What Happened to ABS Protein Pancakes After Shark Tank? Is it still in business?

If you are a fan of the hit entrepreneurial reality show “Shark Tank,” you likely remember the pitch for ABS Protein Pancakes back in Season 7.

Pitched by fitness trainers Ashley Drummonds and Josh McClelland, this brand promised to let you eat your favorite comfort food without ruining your diet.

At the time, the idea of a high-protein, low-carb pancake mix was a game-changer for people spending hours in the gym. The founders even shook hands on a deal with Daymond John right there on national television.

However, a lot has changed since that episode first aired. Rumors about massive $6 million revenue years and ongoing business success have flooded the internet for years.

But as we look at the health and wellness market in 2026, the real story of ABS Pancakes is much more complicated.

In this complete 2026 update, we will break down exactly what ABS Protein Pancakes were, what really happened behind the scenes with their Shark Tank deal, fact-check their actual net worth, and reveal what the founders are up to today.

What Are ABS Protein Pancakes?

ABS Pancakes is a brand of specialized breakfast mixes designed for people who want to eat healthy but still enjoy sweet treats.

The name “ABS” stands for Authentic, Beautiful, and Strong. The goal of the brand was simple: give fitness lovers a way to eat pancakes that actually helped them build muscle and lose weight.

In the mid-2010s, most fitness diets were incredibly boring. People who wanted to stay in shape usually had to rely on dry chicken breasts, plain broccoli, and chalky protein shakes. ABS Pancakes offered a way out of that boring routine.

Here is what made their pancake mix so unique at the time:

• Massive Protein Content: Every serving packed between 24 and 34 grams of protein. This was achieved by using a special blend of high-quality ingredients, including Whey Protein, Whey Isolate, Casein, and U.S. Milk Protein.
• Low in Carbs and Sugar: A standard serving contained only 4 to 8 grams of net carbs and less than 8 grams of sugar. This made it highly popular with people following low-carb, diabetic-friendly, or keto diets.
• Gluten-Free: The mixes were completely free of gluten, making them safe for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities.
• Great Flavors: Instead of tasting like plain protein powder, the brand offered fun flavors like Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Swirl, and Vanilla Cake Batter.
• Quick to Make: You did not need eggs or oil. You simply added water or milk to the powder, mixed it up, and poured it onto a hot griddle.

Because the mix used different types of protein (like whey, which digests fast, and casein, which digests slowly), it gave athletes a steady stream of energy during their workouts.

ABS Pancakes Company Overview

Business Detail	Information
Founders	Ashley Drummonds and Josh McClelland
Product	High-protein, low-carb pancake and waffle mixes
Shark Tank Episode	Season 7, Episode 12
Original Ask	$120,000 for 40% equity
Televised Deal	$120,000 for 42% equity with Daymond John
2026 Business Status	Dormant / Inactive

Who Founded ABS Protein Pancakes?

ABS Protein Pancakes was the brainchild of Ashley Drummonds. Before starting the company, Drummonds had spent over ten years working as a personal trainer and fitness coach in Tampa, Florida.

She was deeply passionate about helping people get healthy, but she noticed a major problem that kept holding her clients back: diet fatigue.

Drummonds realized that her clients were struggling to stick to their meal plans because they missed comfort foods. She also felt this frustration herself. She was tired of feeling like she had to starve herself or skip sweet treats just to keep her abs looking toned.

Driven to find a solution, Drummonds started playing around with recipes in her own kitchen. She mixed different protein powders, natural sweeteners, and gluten-free flours until she finally created a pancake that tasted like a cheat meal but had the nutrition of a protein shake.

She started out very small. She packed single-serve bags of the mix in her kitchen and sold them to her personal training clients.

At first, she was only selling about 20 orders a week through social media. But as word spread about how good they tasted, the business started to grow rapidly.

Drummonds eventually teamed up with Josh McClelland, another fitness marketer, to help grow the business. Together, they managed to hit $100,000 in lifetime sales before they even stepped onto the set of Shark Tank.

The Shark Tank Pitch: Season 7, Episode 12

When Ashley Drummonds and Josh McClelland walked into the Shark Tank, they were confident in their product. They were seeking an investment of $120,000 in exchange for 40% of their company, which gave ABS Pancakes an overall valuation of $300,000.

They started their pitch with high energy, explaining how boring standard fitness diets can be. They then revealed their secret weapon: a delicious pancake mix that only had 250 calories for an entire stack of four pancakes. To prove their point, they handed out fresh samples to the Sharks.

The Taste Test

The Sharks had very mixed reactions to the taste. Mark Cuban was pleasantly surprised, saying the pancakes tasted a bit like Angel Food cake. However, the other Sharks were not as thrilled. They complained that the pancakes were a little dry—which is common when baking with highly absorbent protein powders and coconut flour.

Some Sharks also noticed a strange aftertaste. Drummonds explained that this was due to Stevia, a natural, zero-calorie sweetener they used to keep the sugar content down.

The Price Problem

The biggest roadblock during the pitch was the price of the product. The Sharks were shocked to learn that a single one-pound bag of ABS Pancake mix cost the customer $42.95.

Drummonds explained that the cost to actually make the product was between $12 and $14 per bag.

She defended the high price tag by telling the Sharks that the fitness community is totally fine with paying premium prices for clean, high-quality health foods.

She also noted that if they got an investment, they could buy ingredients in bulk and lower their manufacturing costs down to $7 or $8 a bag.

The Bidding War

Most of the Sharks dropped out. They either did not like the taste of Stevia, thought the price was way too high, or felt the target audience of bodybuilders was too small.

However, Robert Herjavec saw the vision. He liked the product and offered them the $120,000 they asked for, but he wanted 50% of the company.

Before the founders could answer, Daymond John jumped in. He undercut Robert by offering the $120,000 for a slightly lower 42% stake in the business. Happy to keep a little more of their company, Drummonds and McClelland quickly accepted Daymond’s offer.

The Aftermath: Did the Shark Tank Deal Actually Close?

If you watch reality television, you might assume that a handshake on screen means the money goes straight to the bank. However, in the world of venture capital, that is rarely the case.

After a deal is struck on Shark Tank, the investors and the business owners go through a process called “due diligence.” They check all the financial records, look at the legal paperwork, and finalize the details. During this time, deals often fall apart.

This is exactly what happened with ABS Protein Pancakes. The deal with Daymond John never actually closed.

Despite losing out on Daymond’s money and mentorship, the company still got to experience the famous “Shark Tank Effect.”

When their episode aired on television, millions of people learned about their product. The demand was so massive that the ABS website actually crashed from the traffic.

At one point, there were 35,000 people trying to buy pancakes on their website at the exact same time. Thanks to this massive wave of free publicity, the company made a full year’s worth of sales in just one single month.

Fact-Checking the Revenue Myths

For years, outdated blogs and internet rumors claimed that ABS Pancakes grew into a massive empire, supposedly making $6 million a year. However, a closer look at the actual business data from 2022 to 2026 proves this is false.

While the company did experience a huge spike in sales after the show, they never reached the $6 million mark. As of August 2022, the company’s peak verified annual revenue was $1.6 million.

While making $1.6 million is still a massive success compared to the $100,000 they had made before the show, it highlights how hard it is to grow a food business without a major investor or access to grocery store shelves.

Myth vs. Reality: ABS Pancakes Financials

The Claim (Internet Rumors)	The Reality (2026 Fact Check)
Deal with Daymond John was a success.	The deal fell apart and never closed.
The company makes $6 million a year.	Peak annual revenue was $1.6 million in 2022.
The net worth of the company is booming.	The brand lost its momentum and is now inactive.

Are ABS Protein Pancakes Still in Business in 2026?

If you try to buy a bag of ABS Protein Pancakes today, you are going to run into some trouble. As of 2026, the company is effectively dormant and inactive.

Running a physical food brand is exhausting. You have to deal with rising ingredient costs, shipping delays, and constant marketing. Ashley Drummonds later admitted that the company suffered from a “postpartum Shark Tank effect”. While the initial rush of sales was amazing, it completely stopped about six weeks after the episode aired.

Without Daymond John’s help to get the product into retail stores, Drummonds had to spend a lot of her own money on digital ads just to keep finding new customers. The stress of running the business eventually led to major burnout.

By mid-2022, the business began to shut down its daily operations.

• Website Closed: The official ABS Protein Pancakes website no longer sells the product.
• Social Media Dead: The brand’s official Instagram account has not posted a single update since May 2022.
• Leftover Stock: You can occasionally still find leftover bags of the Vanilla Cake Batter or Cinnamon Swirl flavors listed on Amazon for $39.95, but the brand is no longer actively managed.

In 2022, Ashley Drummonds officially stepped down from her role as the CEO and founder of the company.

Where Are the Founders Now in 2026?

Even though the pancake business has faded away, both founders have moved on to new and highly successful careers.

What Happened to Josh McClelland?

Josh McClelland actually parted ways with the pancake business very early on. He left ABS Protein Pancakes in 2017. He decided to pivot his career entirely, moving into real estate and the car sales industry, where he continues to work today.

What Happened to Ashley Drummonds?

Ashley Drummonds did not let the end of ABS Pancakes slow her down. In fact, she realized that selling physical food products was stressful and had low profit margins. She decided to pivot back into what she loved most: coaching, fitness, and deep nutritional health.

In 2017, she launched a new business called ABS Fitlife. This was a digital library of workout videos that she described to the media as the “Netflix of fitness”. By selling digital videos instead of physical pancakes, she avoided the headaches of shipping and manufacturing.

By 2026, Ashley has completely rebranded herself as an expert in functional health and integrative nutrition.

The Launch of PR Fuel (2024) In 2024, Ashley launched a brand new company called PR Fuel. This is a massive step up from pancake mix. PR Fuel creates “practitioner-grade” nutrition supplements designed for high-performance athletes.

Instead of mass-marketing to everyone, these supplements are highly targeted. She creates formulas designed to fix root-cause health issues, like hormone imbalances, bad gut health, mold toxicity, and anxiety.

Building a Community on Substack Today, Ashley also runs a highly successful Substack newsletter. She has built a community of over 1,000 paid subscribers where she teaches people about functional fitness, meditation, and metabolic health. She shares deep dives into how gut health impacts panic attacks, and how to build muscle using science-based workouts.

How the Protein Pancake Market Changed by 2026

The decline of ABS Pancakes wasn’t just because the founder got burned out. The entire health food market shifted beneath their feet. The things that fitness lovers wanted in 2014 are totally different from what they want in 2026.

Back when ABS started, people only cared about one thing: getting as much protein as possible with zero carbs. They didn’t care if the product was highly processed or tasted a little dry.

Today, the 2026 consumer is much more educated about gut health and natural ingredients. Here is how the market has changed:

1. Protein and Fiber Synergy: In 2026, people don’t just want pure protein powder. Major grocery trends show that shoppers are now looking for “Protein + Fiber Synergy”. They want foods that give them energy but also keep their digestion running smoothly.
2. The “Cultured Dairy” Comeback: People have moved away from dry pancake mixes made of isolated milk powders. In 2026, the biggest trend is making high-protein pancakes at home using fresh, cultured dairy. Searches for pancake recipes using ricotta and cottage cheese have skyrocketed by 320%. Sales of kefir are up 164%, and cottage cheese sales are up 102%. People want the gut-healing benefits of real dairy over processed powders.
3. Analog Dining: After years of staring at screens, the 2026 consumer is experiencing digital fatigue. This has led to a trend called “Analog Dining”. People want the physical, sensory experience of cooking real, high-quality proteins from scratch. The convenience of “just add water” powdered meals is no longer as appealing as cooking whole foods.

Breakfast Trends: 2016 vs. 2026

What Shoppers Wanted in 2016	What Shoppers Want in 2026
Ultra-processed whey isolate protein	Natural “Protein + Fiber Synergy”
Zero-calorie artificial sweeteners (Stevia)	Real food ingredients
Powdered, “just add water” convenience	“Analog Dining” and cooking from scratch
Focus only on building muscle	Focus on gut health and microbiome diversity

Final Thoughts

The story of ABS Protein Pancakes is a classic example of how tough the food industry can be. Ashley Drummonds had a brilliant idea at the exact right time. She successfully identified a major gap in the fitness market, created a product that people loved, and took it all the way to national television.

Even though the deal with Daymond John fell through, the brand still managed to pull in over $1.6 million in revenue at its peak.

While the ABS Pancake brand has quietly faded away by 2026, the entrepreneurial spirit of its founder has not. By paying attention to where the health market was heading, Ashley Drummonds successfully pivoted from selling physical pancake bags to running a high-end digital health business and launching PR Fuel.

ABS Pancakes may no longer be a staple in the bodybuilder’s pantry, but the brand leaves behind an inspiring legacy of hustle, innovation, and knowing exactly when it is time to evolve.