Orland Park Couple To Appear On ABC's Shark Tank

ORLAND PARK, IL — Orland Park’s Patty and Andy Watne knew they needed to do something about their hair problems. Not the hair on their heads, but the hair that came off — in the shower.

The Watne's said first there was hair on their shower wall, then little balls of hair dropped in their soap dish, and finally, their bathroom flooded after hair clogged their shower drain. Frustrated by the problem many people all over the world deal with as well, the pair decided to craft their own product to handle multiple issues, including hair stuck to hands, keeping it contained and most importantly, preventing flooding due to a clogged drain.

After two years of trial and error, prototyping, testing, and hearing a lot of "no’s," the Watnes finally introduced the "HairyGrabster" to the world.

"My husband started to ask me about the hair in the shower; he thought our daughter needed to see a doctor. He had no idea that people with longer hair shed so much daily. After I explained to him that it’s a problem for so many people, we set out to find a solution," Patty said.

Patty explained that when first starting out, the pair sold the HairyGrabster at local area salons, with the product eventually making its way to Amazon and Walmart. The couple began selling the product online in November 2019 on the product's website.

The couple was excited to hear they would be cast in an episode of ABC's Shark Tank, airing Friday, March 26, at 7 p.m. They're hopeful the upcoming appearance will get the word out on their product.

"It's surreal," Patty said. "It's nice to be able to finally tell people that we're going to be on because we couldn't even tell people we couldn't tell people we had filmed."

Patty went on to say the product is simple to use and suctions right to the shower wall. All you have to do is swipe your hairy hands over the soft bristles to catch the loose hair. She said customers’ responses have been very enthusiastic, even calling it "a game-changer" and "great new idea for the shower."

"It’s been amazing to conceive an idea, develop the product, introduce it to the public, and have so many people benefit from it. We are so excited by the response!" Patty said.

Although we don't know if the couple received any offers or made a deal just yet, the entrepreneur said that prior to going on the show, the pair was most hopeful to work with shark Lori Greiner. Patty added that getting to work with any shark in the tank would be an honor.

Patty said that she and Andy hope to make Orland Park proud.

"I really hope that we can serve as part of another great positive image for the village and shine another positive light," Patty said. "I think it's a such a wonderful town, a great place to live. And I love that my kids are growing up here. We hope to keep that [village legacy]."

Learn more about the HairyGrabster on its website, here.