MAIN Pop Culture Reality TV American Inventor - Season 2

They're baaaack.....American Inventor featuring creative innovators, part-time tinkerers and full-fledged inventors from across America.

From the wacky to the wonderful, a parade of earnest inventors put their dreams on the line to see if they can wow the judges and gain fame and fortune with their invention. Brilliant young children, hopeful young adults and senior citizens all unveil their precious ideas for the judges to decide whether they have a million dollar baby or a nightmare come to life.

Tears, anger and disbelief result as reality points a cold finger at each invention. A few make it through to test their visions in the real world of design, engineering and marketing to see if the can be "The American Inventor." Only one person will see their American dream come true as contestants are eliminated each week.

In the end, it will be up to America to call in and vote for which inventor ultimately wins the $1 million prize and the chance to make their invention available to the world.

In the show's first season, we learned that the dramatic loss of his baby daughter had inspired mechanical engineer Janusz Liberkowski to invent the spherical baby safety seat, that won him top prize. He is now developing his idea for baby product company Evenflo.

American Inventor Second Season

Only one of the original judges from last season remain as American Inventor’s executive producer Peter Jones is joined by a new panel of judges. They include former boxer & grilling guru George Foreman, entrepreneur Pat Croce and Spanx pantyhouse inventor Sara Blakely. Hosting duties were also being taken over by Nick Smith who replaced last season's host, Matt Gallant.

The second season of American Inventor premiered June 6 at 9 PM ET on ABC. The inventions ranged from bizarre to brilliant and the inventors from dazzling to just plain dumb.

Final Three Contestants & Profiles :

Gregg Chavez, a firefighter from Camarillo, California, describes his Guardian Angel invention as, "A small, pressurized tank of water, disguised as a Christmas package, that is placed under the Christmas tree and attached to a small hose leading to the top of the tree where a fusible link is disguised as an angel. The heat from a fire pops the link and water suppresses the fire." WINNER
Elaine Cato, a realtor from Tennessee, describes her 6-In-1 Convertible Brassiere invention as, "A convertible brassiere that accommodates the full wardrobe of small frame women with a "C" cup or above. This is a traditional brassiere that converts into six configurations and affords the full back to be exposed with comfort because there is no mid-section and it can be worn with full wardrobe."
Ricky DeRennaux, a school teacher from Oklahoma, describes his Custom Build Racers invention as, "The design and fabrication of custom vehicles, Intended for use by individuals and groups ages 13 and up for entertainment and educational purposes, my invention is a kit that lets teens design, engineer and build remote controlled vehicles."

More about American Inventor around the Web:

American Inventor - The official site on ABC with background info on contestants and judges, and watch for more coverage in pictures, recaps & video clips as the season gears up.

American Inventor - The usual excellent coverage from TV.com, featuring episode recaps, cast profiles, picture galleries, video clips.

Welcome to the Best American Inventor Blog on the Web - Week-by-week coverage with related links and inventor resources, and a call for wanna-be inventors to participate...

Invent Now - From the Inventors Hall of Fame, with a searchable database of inventors & inventions, information on innovation programs for kids, college-age inventors & contests, a step-by-step guide to developing your invention and getting a patent, with related video and resources.

The Anti-Inventiveness of "American Inventors" - Is the show a catalyst for real innovation or just a promotion for get-rich-quick schemes? Thought-provoking discussion at Fast Company.