon Cowell s Syco TV and FremantleMedia North America Inc in association with Peter Jones TV The executive producers were Simon Cowell Liz Bronstein Siobhan Greene Nigel Hall and Cecile Frot Coutaz Co executive producer was Daniel Soiseth See also EditTycoon TV series a similar show on British TV hosted by Peter Jones The Big Idea another similar show on British TV Dragons Den a similar program that originated in Japan and also stars Peter Jones in the United Kingdom Shark Tank the American version of Dragons Den which went on to become a more sustained success on ABC The New Inventors an Australian program shown on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Everyday Edisons a PBS series focused on inventors and their inventions References Edit Colin Mahan 17 March 2006 ABC is a hit Inventor TV com Archived from the original on 29 June 2011 via Internet Archive Howard Theresa April 6 2008 Maidenform launches the Breakthrough Backless bra USA Today Simon Cowell and ABC sued over Idea format rights External links EditAmerican Inventor at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title American Inventor amp oldid 1174870666, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
