ABC revealed Elaine Cato and her "Six in One" bra as well as Craig Forrest and David Moeller and their "The Claw" bike rack as the second two finalists for American Inventor's second season grand prize at the conclusion of last night's broadcast of the reality competition show.
ADVERTISEMENT
As the winners of the show's Chicago and New York audition locations, Cato and the team of Forrest and Moeller each received $50,000 to continue developing their invention ideas.
Cato, a 39-year-old beauty pageant director and single-mother from Nashville, TN, invented the "Six in One" bra, a backless bra for women with large cup sizes.
"I could never dream that I'd be standing here holding this check and be going onto American Inventor," said Cato when American Inventor host Nick Smith surprised her in her hometown with the news. "I can't say enough how much I appreciate everyone I have in m life today... I couldn't ask for anything more."
Cato defeated Elmer George and his "Wizball" cardio-exercise system as well as Wesley Caudill and his invention "Xpert Racer" to claim American Inventor's Chicago auditions title.
ADVERTISEMENT
Forrest and Moeller, two 28-year-old graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Business School, respectively, created "The Claw" -- a device that makes it easier to store bikes in a small space.
"This is wonderful... I tell you, this thing is great," said American Inventor 2 judge Pat Croce upon testing "The Claw" himself.
Forrest and Moeller defeated Anne Marie Bryan, a 41-year-old deaf filmmaker who invented "The Ready-to-Wear Speaker Gear" that allows those who are hard of hearing to feel the vibrations of music; and David Mallet, a 23-year-old electrician who created "The Wingman," an electronic device that helps test one's compatibility with others who also own the invention, to claim American Inventor's New York auditions title.
"We're going to go there and do the best job we can and try to win it for New York and be role models for science and engineering," Forrest remarked after Smith surprised "The Claw" creators with the news of their finalist status.
Cato and the duo of Forrest and Moeller join previously announced Los Angeles finalist Ricky DeRennaux and his "HT Custom Racers" toy product as well as San Francisco finalist Greg Chavez and his "Guardian Angel" automatic Christmas tree fire extinguisher kit as American Inventor 2 finalists. Once the season's final two finalists are revealed, American Inventor's judges will narrow the field to three finalists and home viewers will then vote to determine which remaining inventor will take home the show's $1 million grand prize.
American Inventor 2 will continue on Wednesday, July 4 with coverage of the show's Houston, TX and Tampa, FL auditions.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio