Whatever Happened To BagBowl After Shark Tank?

Sometimes, what looks like a winning "Shark Tank" idea gets off to a running start — only to become one of the many "Shark Tank" products that fails spectacularly and ends up no longer available. Sadly, BagBowl is one of those products, but when Kevin and Brian Fleming came up with the idea for the collapsible mealtime container, they thought it would innovate the way we eat. 

The brothers told The Pitch that they were inspired to create the BagBowl thanks to Beckett, Kevin Fleming's dog, who couldn't drink water out of a normal portable bag while traveling. "I was just trying to think of a way for my dog to drink water at the dog park," Kevin explained. His search for a way to make Beckett's life easier ultimately resulted in the BagBowl, a completely new creation that allowed dogs and humans alike to eat and drink from Ziplocs on the go. The first model was crafted from gaffer tape and popsicle sticks, but the patented version was a plastic cylinder which could be collapsed during travel but remain sturdy during eating, making it useful for picnics and other travel-based consumption. Like the People's Design Scooping Bowl, the Flemings hoped it would become a major part of everyone's kitchenware collection.

While the brothers' ambition led them to "Shark Tank" in October 2012 and even all the way to QVC, users were less than thrilled with the final product, which resulted in the end of BagBowl as a whole. But what happened to the company between BagBowl's birth and death? 

Kevin and Brian Fleming enter the tank during Season 4 looking to raise $40,000 for 33% equity in the company. They admit that they've spent $40,000 of their own money on creating the BagBowl, which already has the Sharks on edge. Things get worse when they reveal that they only have a utility patent pending for the product, not an issued one. On top of all of that, they attended the IHA Trade Show, got solid feedback from multiple attendees — but no bites from investors at all. For all of these reasons, they're "pre-revenue." 

The Sharks become even more resistant when this news hits their ears. Kevin O'Leary notes that the brothers are pushing the cost of the product back on the manufacturer. Mark Cuban claims the brothers are unwilling to put the sweat equity necessary into the project to make it real; Brian calls Mark "Cubes," which results in him immediately leaving the tank. While the brothers claim that their product is entirely unique and that there's nothing else like it out there, Kevin O'Leary notes that if he wanted a bowl, he could go into his kitchen and get one; he's out. Daymond John also finds the brothers to be unprofessional and exits.

Robert Herjavec and Lori Greiner, however, are both interested in helping BagBowl thrive. Herjavec offers $40,000 for 45% equity. Grenier steps up to try the item herself and finds it to be sturdy; she offers exactly what the brothers want, $40,000 for 33% equity. They try to head to the hallway to discuss it, but that angers Grenier, who threatens to withdraw his offer if they leave. The brothers accept Grenier's deal.

Unfortunately, the Fleming brothers' apparent lack of preparedness and their unwise business practices would come back to haunt them. An immediate manufacturing issue right after their episode aired slowed down their momentum, putting them two months behind in production. 

Still, Brian Fleming didn't give up hope at the time. "Kevin is going to be taking BagBowl and Daddio Designs (their then-new design company, from which they marketed the Daddio Spill Stopper Training Cup) to some trade shows," he told Shark Tank Blog shortly after the episode aired. "We're hoping our story is building from our appearance on Shark Tank. We want to be seen as two hard-working guys who like to have a little fun. You have to have fun with it." To be fair to Kevin, there was no reason to think this wouldn't work; Brian invented a foot bath for dogs, the Canine Foot Bath, which is still being sold as the Fresh Pals Paw Cleaner by Ginsey Home Solutions.

The deal between the Flemings and Lori Greiner was eventually finalized. Greiner was as good as her word and took the product on QVC, where it was sold as the Reusable BagBowl 16 Piece Starter Set. But bad buzz was about to set in for the BagBowl — and it wouldn't be long before they went out of business.

While the company released themed BagBowls in 2013, that would be the product's final iteration. BagBowl suffered from poor reviews on Amazon, where it only had a three-star rating based off 37 reviews, by the time the brothers shuttered the company in 2016. Customers complained that the BagBowl proved too flimsy in use, and that it was hard to keep them open when they were trying to eat out of them. Apparently collapsing them ended up making the BagBowl even harder to manage, as that caused it to fail to hold it shape. 

All that poor word of mouth helped bring about the company's end. Its social media is long dead, including an X (formerly Twitter) account and Facebook page which haven't been updated since 2016. BagBowl is also off Amazon and their website is inactive.

Another bitter pill to swallow: Daddio Spill Stopper Training Cup also proved to be a poor investment choice and went under in a similar manner, with even worse reviews to its name — it only had a 2.5 on Amazon before it was discontinued. All in all, its a good thing the brothers never quit their day jobs to go into the design business.

With their entrepreneurial days behind them, Brian and Kevin Fleming have reentered the private sector and resumed their day jobs. Brian still sells real estate with BF Real Estate Group, a job he didn't leave while pursuing his BagBowl dreams. He also appeared on "Wheel of Fortune" following his "Shark Tank" go-round.

Kevin, meanwhile, has continued life in the tech world, working with Foghorn Consulting as a Cloud Infrastructure Strategist, then as Senior Director of Content and Product Marketing with Evoque. He returned to Foghorn as Head of Marketing before working with RapidScale as Director of Marketing Content. Currently, he's splitting time between running his startup, EdgeCraft AI, and freelancing as a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer and B2B Marketing Strategist.

It seems the brothers did learn something from their time in the Tank. "I think anyone who goes on Shark Tank needs to know their business inside and out, you need to be prepared for anything," Brian Fleming told Shark Tank Blog, while admitting that their pitch had been heavily scripted and the Sharks' questions threw them off their game. They learned the hard way that it's important to think on your feet when you're dancing with Sharks.