THE THREE FINALISTS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN, ON ABC'S "AMERICAN INVENTOR"

The Audience Was Called Upon to Vote to Determine Who Will Become the Next American Inventor, Which Will Be Revealed on the August 1 Season Finale Episode

On last Wednesday's (July 25) episode of "American Inventor," using the criteria of innovation, mass appeal, marketability and passionate pitch, the judges whittled down the six finalists to three. America was then called upon to vote to determine who will win the million-dollar prize and the title of American Inventor, which will be revealed in the season finale episode on August 1.

The three finalists are:

� Ricky DeRennaux (from the Los Angeles auditions) -- a school-teacher from Oklahoma who describes his Custom Build Racers invention as, "The design and fabrication of custom vehicles through the use of computers and patented tools. Intended for use by individuals and groups ages 13 and up for entertainment and educational purposes, my invention is a kit that lets teens design, engineer and build remote controlled vehicles."

� Greg Chavez (from the San Francisco auditions) -- a firefighter from Camarillo, California who describes his Guardian Angel invention as, "A small, pressurized tank of water, disguised as a Christmas package, that is placed under the Christmas tree and attached to a small hose leading to the top of the tree where a fusible link is disguised as an angel. The heat from a fire pops the link and water suppresses the fire. There is also an alarm that works without a battery�intended to suppress (not fully extinguish) a Christmas tree fire and sound an alarm to get people out of the house alive."

� Elaine Cato (from the Chicago auditions) -- a realtor from Tennessee who describes her 6-in-1 Convertible Brassiere invention as, "A convertible brassiere that accommodates the full wardrobe of small frame women with a "C" cup or above. This is a traditional brassiere that converts into six configurations and affords the full back to be exposed with comfort because there is no mid-section and it can be worn with full wardrobe."

"American Inventor's" panel of expert judges are businessman/former heavyweight champion/ordained minister George Foreman, British tycoon Peter Jones, entrepreneur Pat Croce and Spanx creator Sara Blakely. Nick Smith hosts. The series is produced by FremantleMedia North America, Simon Cowell's Syco Television and Peter Jones TV Ltd. Simon Cowell, Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Siobhan Greene, Peter Jones and Clay Newbill are executive producers. Dug James and Tabitha Hansen are co-executive producers. "American Inventor" is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. This program carries a TV-PG parental guideline.