most annoying person in the world

[Sonic dB]

makes me want to punch the TV and run for the volume knob when he comes on...

probably sells a ton of those little $10 gadgets to "middle America" though...

anyone here ever buy any of his crap?

[VaSteve]

I was at a superbowl party where the host was really drunk and spilled red wine on his white carpet. So he head to the cabinet where he's got a batch of that oxy-clean already made up. Pours it on the wine. It turned BLACK! We were literally ****ting we were laughing so hard. Then the color went away and a rug looked fine. Stuff really worked.

The guy is annoying as hell. I wanna see what the crazy putty really will do. WTF, a coffee mug handle. The Garfield mug really worth all that??? Problem is for me this guy is on all the stations at 5:30 when I'm working out. Even worse is the John Waters lookalike shilling Dual Action Cleanser.

[DonDavis]

Originally Posted by Sonic dB

anyone here ever buy any of his crap?

Uh, I'll have to get back to you in 7-10 days.
I'll report back.

[Sonic dB]

a product review on the way?

[Moneyguy1]

I agree that he is annoying. Thank God for the "mute" button.

What the he!! is the attraction that sellers have for him?

[pwd72s]

Most annoying? You guys must not have wayched Rosie???

[peppy]

That guy could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman wearing white gloves.

[Moneyguy1]

Rosie couldn't hold a candle to this guy, "Billy Mays".

[Hugh R]

Some of the pitches have one or more Australian (I think) guys pitching these floor sweepers. Do they think we'll buy one cause the guys got a "British-sounding" accent?

[Moneyguy1]

When I bought our (oops..sorry...my) current house, one of those plastic brooms was in the utility room. It works really well on the brick patio. Hasn't broken yet!!

[masraum]

Billy Mays is horrible. Yes, he's right up there at the top of the list if he's not the most annoying person in the world.

[cstreit]

I'm a bit sheepish to admin I actually like this guy... For whatever reason, don't ask me why... He always starts his commercials with "HI! I'm Billy Mays..." ...and inevitably my wife and I both give an exagerated wave and say "HI BILLY MAYS".

I know he panders to the lowest common denominator. ...however the stuff he sells, actually works (at least those that I've experienced). We are on a septic-system and can't use bleach. The Oxy-clean does an awesome job on our white laundry.

He actually lost "credibility" with me when he started this whole super epoxy stuff with the "it pulls a truck!" schtick.

My name is Chris, and I don't hate Billy Mays.

[Sonic dB]

Wow, it pays big $ to be Loud and Obnoxious. And this, below is in 2002 dollars.
It reminds me of a quote from the lead singer of the band Oasis who said something like
"tell all of the people in the world how great you are, and 1/2 of them will believe you"

As seen on TV, pitchman Billy Mays cleans up with shtick


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In-your-face salesman peddles fixes for car dents to cleaning products

By Mitch Stacy
The Associated Press

PALM HARBOR, Fla. - Out in his three-car garage, next to the brand new black Bentley, TV pitchman Billy Mays keeps a long cabinet stocked with the cleaning products that are making him a household name.

Not only does Mr. Mays use OxiClean, Kaboom and Orange Clean on tough stains, he swears by the stuff. And he foists it on whoever visits, sending them home with tubs, boxes, spray bottles and helpful cleaning tips.

"I enjoy what I do," the amiable Pittsburgh native said. "I think it shows."

Mr. Mays, 44, is an unabashed company man. His thumbs-up TV pitches have helped make Orange Glo International one of the nation's fastest-growing companies - and put him and his wife, Deborah, in a big house with a pool in the back and luxury vehicles in the garage.

Love him or hate him, there's no escaping the burly, bearded Billy Mays on TV. There he is on one commercial urging you to add a scoop of OxiClean to each laundry load. Turn the channel, and he's peddling a car dent fixer, or a hands-free cell phone device. On another, he is spritzing Orange Clean on a kitchen counter.

Mr. Mays' ubiquitousness and in-your-face pitches have earned him his share of detractors. In a true measure of celebrity in the modern age, whole Web sites are now dedicated to trashing him.

Mr. Mays has plenty of fans, too. People line up at his personal appearances for autographed color glossies, and strangers stop him in airports to chat about the products.

"As long as there's good and bad, it evens itself out," he said.

Mr. Mays has never been anything but a salesman, starting out of high school with his dad's waste hauling business.

He developed his style demonstrating knives, mops and other "as seen on TV" gadgets on Atlantic City's boardwalk. For years he worked as a hired gun on the state fair and home show circuits, attracting crowds with his booming voice and genial manner.

After meeting Orange Glo International founder Max Appel at a home show in Pittsburgh in the mid-'90s, Mr. Mays was recruited to demonstrate the environmentally friendly line of cleaning products on the St. Petersburg-based Home Shopping Network. Sales took off the very first day he was on.

Commercials and infomercials followed, anchored by the high-energy Mr. Mays showing how it's done. Now he's the public face of a company projected to earn $330 million this year, after taking in $245 million in 2001.

Inc. magazine named Denver-based Orange Glo International one of the 10 fastest-growing privately owned companies in each of the past three years, and Mr. Appel says Mr. Mays is a big part of it.

[aigel]

People like this are the reason I don't own a TV. I stay in hotels enough to know what's' on and reinforce the wish to stay away from TV.

George

[on2wheels52]

No tv for us either. Was the first pic Bob Villa? And we don't get much hotel time.
Jim

[89911]

He's no Tony Little.

[89911]

Originally Posted by aigel

People like this are the reason I don't own a TV. I stay in hotels enough to know what's' on and reinforce the wish to stay away from TV.

George

DVR's have change the way I watch every show. I actually enjoy how stupid some of the commercials are. (At least for the first one or two times)

[john70t]

People with no personal gumption are easily bullied.

[Mule]

I was commenting recently that this guy is like fingernails on a blackboard. If he would just stop hollering. He is more annoying than Rosie 'cause he's harder to dodge. This guy pops up everywhere.

[scottmandue]

Yeah, okay... so he is annoying...

But my number one most annoying TV salesman is/was the body building guy who sold that goofy looking gym thing where you swing your hands and feet alternately.

And what is the deal with Americans and English/Australian accents? Seems like we would buy dog $hit on a bun if the guy has a cute accent.

And why is hands plural but not feets?