PitchMen (found Discovery Channel docudrama series; 2009-2011)

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PitchMenTitle.png

The first season's title card.

Status: Partially Lost

PitchMen was a docudrama TV series that aired on the Discovery Channel, produced by Original Productions. The series was a behind-the-scenes peek at the legendary pitchmen Billy Mays & Anthony "Sully" Sullivan's lives in the competitive direct-response marketing business.

Premise

While the episodes' content varied from episode to episode, most of them started with inventors showing off their ideas to the two pitchmen. Two products would be selected from the pile and field-tested for any potential interest. If the field tests on the products were satisfactory, the crew would film an infomercial for them. The infomercial would then air on a test market, and the inventor gets later notified whether their product was a success.

In-between the invention pitching, the show would delve deeper into Mays' and Sullivan's personal lives. The couple would go on trade shows, feud with each other (or with rival pitchman Vince Offer), or generally hang out with their families.

History

The show was officially announced by Discovery on January 9th, 2009, under the name But Wait... There's More (with 13 episodes, as opposed to the 12 episodes eventually released).[1] Interestingly, reports of Mays and Sullivan signing a production deal for the show's pilot came around as early as June 2008, with a name more close to the final one, Pitch Men.[2]

The first episode, "High Impact Item", aired on April 15th, 2009, and was met with generally positive reviews. In an unexpected change of events, Billy Mays was found dead in his Tampa home on June 28th, 2009 (3 days before the final episode aired).[3] In response to this, Discovery changed their screen bug to feature Mays, aired a marathon of all the episodes, and released a tribute named "Pitchman: A Tribute to Billy Mays" (which can be easily found online). Following Mays' death, it seemed obvious that the show would not be renewed for a second season, but Discovery contradicted that in a July 2009 press-release.[4] As a result of the lack of Mays, Sullivan became the sole star of the second season, with an occasional appearance of Mays' son, Billy Mays III.

Despite Sullivan's effort into salvaging the show, the viewership of the season two premiere was too low, and Discovery pulled the plug after just two episodes.[5] Eventually, Discovery put the show back on January 2011 to air the remaining episodes, although the show was put on a filler slot and got barely any promotion (so much so, that most people still recall Discovery never airing the last episodes).[6]

Availability

Despite being fairly popular back when it aired, it has become difficult to find full episodes of the show. It seems like the show was at one point found on several streaming services, but has since become unavailable on all of them.[7][8][9] Four full episodes can be found on YouTube (albeit in low quality), along with several clips from other episodes. Multiple torrents of the show existed, but they've all since died, too.

A DVD of the first season was created, but it's no longer sold officially and wasn't ripped online until November 2nd, 2019 when the Internet Archive user LongLostVideo dumped the disc's content on the site. The second season still remains mostly lost, without any home media release whatsoever (although one was probably intended, as evident by a few blooper reels uploaded on Sullivan's own YouTube page in 2017). It appears that a buyable DVD of the second season might exist on a Pakistani website, although it could be just misinformation.

Season 1

# Episode[10] Air Date Synopsis Status
1 High Impact Item April 15th, 2009 Billy and Sully try to turn two inventors' million-dollar dreams into realities. A man from a Texas trailer park has solved a pesky GPS problem, while another man's gel insoles could be big news for sore feet. But will they sell when put to the test?

Products featured: Impact Gel, GPS Pal

Found
2 Dual Saw Shuffle April 22nd, 2009 One man travels from Europe for just five minutes with Billy and Sully, hoping to make a fortune on his "Dual Saw" - an idea that was born out of a friend's tragic injury. A woman leaves her career behind to make an infomercial for her cleaning product, "Shuffles."

Products featured: Dual Saw, Shuffles

Found
3 From the Jaws of Victory April 29th, 2009 Billy and Sully take to the road to shoot a hands free cellphone spot that proves to be traffic-stopping. Then, for a real change of venue, they hit the high seas to test an inventor's ingenious shark repellent device.

Products featured: Sharkstopper, Jupiter Jack

Found
4 Smells Like Gold May 6th, 2009 A German inventor needs Sully to sell his gadget, but this perfectionist might be too much for Sully the pitchman and his team. Then, a former hockey player creates a stink-eliminating spray that gets put to the test when Billy is sprayed by a skunk on shoot day.

Products featured: Vertical Grill, Genius Frying Dome, What Odor?

Found
5 Spotting Talent May 13th, 2009 A 17-year-old boy has invented a cleaning product called the "Spot Sucker," but needs Billy and Sully's help to get it off the ground and change his life for the better. A woman with a foot salve and a small fan-base comes to Billy and Sully to take her business to the next level.

Products featured: Spot Sucker, Heel Stick

Found
6 Tool Guys May 20th, 2009 Sully is fired up to shoot an infomercial for "The Grabit" - a broken-screw extractor - but it could fall apart when Billy makes a deal without him. Born of necessity, the "Tool Band-it" works great, but still lacks an impressive demo, and Sully's sick on the big day!

Products featured: Grabit, Tool Band-it

Found
7 Spinning Green May 27th, 2009 A successful TV pitchwoman hopes to make herself a household name with her new "Spin Gym," but making her infomercial could damage her friendship with Billy and Sully. Next, Billy gets to have some selling fun as a guest on the Tonight Show.

Products featured: Spin Gym, Kaboom

Found
8 Digging for Dollars June 3rd, 2009 Billy re-vamps the ad for one of his most successful products - the "Awesome Auger" - whose inventor lost his legs in a harrowing plane crash. Then, the first-ever infomercial for affordable health insurance: Billy and his family pitch "iCan."

Products featured: Awesome Auger, iCan

Found
9 Grater Education June 10th, 2009 A former pitchmen and cancer survivor gets a leg up from Billy and Sully, who both cut a spot for his handmade product. Then, Billy engages in the deadliest pitch of his career, and the pitch pros are invited to lecture at Princeton University.

Products featured: Grater Plater, Mighty Putty Super Pack

Found
10 A Tale of Three Billys June 17th, 2009 Billy and Sully pitch a lawn fertilizer, Billy's father pitches them a new luxury product, and Billy and Sully help Billy's son direct his first commercial.

Products featured: Green Now, "Turn, Don't Burn," Ragazzi's Italian Restaurant

Found
11 Crunch Time June 24th, 2009 Billy and Sully take on a revolutionary new windshield wiper and produce an explosive shoot, featuring something called the "Bug Bazooka." Then the guys get behind a new way to eat breakfast cereal, "The EZ Crunch Bowl."

Products featured: Gator Blades, EZ Crunch Bowl

Found
12 Revenge of the Pitchmen July 1st, 2009 After banding together to take on a new pitchman on the block, tensions between Billy and Sully come to a head in Philadelphia, as both are determined to win a pitch-off that will decide once and for all who is the best pitchman in the business.

Products featured: Zorbeez, Quick Chop (not mentioned by name: Smart Chopper, Smart Mop)

Found

Season 2

# Episode[11][12][13] Air Date Synopsis Status
1 Passing the Torch Aug 19th, 2010 A former marine with a bright idea thinks he can revolutionize the flashlight, and Sully puts his life on the line for an inventor carrying on his father's lifesaving legacy.

Products featured: Mighty Thirsty, HexLight, Cold Fire

Partially Found (full episode formerly available on torrent sites)
2 Heart Wrench Aug 26th, 2010 It's a rocky road for a 16-year-old boy, and survivor of 5 heart surgeries, who invents a cool tool. Successful Inventor brothers roll the dice on a new invention, and a victim of identity theft invents a way to combat electronic pickpockets.

Products featured: Select-A-Wrench, Unknown name, Secure Sleeves from Identity Stronghold

Lost (picture exists) (full episode formerly available on torrent sites)
3 Bear Market Jan 18th, 2011 Inventors gamble everything on a revolutionary razor, a man creates a snack food safe that puts Sully on a closed set with a hungry grizzly, and celebrity DJ Kennedy pitches her friend Dr. Drew Pinsky an invention designed to keep prescription drugs safe.

Products featured: ShaveMate, Fridge Locker, RX Locker

Partially Found (full episode formerly available on torrent sites)
4 The New Gun In Town Jan 25th, 2011 Sully and assistant Kennedy head to a Chicago home and houseware convention to hear some sometimes crazy pitches for the "next big thing," including an easy stringer and a tater tornado. Then, Sully heads to the circus to test a revolutionary new needle.

Products featured: EZ Stringer, (Boardwalk) Tater Tornado, One Second Needle

Lost (full episode formerly available on torrent sites)
5 From the Jaws of Victory Feb 1st, 2011 A robotic whisk has design flaws, and a food-wrapping invention is pitched, along with gravity-defying workout boots.

Products featured: RoboStir, Wraptor Teeth, Unknown name

Partially Found (one 3D render/animation only)
6 The Cutting Edge Feb 8th, 2011 A young inventor hooks Sully with a collapsing trashcan, but a manufacturing short cut may destroy the product's future. Two friends think a simple piece of plastic can keep you safe from intruders, and a legendary knife man gets a chance at one last pitch.

Products featured: Unknown name, KeyPout, Unknown name

Partially Found
7 Wave of Success Feb 15th, 2011 An inventor risks everything to get his Stadium Back chair - and his face - on the air. A mother of four puts it all on the line with her simple alternative to the chip clip. Then, Sully and Kennedy try out an electric skateboard.

Products featured: Stadium Back, Ba'Noodle, E-Glide

Partially Lost
8 Fighting Shape Feb 22nd, 2011 Sully puts out a call for fitness products; a female fitness star comes back to the spotlight with her "Chest Magic" machine. Also, BMXers test two new concepts: one, a "bicycle meets elliptical trainer," and the other, a "bicycle meets rowing machine."

Products featured: Chest Magic, Unknown names (possibly unnamed)

Lost
9 Fishing for Gold March 1st, 2011 Sully mixes business and pleasure testing a Frisbee flying fishing tool. An inventor also hooks Sully's heart with a fitness tool a man invents to save his best friend's life. Sully and Kennedy field test a patent pro's new suction device.

Products featured: Unknown names

Lost
10 On a Wing and a Prayer March 8th, 2011 Sully shares his tricks of the trade with 3 junior pitchmen and endures some of the adults' less successful pitches. A fighter pilot pitches his new fitness tool, and a friend comes out of his own pitchman retirement with "Flippin Sticks."

Products featured: Unknown names, Flippin Stick

Lost

Gallery

The original trailer for the show.

A sneak peak promo from Discovery about the second season's premiere.

The intro for the second season.

A part of "Wave of Success".

Another part of "Wave of Success".

A 3D render of the RoboStir from "From the Jaws of Victory (2011)".

A blooper reel of possibly "Fighting Shape," "The Cutting Edge," "The New Gun In Town" and "On a Wing and a Prayer".

A blooper reel of possibly "Passing the Torch," "From the Jaws of Victory (2011)" and "The New Gun In Town".

A blooper reel of possibly "Heart Wrench" and "The Cutting Edge".

A blooper reel of possibly "Passing the Torch", "The New Gun In Town," "Wave of Success," "From the Jaws of Victory (2011)" and "Heart Wrench".

A clip from "Passing The Torch" in a trailer showing Sullivan testing out Cold Fire.

Another part of the same clip from "Passing The Torch".

A compilation of ShaveMate clips from "Bear Market".

A part from "Wave of Success" showing off the E-Glide.

A compilation of KeyPout clips from "The Cutting Edge".

Another clip of the KeyPout campaign from "The Cutting Edge".

External Links

References