American Inventor

I just watched two episodes from last weeks Tivo'd reality show, American Inventor. I was not going to watch this program when it first came out, but it hooked me. Some of the inventions were so lame or funny that I couldn't resist watching it again the next time it came on.

Last week four judges narrowed it down from 50 inventors to 24 then down to 12. I absolutely balled my eyes out watching these twelve people as they were told they were getting checks for $50,000 and they were going on to the next round. After listening for an hour to the sob stories and then watching them win, I was glad nobody was in the room with me while I cried about a reality show. It is bad enough when it happens from other stories on TV or in movies, but this caught me totally off guard.

What is amazing is how much these people put into their inventions. Money, lots of money and in some cases their life savings and homes in foreclosure. Watching the man who invented a different kind of car seat after his daughter was killed in a car crash was so very sad. He has a very clever and potentially life saving idea. Another very clever idea which is small and nobody died, was a clamp to hold shut bathroom doors in public places. The woman who invented it made it the width of a small bag of tissues, the kind for a purse. The clamp can go on the tissues very nicely until needed. It goes on top of the door and slides to the side and locks the door for those often broken latches on public bathroom doors. I would buy one. Simple and smart.

There are other inventions that are both okay and not so wonderful, but the passion and drive of the inventors is something to really see. Especially for those who have literally given up everything they own in pursuit of becoming the American Inventor and winning a million dollars.

This is the last show I ever thought I would shed tears over, but it really touched me in a big way. There are two episodes on tonight and I cannot wait to watch them.