Rob Merlino: Blogger, Writer, Entrepreneur & Foodie

I’ve heard of mosquito repellent, even Shark repellent, but until now, I didn’t know there was such a thing as Monster Repellent. You read that correctly: Monster Repellent. It’s one of 5 Fairytale Wishes sprays created by entrepreneur Debbie Glickman to combat her kids’ fears and anxieties in a fun, stress-free way. Debbie pitches her […]

Mr. Wonderful will don a new style, chic chef hat in episode 503 as entrepreneurs Juli Deveau and Ozma Khan pitch their Kookn Kap to the Shark Tank panel. The two hotties, food buffs,  and self admitted “cheesy” marketers didn’t like their coiffures getting smelly from cooking fumes when they were entertaining , so they created […]

Erick Jansen and Nathan Jones invented a light weight child carrier and day pack out of necessity, they just got tired of their kids losing steam when they went on day trips and other adventures. The pair worked on a few other consumer products together before they created the Freeloader, but those never got beyond the […]

Chris Johnson’s Rapid Ramen Noodle cooker gets introduced to the Sharks in episode 503. This is the first big consumer product in season 5 and Johnson has already hit the ball out of the park with his Ramen noodle cooker. He launched the business in late 2012 and as of this writing, he’s in EVERY […]

Amber Lee Forrester hopes to bring some doggy style to the Tank in episode 505 with her business that puts on the dog called Kane and Couture. Dog fashion is a new business type in the Shark Tank. We’ve seen other pet related products on the show before, but never high fashion dog apparel for […]

Episode 504 brings Charles Michael Yim and his breathalyzer app into the Shark Tank.  Every once in a while, the Shark Tank sees a business that can really benefit society and this could be it. The breathalyzer app, called Breathometer, allows any smart phone user to calculate their own blood alcohol level and, hopefully, make an […]

Now guys everywhere can get the recognition they deserve from the gals in their life when they earn themselves a Man Medal. If your’e a married man, your wife has undoubtedly said to you after you boldly announce the completion of some mundane household task, “do you want a medal?” Now, when she says that […]

Entrepreneur and ex MySpace executive Josh Brooks introduces the Shark Tank public to his postcard app called Postcard on the Run in the season 5 premier. There’s a potential celebrity connection too: Brooks has Selena Gomez as an investor, avid user, and promoter. What the postcard app does is turn smart phone pictures into standard […]

Gourmet pickles make their way into the Shark Tank during the season 5 premier on Friday, September 20. A pair of young Washington State food entrepreneurs, Lynnae Schneller and Aly Cullinane, pitch Lynnae’s great grandmother’s secret recipe pickles to the panel of Sharks. The pair remind me of the Wild Squirrel Nut Butter gals from season […]

Sweet Ballz cake balls is a business that cries out for some double entendre wise-cracking when the business appears on the Shark Tank season 5 première! When I first started researching this business, I couldn’t get the old Saturday Night Live sketch with Alec Baldwin out of my mind: Baldwin plays “Pete Schweddy” and he […]