The retired NFL defensive end was running Bubba's Q, his family's famed barbecue restaurant in Avon, Ohio, and investing his meager profits in another business based on his innovation
boneless baby back ribs sold in many local supermarkets.Baker's aim of extending his branded line of sauces and rubs while pushing his boneless ribs business statewide was
on the verge of collapse. He was on the verge of giving up. Brittani Bo Baker, his daughter, was not ready to give up. She was inspired by her favorite TV show, the ABC reality show "Shark Tank."
A slew of contestants on the show, proposing bizarre items like bug repellents and sleep pod blankets, were scooping up big-money deals and quick stardom.
"This is going to help us," she said to her father, encouraging him to apply for the show. Baker, 66, has previously been on TLC's competitive show "BBQ Pitmasters" and PBS' ode to small businesses, "Start Up."
He was initially skeptical. However, while watching "Shark Tank," it hit home. "The show was putting itself out there as the American dream," he explained.
Baker and his daughter were in a Los Angeles TV studio in September 2013, charming the panel of celebrity shark investors with their narrative and rib samples for the show's fifth season.
Baker, who stands 6 feet 8 and towers above the panelists, impressed the panelists by pulling his patents from behind a stage prop.