Simon’s American Inventor Returns Tonight

American Idol judge, Simon Cowell, has the new season of American Inventor to think about. With barely two weeks’ between the season finale of Idol and the beginning of Inventor, Simon is a very busy man. He’s also estimated to be worth $200 million. That’s quite an accomplishment given the fact that he didn’t go to college. “There was nothing I could— and wanted to— learn in school,” Cowell said. “It was just a complete waste of my time.”

“The secret of my success is that I make other people money,” he said. “And, never ever, ever, ever be ashamed about trying to earn as much as possible for yourself, if the person you’re working with is also making money. That’s life! The more they’re making, the more money I want.”

For his American Inventor winner, who will take home $1 million, Simon has certain expectations – they must make a product that he thinks is worthwhile. “You’ve got to relate to the product,” he said. “Something where you go: ‘God! I wish I’d invented that.’”

Last year’s winner invented a baby car seat which spins in a crash, lowering the impact on an infant.

“Its gonna take a long time to get it manufactured because you’ve got to go through obviously, tons of safety checks, and the government gets involved, but it will go on the market,” Cowell said. “And I believe when it goes on the market it will save thousands and thousands of lives. So, it’s fantastic!”

He is not as enthusiastic about some of the other submissions he has seen. “We even had a guy who had to be escorted out by security this year, who came in with the best invention in the world and when we asked him what it was: it was the wheel,” he said.

One of the show’s four judges is boxing legend George Foreman, who didn’t invent the famous grill that bears his name. But his heavyweight endorsement earned him a reported $150 million.

If Simon were a contestant on this show, he knows what he’d bring in as his invention. “I’ve invented good shows, and I think that when you invent TV shows, it’s a very similar process,” he said. “You’ve got to get it financed, then you’ve got to get it made. Then you’ve got to make it popular. They’re all inventions, aren’t they?”

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