Shark Tank: The Worst Pitch Barbara Corcoran Ever Heard Involved Invasive Surgery

Longtime "Shark Tank" fans know that Barbara Corcoran is not an easy person to please. The New Jersey native has been one of the regular investors on the hit ABC reality series since its start in 2009, and while shark Lori Greiner is the one most likely to not close a deal, Corcoran has developed a reputation amongst fans for finding almost any reason to opt out during the initial pitch, often basing her reasoning on her subjective opinion of the entrepreneur. However, even the most open-minded viewers are bound to agree with her least favorite pitch in show history.

In a 2014 interview with Business Insider, Corcoran was asked what she felt was the worst business to present on the show. While the former real estate broker pinpointed ideas like Thin Gloss and the Sullivan Generator as being particularly odd, one concept from the show's first episode took the cake. "Of course, there's the guy with the Bluetooth device that you surgically put down your ear canal," Corcoran said, referring to Darrin Johnson's surgically implanted Ionic Ear. "And then if it runs out of battery, you have to surgically remove it and change the battery. He was an engineer, dead serious — tight lips like a military guy. That was the worst pitch. I think if you ask the other sharks, they would agree."

It's hard not to agree with that sentiment. While it's easy to criticize Corcoran for her decision-making in some instances, this was a case where opting out was definitely the best option.

Ionic Ear has gone down in "Shark Tank" history as one of the show's most infamous presentations, with the sharks picking it as one of the most outrageous pitches they've ever sat through. Yet, in entrepreneur Darrin Johnson's mind, his strange concept was a window into the future.

Johnson pitched his idea on the first episode of "Shark Tank," where he sought an investment of $1 million for 15% of his company. Johnson's hope was that his product would help stop the annoyance of Bluetooth technology falling out of the user's ears. But his solution was a drastic one — his plan was to surgically place the Ionic Ear just underneath the user's ear lobe. The skin-crawling idea turns the sharks off immediately. As if that wasn't baffling enough, Johnson also informed them that users would need to place a long needle directly into their ear every night in order to charge the device. Additionally, if you ever needed an upgrade, you'd have to get another surgery.

Johnson stated that safety features will be implemented and even tried comparing the concept to breast implants, saying that the product will require additional research and testing to get the public to buy into it. But it did little to save him; every shark went out, with all of them finding his product disturbing, to say the least. Unsurprisingly, the Ionic Ear has not advanced much since then; in fact, work on Johnson's invention appears to have stopped entirely.