A Memorable Encounter with George Foreman and The Big Pitcher

George Foreman has passed. Just a few months older than I am, I had the privilege of crossing paths with the great Mr. Foreman.

In July 2006, shortly after we had finished developing The Big Pitcher, a friend called to tell me that the television show American Inventor was in Houston to interview inventors for two days. This was already day two—but we decided to drive the 30 or 40 miles to the event center and found a spot in the crowded parking lot.

American Inventor, launched by Simon Cowell the year before, was now in its second season. The open call was packed with inventors—many, like us, holding our beloved creations. One particularly memorable one was a man with a “Squirrel Circus”—a maze of pipes you’d set up outside your window to watch squirrels navigate through. It was quirky and kind of cool!

The audition process was structured in levels. We started with a “Level 1” interviewer. If they liked what they saw, you moved up to “Level 2,” then on to Levels 3 and 4. We made it through all of them and were told we’d be presenting to the actual judges.

The judging room was dimly lit, with spotlights on the stage where the judges sat, and on us. The Big Pitcher was plugged in and bubbling—looking pretty good, if I may say so. I wore a green dress and was asked to describe our invention and explain its importance.

Then Sara Blakely (founder of Spanx) turned to the other judges and said that oxygenated water was an up-and-coming innovation. George Foreman looked at us and said, “Man, I need one of those!”

Then came the moment of truth. All four judges—Sara Blakely, Peter Jones, George Foreman, and another gentleman—voted yes.

Suddenly, one of them—Sara, Peter, or George, I’m not sure who—said, “Teri, do you realize you’re the first inventor here in Houston to receive all four yeses!?!” I hadn’t known that, but it was incredibly exciting.

As we now honor and remember George Foreman, I find myself wishing he had owned one of our Big Pitchers. Who knows? Maybe he’d still be with us.