Firefighter wins American Inventor

TV Squad - Santa Monica, CA, USA - Last night, this summer's winner of ABC's American Inventor was crowned. Firefighter Greg Chavez's invention, Guardian Angel, was voted by Americans as the best invention out of the Top 3 selected by the judges.

When Chavez presented his idea to the judges during the auditions, he hadn't won them all over (Pat Croce voted no) because he didn't have a working model; actually, his brilliant idea was only put on paper. But thanks to his passion and the fact that his idea could save lives if it worked, he got enough votes to not only become a San Francisco finalist but to end up in the Top 6.

Being in the Top 6 awarded him $50,000 and the chance to work with development and marketing teams. All teams in the Top 6 had four weeks to refine their invention. Once the deadline was reached, they had to make a final pitch, using their improved product, to the four judges: George Foreman, Pat Croce, Peter Jones and Sara Blakely.