Whatever Happened To Ride FRSH After Shark Tank?

Who would've thought that one of the most uncomfortable and confrontational "Shark Tank" pitches would have been for air fresheners, of all things?

Brothers Donovan and Trey Brown certainly didn't think so when they appeared on the hit ABC reality investing program in 2022 to present their company, Ride FRSH — an appropriately fresh take on a tired product that's seen its necessity outweighed by its lack of style. Part brand, part subscription service, Ride FRSH sought to team up with one of the show's celebrity investors to disrupt and dominate the stale air freshener market, which the Browns claimed to be worth upwards of $300 million per year.

In addition to trying several times to nab a coveted spot in the Tank, the sibling entrepreneurs had spent the three years prior to their "Shark Tank" debut focusing their efforts on building a successful direct-to-consumer sales base via their website and subscription service model. But as purchase orders from major retail brands like Target and AutoZone were starting to come in, the jump to brick-and-mortar wholesaling was closer than ever.

At this transitional point in their growth, the Browns didn't need just any Shark, but a Shark who understood exactly where the company was headed. Their top choice was initially billionaire investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban — until one apparent miscalculation caused him to back out before the pitch really began.

As Donovan and Trey Brown pitch their modern air freshener company, Ride FRSH, on Season 14, Episode 7 of "Shark Tank," the mood seems positive. Aside from their somewhat staggering valuation of $4 million and a buy-in price of $200,000 (in exchange for just 5% of the business), their energy and charisma underscores a perfectly painted picture of what the vehicular aromatics space could look like in the 2020s. Things quickly sour, however, when they begin showcasing their various scents — including one featuring the logo of the Golden State Warriors basketball team.

Though the rest of the Sharks laugh when Trey takes a deep whiff of the freshener and says, "Smells like winning," Mark Cuban looks as though he smells something rank. For those unaware, in the 2022 NBA playoffs, the Warriors won a narrow victory over Cuban's Mavericks, knocking them out of the conference before going on to win the tournament.

Once they wrap up their presentation, Robert Herjavec laughs as he notes that Cuban looks "still," and asks if he is okay. Cuban responds with surprising venom, stating simply "Dumbest marketing move ever. I'm out." Interestingly enough, while Donovan seems a bit shaken by the abruptness of Cuban's exit, Trey appears to be smiling — perhaps even stifling a laugh of his own. Regardless, as the other Sharks balk at Cuban's response — and he, in turn, scowls that it was the "wrong move [at the] wrong time" — the Browns press forward relatively un-phased.

With four Sharks left in the tank, the Brown brothers quickly move past Mark Cuban's comments and begin fielding questions from the remaining investors. Over their first three years, Ride FRSH had generated over $1.1 million in sales and is eyeing $750,000 for 2022 alone. And despite some skepticism that the wholesale transition would curtail their progress, the Sharks actually argue on their behalf that getting the product in shops such as gas stations and automotive retailers would be a solid move. Those potential sales, combined with their online subscription service, could make Ride FRSH the dominating force it desired to be.

Nevertheless, the Sharks are having trouble smelling the profits. The next to drop out is Lori Greiner, who feels the masculine design wouldn't market well to women. Robert Herjavec follows, with a confusing and slightly incoherent explanation of how he likes the product, but has negative feelings about air fresheners stemming from a lightly traumatic childhood experience.

Kevin O'Leary doesn't like the valuation and bows out, as well, leaving just Barbara Corcoran with enough leverage to make a brutal offer to Ride FRSH: $200,000 for 25% of the company, contingent on Ride FRSH completing their purchase orders. Though it would slash their company to a fifth of its assumed value, the Browns entertain the offer and counter with 20%. Barbara accepts, and the trio ends the taping as partners.

On their way out of the Tank, they quickly apologize to Cuban, who seems genuinely unbothered by this point and happy that they are getting a deal. Little does he know, his reaction is just what the Browns are looking for.

Throughout their "Shark Tank" journey, the Browns were constantly reminded by the show's producers that even landing the opportunity to film a pitch did not guarantee them a spot on the episode that aired. For example, Mark Cuban told CNBC in 2019 that around 25% of the products that film segments don't make the final cut for the season.

Well aware of this fact, the brothers knew they needed to engineer one television-worthy moment in their pitch to ensure Ride FRSH wouldn't end up on the cutting room floor. As they explained to business educator and "Shark Tank" YouTuber Joe Pardo in 2022, the idea to poke fun at Cuban's recent loss came out of necessity. Ironically, Ride FRSH had just secured a licensing deal with the Dallas Mavericks before the taping — but with no Mavs-branded fresheners yet produced and only two days' notice of their taping date, the brothers chose to pivot.

Donovan Brown had the idea to use the Golden State Warriors freshener in an attempt to get a reaction out of Cuban. Good or bad, he thought, it would be a memorable moment for their pitch. Trey told Pardo that the incredulous smile on his face as Cuban backed out was caused by his disbelief at how well his brother's plan had worked. Neither of them holds any resentment for how Cuban responded to the joke, with Donovan offering, "I think it was just everybody sticking to their guns... For us, it was about creating a moment, and for him, it was about his passion for his team."

After the Ride FRSH episode aired, numerous news outlets covered the product specifically because of the reaction the Browns had garnered from Mark Cuban. "Mark Cuban rejected these 'Shark Tank' founders in less than 2 minutes," read a headline on CNBC; "Mark Cuban Brutally Rejects Product on 'Shark Tank' for Supporting the Warriors," wrote Sports Illustrated. Even "Shark Tank" got in on the feeding frenzy, uploading the segment to their YouTube channel with the eye-catching title, "Mark Cuban gets OFFENDED by Ride Frsh's Pitch!"

This publicity was extremely helpful for the Browns' business, as even a critical piece would have to explain what the company was, thereby taking on the burden of educating those who don't watch the series. Press means more to "Shark Tank" businesses than ever, as Donovan believes the advent of streaming has altered the way companies experience growth after their appearance. Due to episodes airing the next day on Hulu, and sometimes even later on YouTube, he explained to Joe Pardo that a concentrated spike in business following a "Tank" debut wasn't necessarily in the cards for Ride FRSH. This might spell the end of the so-called "Shark Tank" Effect.

However, the episode (again, thanks in no small part to Cuban's theatrics) was enough to double the company's searches on Google and allowed them to break their reliance on Facebook ads to do business. The brothers even began adding a stinger to their company emails referencing their "Shark Tank" victory.

As of writing, Ride FRSH products are still available to purchase, either in individual packs or by subscribing to its monthly air freshener delivery service. They seem to be sold exclusively on the company's website, as we were unable to find them on blanket retailers like Amazon or the online marketplaces of their brick-and-mortar partners.

Further, we were unable to verify whether or not the purchase orders were successful, which would play a major role in Barbara Corcoran's decision to close with Ride FRSH. However, it's worth noting that Corcoran has the highest clearance rate of any Shark on the series, as of a 2023 investigation from Forbes. If they met her expectations, it's likely that the Browns were able to win her as a longtime business partner.

Interestingly enough, Ride FRSH has yet to add a Dallas Mavericks air freshener to their lineup, despite the Browns stating that plans were in place before their pitch. Instead, they offer fresheners inspired by the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Detroit Pistons, the Miami Heat, and — of course — the Golden State Warriors. Recently, Ride FRSH secured a licensing deal with Paramount and Nickelodeon to create a "SpongeBob SquarePants" line of products, which currently consists of three air fresheners inspired by SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward.

Speaking to Joe Pardo at the start of 2023, Donovan and Trey Brown outlined their goals for the immediate future of Ride FRSH, which primarily focused on widening the scope of their distribution and continuing to build the brand online. First and foremost, they wanted to close their deals with Target and AutoZone (the statuses of which we could not confirm, aside from the fact that neither website offers Ride FRSH products, as of this writing).

Beyond that, Donovan elaborated that they wanted to establish a successful "global retail operation" by the end of 2023, with Trey noting that they had received interest from distributors in New Zealand and parts of the Caribbean. They were also looking to expand their distribution and retail partnerships, as well as their sales team. Specifically, they'd like to leverage strategic partnerships with companies like Fanatics and Dick's Sporting Goods in order to make the most of their NBA licensing deals.

Wherever the company heads, it will do so under the confident leadership of Donovan and Trey Brown, which compounds with each new experience the brothers forge for themselves — good or bad. As Donovan put it, "When Steph Curry takes a shot on the [three-point line] he's not confident because he just feels like he can make it, he's confident because of the amount of shots that he's taken."