Shark Tank Season 17, Episode 6

Nov 12, 2025 · A Surf Helmet, a 3D-Printed Cello and Matzoh Ball Ramen Land Deals as Pasta Chips Get Shut Out

On the panel: Daniel Lubetzky, Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Kevin O'Leary

Who Got a Deal on Shark Tank Season 17, Episode 6

Recap

The Verdict

Three deals from four pitches, with Kevin's face printed on a cello, an accidental helmet demo, and a Top Chef alum walking away empty despite $500,000 in first-year sales.

Titled 'Surf, Snacks and Startup Bites,' this episode rewarded founders who solved a specific problem and punished the one competing in a crowded aisle. Three of four companies walked out with a shark.

Surf Skull, a surf helmet from Santa Cruz that looks like a bucket hat and hides an impact-stiffening foam cap, drew three offers. Barbara Corcoran bid $50,000 for 15%, while Daymond John and Daniel Lubetzky each asked for 25%. Founders Davon Larson and Paul Huang countered Daniel at 20% and he accepted on the spot. Tantos, puffed pasta chips from Top Chef alum Joe Sasto and Sean Knecht, had $500,000 in first-year sales and placement in over 1,000 stores, but every shark went out. Daniel confessed to lingering trauma from his own failed 1990s pasta chip company, and Barbara cited a conflict with her Pipcorn investment.

Forte3D, 3D-printed carbon fiber cellos and violins co-founded by Grammy-winning cellist Mike Block, had UV-printed Kevin O'Leary's face onto a prototype. Kevin offered $250,000 for 10% plus a $100-per-unit royalty, but the team chose Lori Greiner's equity-only deal, negotiated from 18% down to 16%. The night closed with Shalom Japan, the Williamsburg Japanese-Jewish fusion restaurant whose Matzoh Ball Ramen kit won a rave from every shark. Barbara offered $200,000 for 30%, contingent on Cousins Maine Lobster joining a food-truck expansion; a 25% counter went nowhere and the couple accepted her terms.

Pitch by Pitch

Surf SkullSurf SkullFitness & Sports
Deal

Asked $50,000 for 12% · Deal $50,000 for 20% with Daniel Lubetzky

Davon Larson and Paul Huang of Santa Cruz pitched Surf Skull, a low-profile surf helmet styled like a bucket hat with a hidden bump cap of non-Newtonian foam that stiffens on impact. Davon dreamed it up after his own surfboard hit his head and he bled into the water; he found one in four surfing injuries involve the head but only 2% of surfers wear helmets because they're bulky. Lifetime sales were about $100,000 over two years, slowing while they developed Version 2. Kevin O'Leary wanted expansion beyond water sports, which the founders declined, and Lori Greiner passed. Barbara Corcoran offered $50,000 for 15%, and Daniel Lubetzky and Daymond John each offered $50,000 for 25%. The founders countered Daniel at 20% and he immediately accepted.

Best Moment
“Davon stumbled mid-pitch, laughed it off, and said he was fine thanks to the product, turning a slip into an accidental helmet demo.”
Interested
Daniel Lubetzky, Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John
Out
Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner

Where they are now:OperatingFull update →

Fitness & Sports companies have a 64% deal rate on Shark Tank

Tantos!Tantos!Food & Beverage
No Deal

Asked $150,000 for 10%

Chef Joe Sasto, the mustachioed Top Chef alum who cooked at Michelin-starred Lazy Bear and Quince, and co-founder Sean Knecht pitched Tantos, puffed pasta chips in Italian flavors at about 130 calories a serving. The two connected online during COVID when Sean was struggling to make pasta at home, and the brand had done $500,000 in its first 12 months with placement in over 1,000 stores and a white-label offer from Kroger. None of it was enough. Daymond John saw too much competition from major brands, Kevin O'Leary called the category too risky, Barbara Corcoran had a conflict with her Pipcorn investment, Daniel Lubetzky cited his own failed 1990s pasta chip company, and Lori Greiner liked the flavors but found the market too crowded.

Best Moment
“Daniel Lubetzky warned the founders about his own bad experience running a pasta chip company in the 1990s, setting a skeptical tone even as Barbara said the chips tasted just like real pasta.”
Out
Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Daniel Lubetzky, Lori Greiner

Where they are now:Operating$750,000 revenueFull update →

Food & Beverage companies have a 61% deal rate on Shark Tank

Forte3 DForte3 DTechnology
Deal

Asked $250,000 for 10% · Deal $250,000 for 16% with Lori Greiner

Alfred Goodrich, Elijah Lee and Grammy-winning cellist Mike Block pitched Forte3D, patented 3D-printed carbon fiber and polymer cellos and violins that retail for roughly $3,000 and $1,800, light enough to check as luggage. Block had watched students priced out of quality instruments that cost $20,000 to $100,000; 3D printing cut production from months to hours. Sales grew from $30,000 in 2022 to $350,000 in 2024, with $500,000 projected for 2025. Daymond John admitted he wasn't a music-industry expert, Barbara Corcoran was unsure of the return, and Daniel Lubetzky thought the $2.5 million valuation was high. Kevin O'Leary offered $250,000 for 10% plus a $100 royalty per unit until recouped. Lori Greiner countered with $250,000 for 18%, Alfred negotiated her to 16%, and the team took her equity-only deal over Kevin's royalty.

Best Moment
“Mike Block performed on a 3D-printed cello, and the team had UV-printed Kevin O'Leary's face onto one prototype, a personalized touch Kevin noticed out loud.”
Interested
Lori Greiner, Kevin O'Leary
Out
Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Daniel Lubetzky

Where they are now:Thriving$500,000 revenueFull update →

Technology companies have a 56% deal rate on Shark Tank

Shalom JapanShalom JapanFood & Beverage
Deal

Asked $200,000 for 10% · Deal $200,000 for 30% with Barbara Corcoran

Sawako Okochi and Aaron Israel, the couple behind Shalom Japan, a Japanese-Jewish fusion restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, pitched a Matzoh Ball Ramen meal kit for two, their restaurant's signature dish for 12 years. The dish was born when Aaron made his mother's matzoh ball soup for Sawako, from Hiroshima, and she suggested adding ramen noodles. Kit sales were only about $17,000 at the time, at $79.99 shipped through Goldbelly. Every shark tasted the ramen and loved it, but Kevin O'Leary and Daniel Lubetzky worried about frozen shipping and retail, and Lori Greiner saw too much retail work. Barbara Corcoran offered $200,000 for 30%, contingent on Cousins Maine Lobster partnering on food trucks. Aaron countered at 25%, Barbara held firm, and they accepted her original terms.

Best Moment
“All five sharks tasted the ramen and praised the broth as exquisite, one of the rare pitches where the product itself got a unanimous rave even as four sharks went out.”
Interested
Barbara Corcoran
Out
Kevin O'Leary, Daniel Lubetzky, Lori Greiner, Daymond John

Where they are now:Operating$50,000 revenueFull update →

Food & Beverage companies have a 61% deal rate on Shark Tank

Where to Buy the Products from Shark Tank Season 17, Episode 6

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