A small business trying to get on 'Shark Tank' took a man dressed as a banana to an NYC open casting call. Here's how it went.
We first met Banana Guy (aka Brandon Vassallo) just after he had put on his banana suit. The day's pitches had only just begun, and Banana Loca was no. 38 out of about 350 pitches, even though they'd arrived at 6:05 am.
Another guy put on an inflatable shark suit nearby, showing how popular gimmicks were to the pitching process.
We later followed Banana Guy as he and the business owners prepared to pitch their product. They rehearsed a 60-second script as Banana Guy patiently waited for their turn. Heath and Jaoudeh had done their research, so they felt they knew what made a good pitch. "Captivating narrative, economy of language, precise word choice, [and] good posture," Jaoudeh told Business Insider.
![We later followed Banana Guy as he and the business owners prepared to pitch their product. They rehearsed a 60-second script as Banana Guy patiently waited for their turn. Heath and Jaoudeh had done their research, so they felt they knew what made a good pitch. "Captivating narrative, economy of language, precise word choice, [and] good posture," Jaoudeh told Business Insider.](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-69311792,width-700,height-525,imgsize-1179664/we-later-followed-banana-guy-as-he-and-the-business-owners-prepared-to-pitch-their-product-they-rehearsed-a-60-second-script-as-banana-guy-patiently-waited-for-their-turn-heath-and-jaoudeh-had-done-their-research-so-they-felt-they-knew-what-made-a-good-pitch-captivating-narrative-economy-of-language-precise-word-choice-and-good-posture-jaoudeh-told-business-insider-.jpg)
After waiting nearly four hours, Banana Loca was ready to pitch. Jaoudeh and Heath smiled, made sure the pitch was high-energy yet focused, and learned their screener's name and used it often to build a sense of familiarity. Meanwhile, Banana Guy looked on in support. Then came the crucial part: the ask. "We really thought long and hard about how much we’d need from the Sharks and what percent of the business we were willing to exchange for their expertise and partnership," Jaoudeh said.
Jaoudeh demonstrated how to straighten and core a banana using the Banana Loca gadget.
The demonstration went smoothly; the banana was cored perfectly.
Jaoudeh then filled the banana with Nutella using Banana Loca's hand-operated nozzle. He pressed down on the pump, and the nozzle injected the banana with the creamy spread. The screener even tried the product. "We were told that they don’t sample a lot of the foods, but he grabbed the banana and took several bites out of it, so I think actions speak louder than words," Jaoudeh said afterward.
After the pitch, Heath, Jaoudeh, and Banana Guy were pleased with how they did. "I thought we did well," Jaoudeh said. "We’ll see. Maybe we’ll get a phone call in two weeks. We’re very excited, and we hope we win." And Banana Guy helped, too. "He’s our hype banana," Heath added.
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