If you're an insomniac you probably have sat up many nights watching these infomercials. Hopefully, you weren't suckered into 'calling right away' and ordering one of the products for your very own.
#1 But Wait..There's More
Remember the Pocket Fisherman, Flowbee, Sham Wow, or the Snuggie? We've spent countless late-night hours enjoying the exploits of greats like Ron Popeil and the late, great Billy Mays, but no matter how many infomercials and commercials you watched, you were never prepared for those gems that called out the worst aspects of televised advertising. These eleven televised product advertisements are the worst of the worst, and we couldn't wait to share them with you!
#2 Shake Weight For Men
The women's Shake Weight ad says it tones muscle without adding bulk, but the men's versions say's it adds bulk and build muscle. It's the same product just in a heavier size. The Shake Weight infomercial is about as uncomfortable as they come. You can't be enthusiastic about the results of the Shake Weight because it's pretty much distracting from start to finish. The Shake Weight for Men commercial features a segment towards the beginning which demonstrates bulky, muscular men struggling with the weight after 14 seconds. How's the average Joe going to fair? Looking beyond that silliness, throughout the very dramatic selling of this new-aged exercise device, we're treated to uneasy slow-motion close-ups of muscular men shaking the weight in a very suggestive manner. The entire ad could double as a porn segment.
#3 Doc Bottoms Aspray
It's hard to believe this product was developed, manufactured, and then sold.. or at least tried to be sold. Described as an "all over" body spray, the Aspray ad ensures that you know just how literal they are when using the phrase "all over", from your own unclean genitals to Lanny F's "odors in special places". Complete with a plumber who has a stinky crack, this ad runs like a spoof on SNL. It's a commercial so ridiculous it takes a few viewings before realizing the phrase "beastly butt odor" was actually used to try and market this product. Didn't anyone tell the inventor, former contractor Adam Jay Geisinger, that we already have deodorant, body spray, and powders for our stinky places?
#4 Tiddy Bear
You may not get the Tiddy Bear joke until you say the name out loud and see the TV infomercial, which features close-ups of a little, stuffed bear nestled facedown in women's cleavage. The Tiddy Bear padded seatbelt pad works by attaching to your seatbelt shoulder strap in order to pad it and keep it from digging into your skin. It was invented by a breast-cancer survivor who found her seatbelt uncomfortable after surgery. Ellen Degeneres shows this commercial and supports the Tiddy Bear on her talk show, but we think she's just fascinated by the name.
#5 The Gazelle
We must admit, though it's been around for awhile, this commercial is good for a little chuckle. Like any exercise machine, The Gazelle looks like it will work wonders, but fails to do anything once it's in your living room. That's not our issue with this awkward infomercial. This one gets a little creepy when male host Tony Little shows how the Gazelle can spice up your love life. After bouncing off the walls in excitement for 20 seconds, he climbs on the Gazelle behind co-host Darla Haun, then Little gives us the physical demonstration we were praying he would launch into. Thank you, Tony. Our day is now complete.
#6 Rejuvenique Electric Facial Mask
Have you ever wanted to look like Michael Myers while getting a rejuvenating facial treatment? Well, thanks to the Rejuvenique Electric Facial Mask you can look like an axe murderer and have a questionable workout all at the same time. Sit back and relax as 26 electrodes zap your face back to beautiful. Look at that featureless design, made even more unsettling by the deadness in the eyes of those wearing it. For something that's massaging your face, you expect eyes that are a bit livelier and less focused on what murder tool will require the least clean-up.
#7 Booty Pop
Tired of not having that Kim K butt? For the small, introductory price of $19.95, you too can enjoy the benefits of butt lift surgery without painful recovery and permanent transformation. You can, however, endure the awkward moment of disappointment when you disrobe in front of your intended beau, only to show that your assets aren't as voluptuous as they seemed. Really, the weirdest thing about Booty Pop's butt fashion show of an infomercial is do women really snap their butts at one another every time they walk into the room?
#8 UroClub
It's not often you stumble across a product that promotes public urination, but the UroClub does exactly that. At last, you don't have to use the toilet like a savage while playing golf. The UroClub is designed to look like an ordinary golf club with a reservoir for you to pee into. It comes with a discreet towel so you can just flop it out on the 9th and go for gold. If you don't get arrested for indecent exposure you'll be swinging pretty all the way to the clubhouse. Nothing says a great game of golf like walking around with a club filled with your piss. Truly one of the worst infomercial products ever!
#9 Slap Chop
Thanks to the Slap Chop Food Chopper, I no longer live a mundane and boring life! At least, that's the response we're expected to have when we purchase the ever-convenient Slap Chop! He makes us believe that slapping down on a press repeatedly to make tuna salad is EXCITING! The tone of the infomercial shifts occasionally when he assures us that we're going to "love his nuts" and will be "slapping our troubles away". In fact, the whole infomercial has a very weird sexual undertone that makes us question what the writers intended. "Bored? Slap your boredom away!"
#10 The Hawaii Chair
I always wanted to order this one because it just looks fun. But try and watch this infomercial once from beginning to end and see what you pick up about the product. Probably nothing, right? Because it's infuriatingly difficult to focus on anything else that's going on when everyone is sitting there, swiveling back and forth like they have some drastic nervous tick. Now we don't know, the concept may be good, but we can't get past the idea of how incredibly annoying it would be to have to sit near someone who's body is being jerked back and forth while their upper body struggles to remain steady, or worse.. trying to work while your body is being jerked back and forth while your upper half struggles to remain steady. Of course, If we were the one doing the swiveling, that may be a different story. Ellen Degeneres promotes this product on her show a lot, and she seems to enjoy the swiveling hip movements.
#11 GLH9
This is GLH, Great Looking Hair in a can, and it's a Ron Popeil classic. It's spray on hair. Really. It's the granddaddy of bad infomercials. For just $19.95 you can experience that special feeling of false confidence as you cruise around town with a full head of something. You'll get the attention you've always wanted for all the wrong reasons. The ad promises that it won't wash off in the rain, and it comes in six different colors. Finally, a cure for baldness!
#12 Ginsu Knife
The advertisements for the Ginsu Knife is a classic that brings back many memories of late night infomercials, but that doesn't mean we're going to overlook its follies. The advertisement sets the stage by reminding us that this is an Asian product with some good ‘ole fashion karate chopping. Alas! You can't karate chop a tomato! Enter the Ginsu Knife! The one and only knife you'll ever need to use, and you know this because you've seen it cut through thick roast beef, hearty bread, tomatoes, and planks of wood? Overall it's not the worst infomercial out there, but the over-the-top and clearly forced enthusiasm from the narrator doesn't help to sell such a product.
