MythBusters (2005 season) | |
---|---|
Country of origin | Australia United States |
No. of episodes | 26 (includes 7 specials) |
Release | |
Original network | Discovery Channel |
Original release | February 2 – November 16, 2005 |
Season chronology | |
Next → 2006 season | |
List of MythBusters episodes |
Jul 25, 2014 MythBusters Official Site. Watch Full Episodes, Get Behind the Scenes, Meet the Cast, and much more. Stream MythBusters FREE with Your TV Subscription! Each episode looks at a single question in science, technology & society. From the macro to the micro, provocative and insightful subjects are explored to the fullest. Jul 17, 2008 MythBusters - Jaws Special Discovery. Unsubscribe from Discovery? Air Disasters: Deadly Descent (Full Episode) - Duration: 44:16. Smithsonian Channel 448,399 views.
The cast of the television series MythBusters perform experiments to verify or debunk urban legends, old wives' tales, and the like. This is a list of the various myths tested on the show, as well as the results of the experiments (the myth is Busted, Plausible, or Confirmed).
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
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SP2 | Special–1 | 'Buster Special'[1] | February 2, 2005 | 29 | |
Buster is rebuilt after sustaining a year's worth of abuse. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
SP3 | Special–2 | 'Ultimate MythBusters'[1] | February 9, 2005 | 30 | |
Jamie and Adam have a contest to prove who is the Ultimate MythBuster. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
25 | 1 | 'Brown Note'[2] | February 16, 2005 | 31 | |
Myths tested: Can a person be blown away by a bullet? Can a certain note make a person have fecal incontinence? Does Chinese water torture work? | |||||
26 | 2 | 'Salsa Escape'[2] | February 23, 2005 | 32 | |
Myths tested: Can a person escape from prison using salsa? Can hardened cement be removed from a cement truck using explosives? | |||||
27 | 3 | 'Exploding Port-a-Potty'[2] | March 2, 2005 | 33 | |
Myths tested: Can a car pole-vault from its drive shaft if it hits a pothole? Can a port-a-potty gather enough methane to explode? | |||||
28 | 4 | 'Is Yawning Contagious?'[2] | March 9, 2005 | 34 | |
Myths tested: Can a toy car beat a Dodge Viper in a quarter-mile downhill race? Is yawning contagious? Does buttered toast always land buttered-side down? | |||||
SP4 | Special–3 | 'MythBusters Outtakes'[1] | March 16, 2005 | 35 | |
This episode showed outtakes from the series. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
29 | 5 | 'Cooling a Six-Pack'[2] | March 23, 2005 | 36 | |
Myths tested: What is the fastest way to cool a six pack of beer? Was a battery able to be used for certain tasks in ancient times? | |||||
30 | 6 | 'Son of a Gun'[2] | March 30, 2005 | 37 | |
Myths tested: Could using a phone in a thunderstorm result in being electrocuted? Could a bullet pass through a man's genitals, into a woman's abdomen, and make the woman pregnant? Can a boat be driven with its trailer still attached? Note: This is the final regular episode appearance of Scottie Chapman and final appearance of 'Mythtern' Christine Chamberlain. | |||||
SP5 | Special–4 | 'Shop 'til You Drop'[1] | April 6, 2005 | 38 | |
The MythBusters showed their favorite places to shop. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
SP6 | Special–5 | 'MythBusters Revealed'[1] | April 27, 2005 | 39 | |
This is a behind the scenes insight of MythBusters, featuring interviews, as well as exploring personal issues between the hosts. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
SP7 | Special–6 | 'Hollywood on Trial'[1] | May 11, 2005 | 40 | |
Myths tested: Will bullets spark when ricocheting off other objects? Did the aluminium paint used on Buddy Ebsen, the actor originally slated to play the Tin Man in the 1939 movie version of The Wizard of Oz cause an adverse reaction that hospitalized him? Is it possible for a medium-to-large build man to break through a wooden door frame on his own power? Is it possible to be thrown through a glass window and walk away without a scratch? Is it possible to ignite a pool of gasoline using only a cigarette? Note: This is a special episode. It was the first appearance of Grant Imahara. | |||||
31 | 7 | 'Breaking Glass'[2] | May 18, 2005 | 41 | |
Myths tested: Can an unamplified human voice shatter a wine glass? Does a rolling stone gather moss? Can a vacuum cleaner be converted into a jet engine? | |||||
32 | 8 | 'Jet Pack'[2] | June 9, 2005 | 42 | |
Myths tested: Can a jet pack be created from plans on the Internet? Do pyramids have special powers? | |||||
33 | 9 | 'Killer Brace Position'[2] | June 22, 2005 | 43 | |
Myths tested: Is the brace position recommended in airplane crashes actually designed to kill people? Is driving while talking on the cell phone as dangerous as driving drunk? | |||||
34 | 10 | 'Bulletproof Water'[2] | July 13, 2005 | 44 | |
Myths tested: Will diving underwater protect a person from bullets? Can a person swing 360° on a swing set? | |||||
SP8 | Special–7 | 'Jaws Special'[2] | July 17, 2005 | 45 | |
Myths tested: Will a scuba tank explode if shot? Can piano wire be used to catch a shark? Can a shark ram through a boat or shark cage? Can a shark hold three flotation barrels under water? Note: This is a special double-length episode. It was a Jaws-themed episode. | |||||
35 | 11 | 'Border Slingshot'[2] | July 27, 2005 | 46 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to slingshot a person over the border and onto a mattress? | |||||
36 | 12 | 'Killer Tissue Box'[2] | August 3, 2005 | 47 | |
Myths tested: Can a tissue box in the back of a car kill the driver if the car crashes? Is it possible to split an arrow by hitting it with another? | |||||
37 | 13 | 'Escape Slide Parachute'[2] | August 10, 2005 | 48 | |
Myths tested: Can a person make a parachute with an airplane escape slide or life raft? Will hair cream explode in the right conditions and decapitate the pilot of a fighter plane? Can a stewardess survive a 33,000-foot fall while still strapped into her seat? | |||||
38 | 14 | 'MythBusters Revisited'[2] | October 12, 2005 | 49 | |
Myths tested: Can a person be blown away by a bullet? (Revisit of: Blown Away) Can a bullet cause explosive decompression and tear a plane apart? (Revisit of: Explosive Decompression) Is running better than walking to keep dry in the rain? (Revisit of: Who Gets Wetter?) If someone falls off a building, can that person glide to safety using a sheet of plywood? (Revisit of: Plywood Builder) Does a person save more gas by driving with the AC on instead of having the windows down? (Revisit of: AC vs. Windows Down) Can a gas tank explode when shot by a bullet? (Revisit of: Car Capers) Will a black car heat faster than a white one? | |||||
39 | 15 | 'Chinese Invasion Alarm'[2] | October 19, 2005 | 50 | |
Myths tested: Could the Ancient Chinese have used drums to listen for tunneling invaders? Is the five second rule true? | |||||
40 | 16 | 'Confederate Rocket'[2] | October 26, 2005 | 51 | |
Myths tested: Did the Confederates really have a two-stage rocket capable of traveling 100 miles from Richmond to DC? | |||||
41 | 17 | 'Vodka Myths'[2] | November 2, 2005 | 52 | |
Myths tested: Can two semi-trucks collide head-on and completely crush a compact car? Can vodka cure foot odor or bad breath? | |||||
42 | 18 | 'Steel Toe-Cap Amputation'[2] | November 9, 2005 | 53 | |
Myths tested: Do steel toe boots really put toes in more danger than a regular boot, to the extent that the steel toe would chop off the wearer's toes? Can bottle rockets be used to launch a human? | |||||
43 | 19 | 'Seasickness - Kill or Cure'[2] | November 16, 2005 | 54 | |
Myths tested: What is the best cure for seasickness? Is it more efficient to drive a truck with its tailgate up than down? Can sticking one's finger in a gun barrel stop a bullet? |
In this episode, Adam and Jamie relived Buster's finest moments, from his introduction in Exploding Toilet to his ultimate demise (supposedly in Ming Dynasty Astronaut) and showed the construction of the new 'Buster 2.0'. These moments include:
In this episode, Adam and Jamie competed in a series of arguably ludicrous tests and competitions to determine which of the two was the 'Ultimate MythBuster'. These competitions tested their ingenuity, constitution, and courage to see just how far they were willing to go to claim the title of 'Ultimate MythBuster'.
Challenge | Winner | Notes |
---|---|---|
Challenge 1: Build a machine that can shoot a tortilla as far as possible. | Jamie | Adam and Jamie had to first construct machines. Adam had built an arm out of wood. His machine took the tortilla and threw it between two aluminum plates. Jamie designed and built a cannon, made from pipe and a compressed air tank. Adam used all three attempts allowed by the competition rules and his best shot was 60 feet (18 m). In Jamie's first (and only) shot the tortilla was projected 73 feet (22 m). |
Challenge 2: The fear test. | Draw | The East Bay Vivarium presented a selection of creatures (corn snakes, tarantulas, African emperor scorpions, and Tanzanian giant millipedes) to test the MythBusters' courage. The scorpions had the most effect on the two, but in this challenge, no winner was determined. |
Challenge 3: Guess the weight of three items. | Adam | Adam and Jamie had to guess the weight of three items: a toy car, an angel statue, and a hatch from a plane. Both were to wager two guesses, the first by observing the item, the second by holding it. Adam guessed more accurately on all three occasions. |
Challenge 4: Build a device to drop an egg (without breaking it) with help of two oranges, two latex gloves, paper, 5 ft (1.5 m) of tape, 20 ft (6.1 m) of string, and 'other assorted trash found lying around the workshop'. Each person has two attempts. | Jamie | Adam created a cone made of paper. He put an orange on the bottom and the egg was placed inside the inflated gloves. He broke his egg on the first attempt, but was successful on the second. Jamie first ate his orange, and put the egg inside the orange peel. The orange went in one glove, and he tied it to a string. At the other end of the string he affixed the five feet of tape. With this approach, he could drop the suspended egg from only a few feet off the ground with the string/tape. It was successful. Because Jamie succeeded in only one attempt, he is declared the winner. Adam protested, but as this was a contest of ingenuity, Jamie remained the winner. |
Challenge 5: Who possessed the higher threshold of pain was determined in a paintball standoff. | Jamie | The MythBusters must shoot each other, then after one shot, they must take a step closer and shoot again.
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Final challenge 6: The MythBusters episode quiz | Jamie | Adam and Jamie quizzed each other regarding the events during some of the previous episodes. Adam had four and a half questions correct. Jamie won with five correct answers. |
Scores | Adam 1; Jamie 4 | |
Winner | Jamie |
Someone who is shot and thrown backward a significant distance is a staple Hollywood visual effect. This was revisited in 'MythBusters Revisited'.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A person will be propelled violently backwards if hit by a bullet. | Busted | A bullet fired by a gun cannot hold enough momentum. According to Newton's third law, if the bullet were to knock the target 20 ft (6 m) back, an equal amount of force would be applied in the direction of the gun—effectively knocking the shooter back about the same distance. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
An infrasonic 'brown note' can cause humans to lose control of their bowels. | Busted | Even after testing a wide range of subaudible and near-subaudible noises on him, not once did Adam lose control of his bowels. Some discomfort was reported, however, due to the effects of low-frequency sound on the lungs. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Chinese water torture can cause one to become insane. | Confirmed | The required torture equipment (and movement restrictions) is highly effective even without adding the discomfort of the water drip. The water drip itself, without the equipment, is almost negligible. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
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Salsa was used by a prisoner to corrode the window bars of his cell and escape. | Plausible | Given several years, it would be possible, due to the corrosive elements of the salsa. The use of electrolysis via a direct current source (a radio power supply) in conjunction with the salsa greatly accelerated the effect, as it drew the electrons out of the bars and into the wires. Adam's alternating current setup had no success whatsoever, since the electrolysis worked to both add and subtract metal from the bars, and caused a good deal of the 'cooked' salsa to cake onto the bars. |
A urine-soaked silk shirt is strong enough to bend the bars of a prison cell when wrapped around them and twisted, as depicted in the film Shanghai Noon. | Busted | Adam tested this myth after he gave up on his salsa/alternating current escape plan. The bars proved too strong for the wet silk, tearing the fabric apart instead of bending the bars. |
Initially the team only intended to test the scenario of explosives being used to clean a relatively thin layer of concrete from the inside of a truck. Due to a mishap when the truck was being collected, however, it was filled almost to the top with concrete, rather than just with the thin layer that the team wanted. Adam therefore suggested splitting this myth into two sub-myths, the original one of cleaning a thin layer out of a truck (for which the team had to obtain a second truck), and another one involving a driver using explosives in what would presumably be a desperate attempt to remove a massive, solidified slab of concrete from the truck.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
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A stick of dynamite can clean the leftover scraps of concrete from the inside of a cement truck. | Plausible | A powder charge equivalent to 1.5 sticks of dynamite worked well and loosened or dislodged a lot of the dried excess concrete without noticeably damaging the barrel. |
A stick of dynamite can remove a slab of concrete from the inside of a cement truck. | Busted | A solid slab of concrete is too hard to remove practically, and is tougher than the barrel itself. The MythBusters enlisted the aid of FBI explosive experts (in particular Frank Doyle, making the first of many appearances on the show) to load the truck and barrel with 850 lb (386 kg) of ANFO. The resulting explosion reduced the truck to numerous very small fragments, and a few larger pieces; the observers had to stand a mile away from the explosion. Billed as the biggest-ever explosion on the show to date (a record later surpassed by the homemade diamonds investigations), Jamie admitted, 'This has got nothing to do with the myth; it's just a big boom'. In the 'Shop Till You Drop' special, a large chunk of the barrel containing most of the concrete slab was shown in a junkyard. In the MythBusters episode on 'Location, Location, Location' (2011), it was mentioned that this explosion was only done after the episode was supposed to be aired, and the producers decided something was missing. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Lighting a cigarette in a port-a-potty filled with methane gas will cause an explosion. | Busted | Not enough gas is produced by the decomposing waste in the port-a-potty for it to possibly be flammable. A person would need to be in a tightly sealed port-a-potty filled with thick methane gas for it to be flammable. By the time the gas was thick enough in the air to become flammable, the person would have long-since passed out from asphyxiation. Larger amounts of decomposing waste can produce more gas, and sewer gas explosions are a known safety hazard. |
See also Exploding Toilet.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
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A broken driveshaft dragging on the ground can cause a car to pole vault end-over-end if it strikes a pothole. | Busted | A car cannot be made to go end-over-end by striking a pothole with the driveshaft. The back end of the car can be lifted, but the likelihood of an event like this happening is extremely improbable. More likely is that the driveshaft would be forced into the trunk. |
This was the final episode in which the Build Team worked from their M6 workshop.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
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Over a quarter-mile-long down-hill course, a toy car can beat a full-sized Dodge Viper powered only by gravity. | Partly Busted | A typical toy car, when tested on a real car tire, managed to stay on until the tire reached about 70 mph (110 km/h). After experimenting with various die-cast model cars, the two MythBusters each made their own toy car with which to experiment. Adam's toy car proved too unstable to stay on the full course. Jamie's toy car was able to beat the Dodge Viper (the real car) over 100 ft (30 m), but over the full length of the course the Viper won by an extremely wide margin. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A person can be subconsciously influenced into yawning if another nearby person yawns. | Confirmed | A first experiment conducted by the Build Team, constituting ten people going through three separate tests (a control one, one involving the reading of a tax law, and third when Scottie yawned near the subjects), produced only yawns from several people during the tax law test and was deemed to have too small of a sample. In a second test pool of 50 people where only the influence of Kari's yawn was used, those who were influenced into yawning (by her) yawned 29% of the time. However, those who were not influenced yawned only 25% of the time. It seems that the MythBusters also found the average time to yawn for those who did yawn was 9 minutes for those who had been influenced and 9.6 minutes for those who had not. This was enough for the MythBusters to give the Confirmed rating, although there was the 4% difference between the experimental and control groups, which was not large enough to constitute a statistically significant difference (at alpha = 0.05). |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Toast is more likely to land buttered-side down when dropped. | Busted | In an extensive and highly objective test, the toast showed no statistical preference for landing buttered-side down or up when dropped. It was an even 50–50 split when the final results were compared. However, when pushed off the side of a table, toast showed a tendency to flip once and land buttered-side down, which is likely the source of the myth. Adam also remarks that the results of this test are, by observation, less dependent on the actual butter itself, and is inherent from the process of buttering the toast instead; compressing the toast by applying the butter to the side of a piece of toast causes that side to become concave and encounter more air friction on that side, thus, much like a leaf, causing it to flip and land buttered-side up. |
In this episode, outtakes and other deleted scenes were shown, which included some failed experiments or extra experiments that had to be trimmed out of the show for time and relevancy reasons. Clips edited out of shows previously aired include:
Six of the deleted segments, titled as the 'Lost Experiments', are available on the Discovery Channel website. [1]
Original myths that were completely edited out include:
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
'Free Energy' – It is possible to get free (stolen) energy by using a coil of baling wire positioned under a power line. | Partly Plausible | For this myth, the MythBusters created a large coil of wire, and wrapped it around a PVC pipe box. They then hoisted it underneath powerlines to 'catch' some electricity. They were able to obtain about eight millivolts of electricity. They determined that siphoning a practically useful amount of electricity in such a manner would require thousands of pounds of wire, and would be extremely impractical and dangerous, as well as being illegal. |
'Cola Myths' – Cola can be used as a toilet cleaner. | Busted | For this myth, Adam dirtied M5's bathroom with engine oil in preparation for the cleanup. Jamie was greatly upset at this, but Adam assured him he would be able to clean it. The cola did nothing to the grease; in fact, even if it did, Adam noted he would have to clean up the cola, afterwards, making the job more tedious than it was. Normal bathroom cleaner managed to clean up the grease. |
'Exploding Tattoos' – A radio transmitter can cause tattoos to explode. | Busted | The MythBusters built a small, low-power transmitter, as a real one was too dangerous. They used two containers, one with water (control) and one with tattoo ink. They activated the transmitter, which managed to interfere with a radio in the workshop, and left it running. At the end of the test, the temperature of both liquids were almost the same. The tattoo ink was only half a degree warmer. |
'Peeing on the Third Rail' – A train can be derailed if coins are placed on the rails. | Busted | The train simply heated and flattened the pennies. Quoting narrator Robert Lee, 'The myth wasn't Busted—it was Flattened.' Even the train conductor assessed that a train can not be derailed by a penny, unless the penny 'was lodged in the engineer's eye'. |
From this episode, the Build Team operates from their new M7 workshop.
Also featured in this episode is the first test of Buster 2.0, built during the Buster special, as well as the final test of 'Earl the MythBusters Caddy,' which was dropped from a crane to fulfil a promise to its previous owner that it would be destroyed on the show.
While preparing Earl to be dropped from the crane, Scottie encountered a problem in that the rear windows needed to be opened to loop a chain through the passenger compartment, but the mechanism was jammed. She therefore took the chance to test out a mini-myth:
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
It is possible to use a broken spark plug to smash a car's window. | Confirmed | Scottie had no success breaking the window, and deemed the myth to be busted. Adam then tried with more force and the largest spark plug fragment he could find, and this time successfully broke the window. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A six-pack of beer can be rapidly cooled by burying it in sand, pouring gasoline on top of it, and lighting the gasoline. | Busted | The fire did not significantly alter the temperature of the beer; in fact, the fire actually 'raised' the temperature slightly (not to mention that burying the beer made the cans sandy, and the gasoline is harmful to the environment). With this myth quickly busted, Adam and Jamie each tried to build devices which could rapidly cool a six-pack, but neither device was effective enough. A carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, however, was able to cool a six-pack to a satisfactory temperature in about three minutes. In terms of practicality, though, one's best bet is to use icy salt water, which cooled the beer to an ideal temperature in 5 minutes. Barring that, normal ice water was next fastest at 15 minutes. The other methods tested (the freezer, ice only, and the refrigerator) did not cool the beer rapidly enough to warrant their use in a spur-of-the-moment event. |
Ice and water | Ice, water, and salt |
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33 °F (1 °C) | 24 °F (−4 °C) |
Ice | Ice and water | Ice, water, and salt | Freezer | Fridge |
---|---|---|---|---|
57 °F (14 °C) | 44 °F (7 °C) | 35.9 °F (2.2 °C) | 55 °F (13 °C) | 60 °F (16 °C) |
Ice, water, and salt | Ice and water | Freezer | Ice | Fridge |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 minutes | 15 minutes | 25 minutes | 30 minutes | 40+ minutes |
Reference:[3]
The Build Team created several copies of the Baghdad Battery, an archaeological find which seems to suggest that ancient Babylonians were the first to use batteries.
Sumo bot program downloads windows 7. The ancient people of Babylon created a crude battery for use in..
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
..electroplating. | Plausible | An overnight plating of zinc over copper seemed to work very well. |
..acupuncture therapy. | Plausible | The electricity from the batteries was felt through the acupuncture needles, though the needles eventually grew hot, causing the Build Team to theorize this technique also being used as a form of torture. |
..testing spiritual resolve. | Plausible | While the ancient batteries were not used on the recreation Ark of the Covenant due to their weak charge (about a third of a volt each, or almost 4 volts for a set of 10), Adam theorized that, if any charge were felt with the batteries, the ancient people would believe it to be of divine origin due to their lack of knowledge about electricity. Instead of the batteries, the Build Team wired the ark to the electric source used in the 'Peeing on the Electric Fence' myth (something Adam suspected all along), surprising him with a nasty shock. (They later apologized to him, seeing how painful and potentially dangerous it was.) |
This episode marks the final appearance Mythtern Christine Chamberlain.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A bullet that struck the groin of a soldier in the American Civil War led to the impregnation of a woman who was struck by the same bullet after it exited the soldier's body. | Busted | A Civil War-era bullet was fired through a pouch containing spermatozoa and into ballistic gel representing the woman's abdomen; no living spermatozoa were subsequently found in the gel. In addition, it was well documented that anyone suffering an abdominal gunshot wound was unlikely to survive. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A person can be electrocuted by talking on the phone during a lightning storm. | Confirmed | Adam and Jamie placed a ballistic gel dummy named 'Chip' on a chair and put a telephone receiver on his ear. They activated a machine that was able to shoot more than 200,000 volts of electricity towards a mock-up hut. The electricity shot from the mouthpiece of the phone into Chip's mouth, and it set off the gunpowder charge that Jamie taped to the phone receiver as a signal. An ammeter wired up to the test rig blew a fuse. |
A person can be electrocuted by using the shower during a lightning storm. | Plausible | Chip was not hit. A small fire did occur, however, and the ammeter again blew a fuse. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A boat can be driven with its trailer still attached. | Confirmed | Kari and Scottie, with help from the others, showed that a Boston Whaler can still be driven with the trailer still attached, but with a great loss in maximum speed. A trailer shop owner said on the show that he once had to deliver a boat and trailer to a customer in such a manner, as the only access to the customer's boat ramp was from the water. |
This episode explored some of the MythBusters' favorite stores and vendors they use when buying supplies for the show. The episode also included a tutorial on how to make ballistics gel by Adam and Kari (which is frequently used in the MythBusters' experiments), and revealed the source of the often referenced 'Little Black Book', the Pocket Ref.
This episode took a behind-the-scenes look at the show. It featured insights from and interviews with Adam, Jamie, Kari, Tory and producer Peter Rees, about various aspects of MythBusters, as well as explored personal issues between the hosts.
The MythBusters test some of the pervasive myths that are created by Hollywood, as well as recall some of their past Hollywood-inspired myths. This special also marks the debut of Grant Imahara as the third member of the Build Team, though the next two regular episodes ('Breaking Glass' and 'Jet Pack') did show Scottie Chapman in that capacity instead.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Bullets will spark when ricocheting off other objects. | Busted | After failing to create sparks when firing real bullets, the build team created sparking 'bullets' out of paintballs filled with crushed sparklers. While these did create sparks, the myth was busted as these results could not be obtained with real bullets. |
The aluminum paint used on actor Jack Haley while portraying the Tin Man in the 1939 movie version of The Wizard of Oz caused an adverse reaction that hospitalized him. | Busted | Kari survived her aluminum paint session just like Jamie and Adam survived their gold paint sessions when testing the Goldfinger myth. The myth is true, but not as told. Actor Buddy Ebsen (better known later from The Beverly Hillbillies) was originally cast in the role of the Tin Man. Ebsen suffered a near-fatal allergic reaction and was hospitalized for two weeks after inhaling aluminum powder from an experimental aluminum makeup. After the aluminum makeup incident, Ebsen was replaced by actor Jack Haley and the makeup was replaced by an aluminum paint. Haley went on to complete his role as the Tin Man without suffering any serious health issues, except for one time when some paint got in his eye. |
It is possible for a medium-to-large build man to break through a wooden door frame on his own power. | Plausible | Using only his shoulder, Jamie was able to break through three of the four locks installed on the door frame the Build Team constructed that met the American Building Code standards. The only reason the fourth lock did not break was because the Build Team used stronger screws to anchor it into the frame than what came with the actual lock. Adam attempted to break the fourth lock with a dropkick, but slipped on a mat in front of the door and fell on his back, instead. Still, considering that Jamie got so far by simply shoulder-ramming, a determined individual could easily break through. |
It is possible to be thrown through a glass window and walk away without a scratch just like in Hollywood movies. | Partly Busted | While it is possible to fly through an 1⁄8-inch (3.2 mm) glass pane with few or no injuries, 1⁄4-inch (6.3 mm) glass is thick enough to inflict significant lacerations on a body, should one be thrown through it. In Hollywood, a breakaway faux-glass substance called sugar glass is used in stunts requiring an actor to be thrown through a window. Sugar glass does not fracture into sharp fragments like real glass, and does not injure stunt performers. |
It is possible to ignite a pool of gasoline using only a cigarette. | Partly Plausible | A cigarette has the potential to light a pool of gasoline but just doesn't have enough sustained heat. Gas ignites between 500 °F (260 °C) and 540 °F (280 °C), the cigarette at its hottest was between 450 °F (230 °C) and 500 °F but only when it was actually being smoked. An ignition is very improbable. |
Adam and Jamie investigate whether a human voice could shatter glass, as perpetuated in stories of opera singers and demonstrated by Ella Fitzgerald in a commercial for Memorex and Jim Gillette in the music video for Nitro's Freight Train.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A wine glass shatters if a person sings at the right pitch. | Confirmed | Using lead crystal glasses, Adam proved the Memorex part of the myth by breaking a glass with his amplified voice. Rock singer Jaime Vendera was then able to break a glass using his unaided voice, confirming the entire myth. |
The Build Team takes on another old adage, and sees if it remains relevant in modern use. This became the longest MythBusters experiment on record—over six months long.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A rolling stone can truly gather no moss. | Confirmed | A stone rolling down a natural hill can 'gather moss' by collecting it from the ground, so a machine was built that would keep a stone rolling continuously to see if moss would grow under such conditions. After six months of rolling, no moss was found on the stone. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A shop vacuum can act similar to a jet engine if it is used to suck up gasoline. | Busted | Newer model vacuums have the air flow isolated from the motor; even if this were not the case, the only results would be a small fire. In his first solo venture, Tory took on the challenge of constructing a jet engine using only vacuum cleaner parts and household items and did produce something with a hint of thrust, but Jamie pointed out in the conclusion that by definition, vacuum cleaners - because of how they work - are not good candidates for jet engines. |
This episode marks the final appearance of Scottie Chapman as a Build Team member.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A Jet pack can be built from plans purchased off the Internet and limited funds. | Busted | A jet pack made by MythBusters The jetpack produced by the MythBusters was not powerful enough even to lift itself off the ground, and they had to cheat by going beyond their assigned budget to create it. The sum of its parts costs too much to allow the average person to build it on a budget, and the plans did not have enough details to give builders a clear example of what to build. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Pyramid power can be harnessed for a variety of purposes around the home. | Busted | The build team constructed a series of pyramid frames using the precise measurements and dimensions required to 'harness' pyramid power. Four tests were performed: keeping razor blades sharp, preventing food from spoiling (one test for milk, another for an apple), and preventing the decay of a flower. The apple test at first seemed to be working, but it was later discovered that a contaminated saw blade (used to halve the apple) may have given one half a higher microbial load than the other. A repeated test using sterile equipment yielded about the same decay rate for each half. Strangely, a similar test with 'cube power' showed the fruit rotting at a faster rate than the other two tests. Following the verdict, Adam requested 'No more oogie boogie myths.' Despite this, MythBusters later featured the myth that plants have feelings in the 2006 season. |
The MythBusters take on an airline conspiracy theory. The episode is notable for the introduction of the simulaid family.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
The brace position was actually designed by the airline industry to kill people, rather than save them, during an airplane crash (to save money by paying off wrongful-death suits rather than continuous injury compensations). | Busted | The brace position protected the test subject (Buster) from serious and possibly fatal injuries. When the test subject was not braced, he received far more serious injuries. At the end of the test, the team risked their lives; everyone survived the drop. The chance of dying is greater due to smoke inhalation or immolation from burning debris – due to being immobilized by injury or being pinned down by debris. There is a grain of truth to this myth; the amount of money paid by airlines in wrongful-death suits is lower than the amount of money paid for injury compensation. |
Adam and Kari take on a contemporary issue in driving, one that has given conflicting scientific data. To do so, Adam and Kari perform a general-purpose road safety test three times (initially sober without a cellphone, then while talking to Jamie on a cell phone, and finally while slightly intoxicated but under the legal blood alcohol content limit of 0.08%) and compare the three results.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Driving while talking on a cell phone is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. | Confirmed | Both Adam and Kari failed a general-purpose road safety test both while talking on a cell phone and while driving after drinking alcoholic beverages (though with a blood-alcohol content just below 0.08% and not legally drunk). Cell phone driving failed by a wider margin. Adam commented that one can put away a cell phone if necessary, but not simply become sober as needed. |
The MythBusters take on a Hollywood action staple, where a hero dives into water to avoid being hit by bullets. An alternate scenario of this myth was retested in 'Guns Fired Underwater'.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Hiding underwater can stop a person from being hit by bullets. | Partly Confirmed | All supersonic bullets tested (up to .50-caliber) disintegrated in less than 3 ft (90 cm) of water, but slower bullets, like pistol rounds, need up to 8 ft (2.4 m) of water to slow to non-lethal speeds. Shotgun slugs require even more depth; the exact depth could not be determined because one of their tests broke the rig. However, as most water-bound shots are fired from an angle, less actual depth is needed to create the necessary separation. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
It is possible to do a chain-straight 360° loop on a swingset. | Busted | Under one's own power, it is impossible to do a chain-straight 360° loop on a school-yard swingset. With help of other pushers, it is possible, although highly difficult, to do a full circle without the chain being straight. A person would need a rocket strapped to himself to do it. A dummy was set up in such a manner; the rocket was able to propel it in a chain-straight 360° loop, but the setup would be too dangerous with a real person. |
It is possible to do a 360° loop on a rigid-arm swingset. | Partly Confirmed | A seventh-generation circus performer confirmed the myth by doing a 360° loop while Tory, Kari, and Grant observed. The others were not able to do the loop, as it consumes a lot of energy (and can cause nausea to some). |
As part of Discovery Channel's Shark Week (which Adam and Jamie hosted in 2005), the MythBusters test myths relating to the movie Jaws with the help of a 'ShaRammer' designed to simulate the force of a great white shark. This is also the first MythBusters special to run for two hours rather than one. More recent reruns have tended to show a version edited down to one hour. The episode was also referred to as the 'Shark Special' in the 22,000 Foot Fall episode.
The sequel, Shark Week Special 2 aired in 2008.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Sharks can be caught using a special piano wire (from a deleted scene in Jaws). | Busted | Piano wire does not have the tensile strength needed to be used as an adequate shark-catching line. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
If a pressurized scuba tank is shot, it will explode. | Busted | When the tank was punctured by a bullet, it simply decompressed quickly, causing it to fly around like a compressed-air rocket. The team was only able to make the tank explode in the end by using explosives. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A great white shark can ram a dive cage with enough force to damage or destroy it. | Confirmed | The 'ShaRammer' penetrated the cage with enough force to rip a significant part of it loose and carry it away on its body. The cage, a replica of the one used in the film, was completely destroyed. |
A great white shark can ram a boat with enough force to punch a hole in it. | Confirmed | A great white shark has enough power to punch a hole in the side of a wooden boat under the right circumstances, but an example of this happening has never been documented. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A great white shark can pull barrels under water. | Plausible | A shark's maximum striking force is great enough to pull the barrels under. |
A great white shark can hold barrels under water. | Busted | The force a shark can generate in a continuous pull is insufficient to keep the barrels under water for a significant amount of time. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A great white shark can pull a boat backwards with great enough speed that waves break over the stern. | Busted | The shark cannot generate enough force. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Punching a shark in the nose, eyes, or gills will cause it to flee or at least back off briefly. | Plausible | The sharks punched by both a specially modified Buster, and by Jamie, were driven off briefly and were hesitant about making repeated approaches. Strikes to the gills were noted to be more effective than strikes to the nose. |
The mini shark myths, while related to Discovery Channel's Shark Week, are not related to the movie Jaws in particular.[4] These are all included on the Jaws Special DVD, and some were included on Discovery's website.
It is also referred to as 'Seeing Red.'
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Sharks tend to be attracted to brighter colors like yellow. | Plausible | When all the results were calculated, the sharks tested preferred to go for the 'yum-yum yellow' bait bag before the other ones (red, blue, black, white, silver). Though they did also go for the silver and black ones. |
It is also referred to as 'Bloody Taste Test' and 'Drop of Blood in an Olympic-size Pool.'
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Sharks can detect a single drop of blood dropped into a pool of water. | Busted | The sharks detected fish blood; however, they either did not detect human blood or did not care about it. Also, like any scent, the sharks were not able to detect the blood until their noses came into contact with the blood particles, and the smell grew weaker as the blood got diluted by the water, meaning that a single drop of blood in a particular area of the pool would not be detectable by any shark that was not in that area, and was not swimming right into the blood. However, the MythBusters used only lemon sharks. Great whites or bull sharks might have gotten different results. |
It is also referred to as 'True Grit?'
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A shark's skin is rough enough to be used as sandpaper. | Confirmed | When compared to various grains of sandpaper, the sharkskin that Adam and Jamie acquired was comparable to very high-grain (400 to 600) sandpaper, and can be used as such, even on a rotary sander. |
It is also referred to as 'Rule of .. Fin.'
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
There is a rule of thumb a casual observer can use to adequately estimate the size of a shark. | Busted | Out of all the measurements taken of sharks of various species, only one (from nose tip to dorsal fin tip) could consistently be used to estimate the shark's size, and that requires knowledge of the specific shark species and an up-close measurement that would be too difficult and dangerous to be done by a casual observer. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Sharks are afraid of seeing their own image. | Busted | Jamie went underwater and held up a mirror, but sharks did not seem afraid. They then held up a photograph of a shark, and that also did not work. |
This was the first episode in which the entire hour was devoted to testing a single myth.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Illegal immigrants are being launched over the United States border by the means of a giant slingshot. | Busted | In addition to being unable to achieve the distance and accuracy reported, the device could not be constructed in such a way as to allow the quick assembly and disassembly required for the myth. In addition, the person being thrown would likely be killed on impact. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A simple tissue box stored on the backboard of a car can move with sufficient force to kill a person during a crash. | Busted | Sharp objects or those with masses over 3 lb. (1.2 kg), like a bowling ball, can be deadly if they fly forward during a crash. Lighter objects like tissue boxes may cause injury but cannot kill. |
A tissue box can stay intact during a crash. | Confirmed | This was revealed when they crashed the real car and Adam pointed out that the box was intact. |
The Build Team take on a myth stemming from the film The Adventures of Robin Hood, where the most famous stunt is one where an arrow was split in half, from nock to tip. The Build Team explores whether this was at all possible, and also challenges fans at a medieval fair to duplicate this feat. This myth was retested in 'Splitting an Arrow'.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
It is possible to split an arrow perfectly down the middle with a second arrow like in the film The Adventures of Robin Hood. | Partly Busted | While it is certainly possible to rear-end an arrow with another, only a fiberglass arrow can be split down the middle (known as telescoping in archery circles). With a wooden arrow, even under the most ideal conditions, the best one can do is a partial split along the grain of the wood, and even that is improbable. They clearly showed that the film's circumstances can be recreated using a hollow shaft, such as bamboo. |
Inspired by a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where Indy (Harrison Ford), Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) and Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan) successfully evacuate a pilotless plane using a life raft.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
It is possible to jump from an airplane and use an inflatable life raft to safely return to earth, as shown in the film. | Busted | Any attempt to use the raft failed due to the raft's tendency to invert itself and fall upside down. Though it fell at a relatively survivable speed once it did so, no human could have hoped to hang on; even when Buster was attached with ropes to the center of the raft by his arms, the inversion shock simply ripped them off. It was possible to specially rig the raft as a parachute and land with minimal injuries, but this would not be possible to perform while jumping from a disabled aircraft. |
..Using an escape slide instead of the raft. | Busted | While it was shown that the slide could safely land Buster with no injuries, he had to be strapped in and there is no possible way to perform this from a disabled aircraft. |
A person strapped into the rear flight attendant seat could survive the destruction of the aircraft in flight by having the surviving tail section slow her fall and absorb impact. | Plausible | While Adam and Jamie's attempt to recreate the incident resulted in Buster once again being heavily damaged, this 'myth' was actually a test of a real incident. The flight attendant, Vesna Vulović, was severely injured in the incident, but did survive. It was agreed that it was very improbable, but could happen if circumstances were just right. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A number of Canadian Air Force pilots were explosively decapitated when their hair gel exploded in the oxygen-rich environment of the cockpit. | Busted | After recreating the environment in an F-104 Starfighter cockpit, it took some effort to ignite the hair product. Even with extreme amounts of product, the best result was a fire and/or small explosion, which came nowhere near decapitating the test head. It was confirmed that there have been a number of incidents in which small fires have occurred, but there are no recorded fatal injuries. It was noted that a fire in a pure oxygen environment killed the astronauts of Apollo 1. |
This episode is the second episode where the MythBusters team focus on retesting earlier myths, based on fan reaction (the first is Myths Revisited). Grant Imahara is also introduced in this episode.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A body struck by a bullet will be propelled violently backwards. (From 'Blown Away') | Re-Busted | Even a .50-caliber bullet does not have the momentum to knock a person backwards. If it were possible, the shooter would be knocked backwards as well – as per Newton's third law. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Explosive decompression can occur when a bullet is fired through the fuselage of a pressurized airplane (From 'Explosive Decompression') | Re-Busted | The Build Team tested the effect of air rushing past an open bullet hole, and surmised that the suction (i.e. the reduction of external pressure) caused by this would still not be enough to cause an explosive decompression. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A person will end up drier running in the rain than walking. (From 'Who Gets Wetter?') | Confirmed | When retrying the test in actual rain it was conclusively proven that the running test subject got less wet than the walking test subject. The use of artificial rain in the original test led to a false negative. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Holding a large sheet of plywood will slow a fall from a building enough to make it survivable. (From 'Plywood Builder') | Re-Busted | After testing the speed of updrafts with a special rig on Tory's truck, it was proven that a person could not hold on to the piece of plywood if he were in free fall. A mere 45-mile-per-hour (72 km/h) gust knocked it out of Tory's hands; updrafts from skyscrapers reach upwards of 90 mph (140 km/h). |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A black car heats up faster than an identical white car. (Spinoff of 'Biscuit Bazooka') | Confirmed | A fan wrote in and asked a follow up question: 'Does the color of a car affect the way it heats up?' The MythBusters used two identical cars, one black and the other white, and left them both out in the summer heat with thermometers in both. By mid-afternoon the white car had a temperature of 126 °F (52.2 °C), while the black car had heated up to a temperature of 135 °F (57.2 °C), about 9 degrees hotter in the Fahrenheit scale. The explanation was that black paint absorbs heat while white paint reflects it. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Running a car with air conditioning on is more fuel efficient than running with the windows down. (From 'AC vs. Windows Down') | Partly re-Busted/Partly Confirmed | The fundamental flaw in the MythBusters' test was that the point where the drag becomes powerful enough to inhibit a car's performance with windows down was inside their 45–55 miles per hour (72–89 km/h) margin at 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). When the driver is going less than 50 mph, it is more efficient to leave the windows down, but when the driver is going greater than 50 mph, it is more efficient to use the AC. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A gas tank will explode when shot by a bullet. (From 'Car Capers – Shooting Cars') | Partly Confirmed | It has already been proven that when shot by a normal bullet, a gasoline tank will not explode. However, if a gasoline tank is shot by a tracer round from a great enough distance so that the round can ignite with air friction, it will cause the gasoline to catch fire. By the time this happened, the tank was so riddled with bullets (from previous tracers that were fired too close to ignite), there was no contained pressure, but the MythBusters surmised that had the tank been properly enclosed, it might have exploded. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
The ancient Chinese were able to detect an invading army tunneling beneath the ground by using a drum submerged in a shaft. | Plausible | Kari was able to hear Jamie and Tory's digging in an underground mine shaft in two of the three tests. She actually detected them better by listening to the drum compared to Grant's use of modern geophone equipment. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
The 'five-second rule' is valid when it comes to food dropped on the floor. | Busted | This myth yielded a varied number of results, but in the definitive test where the only variable was time, the myth was definitively busted. There was no real difference in the number of bacteria collected from two-second exposure compared to six-second exposure. Instead, the texture and moisture inherent to the food dropped dictated the number of bacteria collected. |
The toilet seat is the cleanest place in the house. | Confirmed | Adam tested this myth just out of curiosity. When the results were compared to the bacteria samples from the 'Five-second Rule' tests, the toilet seat actually proved cleaner than all other surfaces tested. This myth was explored further four seasons later in Hidden Nasties. |
A dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's. | Plausible | The sample collected from Adam's mouth had much more bacterial growth than the sample collected from Lulu the dog. Jamie suggested, however, that the bacteria from the dog may be more potent. |
This was the second episode in which the entire hour was devoted to testing a single myth. Because the myth dealt with the making of explosive and or dangerous materials, the ingredients used to make nitrous oxide and gun cotton were censored by substituting animal sounds for the actual chemicals. This myth was revisited in 'Salami Rocket'.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
During the American Civil War, the Confederacy built and launched a two-stage rocket 120 miles (190 km) from Richmond, Virginia to Washington D.C. | Busted | While the MythBusters were able to construct and launch a hybrid rocket in under two days using only properties available to Civil War-era engineers, the rocket was not two-stage (as per the myth), and only travelled an estimated 500 yards (460 m). Adam and Jamie agreed that the myth would be impossible with the technology available during the Civil War. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Two semi trucks that collided head-on welded together due to the accident. After being towed as a whole to the junkyard, workers were shocked to discover that the semis trapped a European compact car and its doomed driver between each other. | Busted | After obtaining two free semi trucks, their trailers, and a sports car (a Fiat X1/9) from a fan, the MythBusters rigged up the two semis to crash. After several mishaps and numerous technical problems, they finally managed to crash the two trucks together. However, the trucks were slightly off line when they hit the car, pushing the Fiat out of the center of the wreck instead of crushing it altogether. The trucks did not fuse together, but became instead a huge mass of wreckage. The Fiat, despite not receiving the full force of the hit, was totaled, as well. This myth was revisited in the 2009 season, when the MythBusters successfully completed the experiment and Re-Busted the myth. |
Vodka..
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
..can clean the odor off feet. | Confirmed | Comparison of a commercial foot powder wash vs. a vodka wash showed that the odor was eliminated on both feet. |
..can kill bad breath. | Confirmed | After a mixture of 8 US fluid ounces (240 ml) of vodka and 4.5 US fluid ounces (130 ml) of cinnamon powder was left to sit for two weeks in a sealed flask and then strained, it managed to eliminate most odors on par with an over-the-counter mouthwash. The only bad breath smell not eliminated (by either the vodka or mouthwash) was from smoking cigarettes. |
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
Steel-toe boots are more dangerous to one's toes than normal boots when a heavy weight is dropped on them. Whereas a normal boot would just crush the toes, a steel toe would curl and crumple in, cutting off the toes. | Busted | Using similar tests to those used to test steel-toe boot certification, Adam and Jamie determine that one's toes are much safer with steel toe boots than without. There was no toe-cutting curling of the steel toe, and even using a blade attachment did not work, only glancing off the steel toe to cut right above where it ended. |
The Build team attempt to recreate thiswater bottle jetpack from a Japanese game show.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
According to a Japanese trivia game show, it is possible to use fifteen 3-litre water bottle rockets to launch a human 40 m. | Busted | While bottle rockets, on their own, could launch 1/15 of Kari's weight a fair distance, their combination into one super-rocket system did not have enough thrust to give the crash test dummy the trajectory or distance stated by the television show, and was considered too dangerous by paramedics to feasibly launch a human being. More bottle rockets proved only to add to the difficulty and complications. The Build Team also found that water cooler jugs, while able to launch higher at the standard air/water ratio for water bottle rockets, were weaker than standard soda bottles (which are designed to hold carbonated liquids), failing at around 60 psi (413 kPa) less than the soda bottles (90 psi (600 kPa) as opposed to 150 psi (1000 kPa)). |
Because Adam and Grant are very susceptible to motion sickness, they test non-pharmaceutical remedies for seasickness by..
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
..using a cinnamon-flavored tongue spray. | Busted | The spray was not effective on Adam or Grant. |
..using magnetized arm bands. | Busted | The arm bands were completely ineffective for both Adam and Grant. Some celebrities, such as Barry Manilow, claim they work, but they nonetheless do not operate on any valid scientific principles. |
..taking a ginger pill. | Plausible | Both Adam and Grant endured the spin-chair for 20–30 minutes without experiencing any symptoms, but they decided it could not be confirmed, as seasickness is 'very individual' and depends on the person. |
..using an electro-shock wrist band. | Busted | The shocks mildly discomforted Adam and Grant, who nonetheless became sick. |
..using a placebo, such as a vitamin or a sugar pill. | Plausible | While Adam was not affected by the placebo, Grant was successfully tricked into thinking he had taken a store-bought seasickness medication and did not throw up. He had taken vitamin B12 and claimed it was the most effective remedy. By falling for the placebo, all his test results had to be thrown out on the grounds of psychosomatic influence. |
This was revisited in More Myths Revisited.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
It is more fuel efficient to drive a pick-up truck with its tailgate down, rather than up. | Busted | Driving with the tailgate down actually increased drag on the pick-up and caused it to consume fuel faster than the identical truck driven with the tailgate up. The closed tailgate was later shown to have created a locked vortex flow that created a smoother flow of air over the truck. With the tailgate down, the trapped vortex was dissipated and the drag increased. |
The Build Team take on a myth that forms a staple of cartoon physics. This was revisited in Myths Redux.
Myth statement | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|
A shotgun plugged by a human finger will backfire and explode, injuring or killing the shooter instead of the intended victim. | Busted | Both test hands (composed of ballistics gel of varying firmness) were completely obliterated by the shotgun blast. Neither had the volume or strength needed to plug the barrel to create enough pressure to cause it to explode. Even under ridiculous circumstances like having the barrel clogged with soil, being sealed off by a 4-inch (10 cm) spike welded into the barrel and by being blocked by a simulated squib load, the gun still did not explode. The best results seen were minor deformations in the gun barrel. |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to MythBusters. |
Wikiquote has quotations related to: MythBusters |
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel.
There is no consistent system for organizing MythBusters episodes into seasons. The show does not follow a typical calendar of on and off air periods. The official MythBusters website lists episodes by calendar year. On the other hand, Discovery sells DVD sets for 'seasons', which sometimes follow the calendar year and sometimes do not. In addition Discovery also sells 'collections' which divide up the episodes in a different way — each collection has about 10 or 12 episodes from various seasons. This list follows the calendar year, as per the official episode guide.
Including Specials, and the revival series, a total of 296 episodes of MythBusters have aired so far.
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | ||||
Pilots | 3 | January 23, 2003 | March 7, 2003 | ||
2003 | 8 | September 23, 2003 | December 12, 2003 | ||
2004 | 17 | January 11, 2004 | December 22, 2004 | ||
2005 | 26 | February 2, 2005 | November 16, 2005 | ||
2006 | 28 | January 11, 2006 | December 13, 2006 | ||
2007 | 25 | January 10, 2007 | December 12, 2007 | ||
2008 | 20 | January 16, 2008 | November 19, 2008 | ||
2009 | 23 | April 8, 2009 | December 28, 2009 | ||
2010 | 24 | January 4, 2010 | December 22, 2010 | ||
2011 | 22 | April 6, 2011 | November 30, 2011 | ||
2012 | 21 | March 25, 2012 | November 25, 2012 | ||
2013 | 11 | May 1, 2013 | October 17, 2013 | ||
2014 | 15 | January 4, 2014 | August 21, 2014 | ||
2015 | 14 | January 10, 2015 | September 5, 2015 | ||
2016 | 12 | January 2, 2016 | March 6, 2016 | ||
2017 | 6 | November 15, 2017 | December 20, 2017 | ||
2018 | 8 | January 3, 2018 | TBA | ||
Specials | 13 | March 21, 2004 | May 1, 2013 |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
P1 | Special–1 | 'Jet-Assisted Chevy'[1] | January 23, 2003 | 1 | |
Myths tested: Can a 1967 Chevy take off with JATO rockets, like in the tale of the JATO Rocket Car? Can Pop Rocks and soda, when eaten simultaneously, cause the eater's stomach to rupture? Note: The only cast are Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. Heather Joseph-Witham also makes her first appearance in this episode. | |||||
P2 | Special–2 | 'Biscuit Bazooka'[1] | January 23, 2003 | 2 | |
Myths tested: Can an airplane toilet create enough suction to cause a person to become stuck on it? Can a can of biscuit dough explode in a hot car? Can a person throw himself through a skyscraper window? Note: This is the first appearance of Kari Byron. | |||||
P3 | Special–3 | 'Poppy-Seed Drug Test'[1] | March 7, 2003 | 3 | |
Myths tested: Can a person take to the skies using only a lawn chair and weather balloons? Can someone test positive for heroin by eating a large amount of poppy seeds? Can being painted with gold paint actually be deadly? |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 'Exploding Toilet'[1] | September 23, 2003 | 4 | |
Myths tested: Can a person be propelled off a toilet seat by dropping a lit cigarette into a toilet bowl when filled with various combustible materials? Is running better than walking to keep dry in the rain? Is it possible to make a 'magic bullet' out of ice? | |||||
2 | 2 | 'Cell Phone Destroys Gas Station'[1] | October 3, 2003 | 5 | |
Myths tested: Will using a cell phone near a gas pump cause an explosion? Will silicone breast implants explode or expand in low pressure? Can a standard CD-ROM drive shatter a CD? | |||||
3 | 3 | 'Barrel of Bricks'[1] | October 10, 2003 | 6 | |
Myths tested: Can a bricklayer hoisting a wooden barrel full of bricks with a pulley from the top of a three-story building fall and hit a man multiple times? Can a person be electrocuted by urinating on the third rail? Can an eel skin wallet erase a credit card? | |||||
4 | 4 | 'Penny Drop'[1] | October 17, 2003 | 7 | |
Myths tested: Will a penny dropped from the top of the Empire State Building kill a person or penetrate the ground? Can a person's internal organs be cooked by a tanning booth? Can tooth fillings receive radio waves? | |||||
5 | 5 | 'Buried Alive'[1] | October 24, 2003 | 8 | |
Myths tested: How long can you survive in an underground coffin? Does Cola have special properties? If a person is falling off a bridge, can they save themselves by throwing a hammer ahead of them to break the surface tension of the water prior to their own impact? | |||||
6 | 6 | 'Lightning Strikes/Tongue Piercings'[1] | November 11, 2003 | 9 | |
Myths tested: Is a person with a tongue piercing more likely to get struck by lightning? Can a cannon be built out of a tree? Can the breathalyzer be beaten through various methods? | |||||
7 | 7 | 'Stinky Car'[1] | December 5, 2003 | 10 | |
Myths tested: Can a car in which a person has died and started to decay become so malodorous that it will be impossible to remove the stench and sell? If gasoline is poured down a drain pipe and lit while a person is inside of it, will that person be launched as if from a cannon? | |||||
8 | 8 | 'Alcatraz Escape'[1] | December 12, 2003 | 11 | |
Myths tested: Was it possible to survive an escape from Alcatraz? Does a duck's quack echo? Does the government implant secret chips in people which stud finders can detect? |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
9 | 1 | 'Explosive Decompression'[2] | January 11, 2004 | 12 | |
Myths tested: Can a bullet cause explosive decompression and tear a plane apart? Can a car's rear axle be ripped away by a steel cable tied to it and a lamppost? Will a bullet used as a fuse in a vehicle work and then will it fire? | |||||
10 | 2 | 'Chicken Gun'[2] | January 18, 2004 | 13 | |
Myths tested: Do frozen chickens cause more damage than thawed chickens when shot at a plane's windshield? Can octopus eggs hatch inside a human's stomach? Is there any truth to the strange story of a man who died when he tried to compact his laundry in the washing machine by standing on it? | |||||
11 | 3 | 'Break Step Bridge'[2] | January 25, 2004 | 14 | |
Myths tested: Can a marching battalion take down a bridge? How many bacteria reside on a toothbrush? Is it possible to water ski behind a rowing eight? | |||||
12 | 4 | 'Sinking Titanic'[2] | February 22, 2004 | 15 | |
Myths tested: Could the sinking Titanic literally suck a person down with it? Does a goldfish's memory only last for 3 seconds? Can explosives packed in a trombone cause the slide to rocket off it? | |||||
13 | 5 | 'Buried in Concrete'[2] | February 25, 2004 | 16 | |
Myths tested: Is Jimmy Hoffa buried under Giants Stadium? Can the venom from a daddy long-legs kill a human? Can a jet engine launch a taxi into the air? | |||||
14 | 6 | 'Myths Revisited'[2] | June 8, 2004 | 17 | |
Myths tested: Can a marching battalion take down a bridge? (Revisit of: Breakstep Bridge) Is it possible to make a 'magic bullet' out of ice? (Revisit of: Magic Bullet) Do frozen chickens cause more damage than thawed chickens when shot at a plane's windshield? (Revisit of: Chicken Gun) Will using a cell phone near a gas pump cause an explosion? (Revisit of: Cell Phone Destruction) Can being painted with gold paint actually be deadly? (Revisit of: Goldfinger) Can leaving a can of aerosol spray or cola inside a hot car cause it to explode? Can an inflatable brassiere explode inside of an airplane as it climbs in altitude? Can urinating on an electric fence cause electrocution? Note: This is the first appearance of Tory Belleci, Scottie Chapman, and 'Mythtern' Christine Chamberlain. | |||||
15 | 7 | 'Scuba Diver and Car Capers'[2] | July 27, 2004 | 18 | |
Myths tested: Can a scuba diver be sucked up in a fire fighting helicopter? Are various car myths from movies true? | |||||
16 | 8 | 'Ancient Death Ray'[2] | September 29, 2004 | 19 | |
Myths tested: Can mirrors be used to make a death ray? What solutions are effective against skunk smell? What common objects are bulletproof? | |||||
17 | 9 | 'Elevator of Death, Levitation Machine'[2] | October 6, 2004 | 20 | |
Myths tested: Can someone survive a multi-story elevator fall by jumping right before the elevator hits the bottom of the shaft? Is it possible to make a hovercraft with a vacuum motor? Note: This is the final appearance of folklorist Heather Joseph-Witham. | |||||
18 | 10 | 'Beat the Radar Detector'[2] | October 13, 2004 | 21 | |
Myths tested: If someone falls off a building, can that person glide to safety using a sheet of plywood? Can you beat a radar detector? | |||||
19 | 11 | 'Quicksand'[2] | October 20, 2004 | 22 | |
Myths tested: Can a person be sucked down by 'killer quicksand'? Can a tattoo explode in an MRI scan? Can appliances really electrocute people if they fall in the bathtub? | |||||
20 | 12 | 'Exploding Jawbreaker'[2] | October 27, 2004 | 23 | |
Myths tested: Can a superheated jawbreaker explode when bitten down upon? Can a PVC pipe build enough static electricity to kill? Can a playing card kill a person if thrown with enough power? | |||||
21 | 13 | 'Pingpong Rescue'[2] | November 3, 2004 | 24 | |
Myths tested: How many balloons are needed to lift a 40-lb child off the ground? Can a sunken boat be lifted to the surface with ping-pong balls? | |||||
22 | 14 | 'Boom-Lift Catapult'[2] | November 10, 2004 | 25 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to make a catapult with a boom-lift cherry-picker? Does a person save more gas by driving with the AC on instead of having the windows down? | |||||
23 | 15 | 'Exploding House'[2] | November 16, 2004 | 26 | |
Myths tested: Can too many bug bombs blow up a house? How hard is it to find a needle in a haystack? Will talking to plants help them grow? | |||||
24 | 16 | 'Ming Dynasty Astronaut'[2] | December 5, 2004 | 27 | |
Myths tested: Can a person be launched by rockets strapped to a chair, like in the Ming Dynasty tale? Do free energy devices seen on the Internet actually work? Can jumping into a ceiling fan cause a person to lose his head? | |||||
SP1 | Special–1 | 'Viewers-Choice/Christmas Special'[2] | December 22, 2004 | 28 | |
Myths tested: Can a frozen turkey explode if it is dropped into deep fryer pot too fast? If you place a silver spoon in a bottle of champagne, will the bubbles last longer? Can a falling icicle kill someone? Does a clothed snowman melt slower than a 'naked' one? Can a urine stream freeze in the winter? Can lighting a fire in the fireplace with a chimney make the rest of the house colder? Note: This is a special episode. |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SP2 | Special–1 | 'Buster Special'[3] | February 2, 2005 | 29 | |
Buster is rebuilt after sustaining a year's worth of abuse. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
SP3 | Special–2 | 'Ultimate MythBusters'[3] | February 9, 2005 | 30 | |
Jamie and Adam have a contest to prove who is the Ultimate MythBuster. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
25 | 1 | 'Brown Note'[4] | February 16, 2005 | 31 | |
Myths tested: Can a person be blown away by a bullet? Can a certain note make a person have fecal incontinence? Does Chinese water torture work? | |||||
26 | 2 | 'Salsa Escape'[4] | February 23, 2005 | 32 | |
Myths tested: Can a person escape from prison using salsa? Can hardened cement be removed from a cement truck using explosives? | |||||
27 | 3 | 'Exploding Port-a-Potty'[4] | March 2, 2005 | 33 | |
Myths tested: Can a car pole-vault from its drive shaft if it hits a pothole? Can a port-a-potty gather enough methane to explode? | |||||
28 | 4 | 'Is Yawning Contagious?'[4] | March 9, 2005 | 34 | |
Myths tested: Can a toy car beat a Dodge Viper in a quarter-mile downhill race? Is yawning contagious? Does buttered toast always land buttered-side down? | |||||
SP4 | Special–3 | 'MythBusters Outtakes'[3] | March 16, 2005 | 35 | |
This episode showed outtakes from the series. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
29 | 5 | 'Cooling a Six-Pack'[4] | March 23, 2005 | 36 | |
Myths tested: What is the fastest way to cool a six pack of beer? Was a battery able to be used for certain tasks in ancient times? | |||||
30 | 6 | 'Son of a Gun'[4] | March 30, 2005 | 37 | |
Myths tested: Could using a phone in a thunderstorm result in being electrocuted? Could a bullet pass through a man's genitals, into a woman's abdomen, and make the woman pregnant? Can a boat be driven with its trailer still attached? Note: This is the final regular episode appearance of Scottie Chapman and final appearance of 'Mythtern' Christine Chamberlain. | |||||
SP5 | Special–4 | 'Shop 'til You Drop'[3] | April 6, 2005 | 38 | |
The MythBusters showed their favorite places to shop. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
SP6 | Special–5 | 'MythBusters Revealed'[3] | April 27, 2005 | 39 | |
This is a behind the scenes insight of MythBusters, featuring interviews, as well as exploring personal issues between the hosts. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
SP7 | Special–6 | 'Hollywood on Trial'[3] | May 11, 2005 | 40 | |
Myths tested: Will bullets spark when ricocheting off other objects? Did the aluminium paint used on Buddy Ebsen, the actor originally slated to play the Tin Man in the 1939 movie version of The Wizard of Oz cause an adverse reaction that hospitalized him? Is it possible for a medium-to-large build man to break through a wooden door frame on his own power? Is it possible to be thrown through a glass window and walk away without a scratch? Is it possible to ignite a pool of gasoline using only a cigarette? Note: This is a special episode. It was the first appearance of Grant Imahara. | |||||
31 | 7 | 'Breaking Glass'[4] | May 18, 2005 | 41 | |
Myths tested: Can an unamplified human voice shatter a wine glass? Does a rolling stone gather moss? Can a vacuum cleaner be converted into a jet engine? | |||||
32 | 8 | 'Jet Pack'[4] | June 9, 2005 | 42 | |
Myths tested: Can a jet pack be created from plans on the Internet? Do pyramids have special powers? | |||||
33 | 9 | 'Killer Brace Position'[4] | June 22, 2005 | 43 | |
Myths tested: Is the brace position recommended in airplane crashes actually designed to kill people? Is driving while talking on the cell phone as dangerous as driving drunk? | |||||
34 | 10 | 'Bulletproof Water'[4] | July 13, 2005 | 44 | |
Myths tested: Will diving underwater protect a person from bullets? Can a person swing 360° on a swing set? | |||||
SP8 | Special–7 | 'Jaws Special'[4] | July 17, 2005 | 45 | |
Myths tested: Will a scuba tank explode if shot? Can piano wire be used to catch a shark? Can a shark ram through a boat or shark cage? Can a shark hold three flotation barrels under water? Note: This is a special double-length episode. It was a Jaws-themed episode. | |||||
35 | 11 | 'Border Slingshot'[4] | July 27, 2005 | 46 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to slingshot a person over the border and onto a mattress? | |||||
36 | 12 | 'Killer Tissue Box'[4] | August 3, 2005 | 47 | |
Myths tested: Can a tissue box in the back of a car kill the driver if the car crashes? Is it possible to split an arrow by hitting it with another? | |||||
37 | 13 | 'Escape Slide Parachute'[4] | August 10, 2005 | 48 | |
Myths tested: Can a person make a parachute with an airplane escape slide or life raft? Will hair cream explode in the right conditions and decapitate the pilot of a fighter plane? Can a stewardess survive a 33,000-foot fall while still strapped into her seat? | |||||
38 | 14 | 'MythBusters Revisited'[4] | October 12, 2005 | 49 | |
Myths tested: Can a person be blown away by a bullet? (Revisit of: Blown Away) Can a bullet cause explosive decompression and tear a plane apart? (Revisit of: Explosive Decompression) Is running better than walking to keep dry in the rain? (Revisit of: Who Gets Wetter?) If someone falls off a building, can that person glide to safety using a sheet of plywood? (Revisit of: Plywood Builder) Does a person save more gas by driving with the AC on instead of having the windows down? (Revisit of: AC vs. Windows Down) Can a gas tank explode when shot by a bullet? (Revisit of: Car Capers) Will a black car heat faster than a white one? | |||||
39 | 15 | 'Chinese Invasion Alarm'[4] | October 19, 2005 | 50 | |
Myths tested: Could the Ancient Chinese have used drums to listen for tunneling invaders? Is the five second rule true? | |||||
40 | 16 | 'Confederate Rocket'[4] | October 26, 2005 | 51 | |
Myths tested: Did the Confederates really have a two-stage rocket capable of traveling 100 miles from Richmond to DC? | |||||
41 | 17 | 'Vodka Myths'[4] | November 2, 2005 | 52 | |
Myths tested: Can two semi-trucks collide head-on and completely crush a compact car? Can vodka cure foot odor or bad breath? | |||||
42 | 18 | 'Steel Toe-Cap Amputation'[4] | November 9, 2005 | 53 | |
Myths tested: Do steel toe boots really put toes in more danger than a regular boot, to the extent that the steel toe would chop off the wearer's toes? Can bottle rockets be used to launch a human? | |||||
43 | 19 | 'Seasickness - Kill or Cure'[4] | November 16, 2005 | 54 | |
Myths tested: What is the best cure for seasickness? Is it more efficient to drive a truck with its tailgate up than down? Can sticking one's finger in a gun barrel stop a bullet? |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
44 | 1 | 'Paper Crossbow'[5] | January 11, 2006 | 55 | |
Myths tested: Can a deadly crossbow be made from materials available to prison inmates? Can vodka remove the smell of cigarettes from clothes, kill bees like an insecticide, or be used as a bathroom cleaner? | |||||
45 | 2 | 'Shredded Plane'[5] | January 18, 2006 | 56 | |
Myths tested: What caused a plane to be shredded? Can a fire be started by rubbing sticks together, with a bullet, or with ice? | |||||
46 | 3 | 'Archimedes Death Ray'[5] | January 25, 2006 | 57 | |
Myths tested: Can an array of bronze mirrors set a wooden ship on fire? (Revisit of: Ancient Death Ray) Note: This is the first appearance of 'Mythtern' Jess Nelson. | |||||
47 | 4 | 'Helium Football'[5] | February 1, 2006 | 58 | |
Myths tested: Can a football fly farther if it is filled with helium? Is it possible for a human to catch a bullet in his teeth? | |||||
48 | 5 | 'Franklin's Kite'[5] | March 8, 2006 | 59 | |
Myths tested: Could a kite struck by lightning in a storm kill the person holding it? Are various flatulence myths true? | |||||
49 | 6 | 'Cell Phones on Planes'[5] | March 15, 2006[6] | 60 | |
Myths tested: Can a cell phone cause a plane to crash? Can a person fly away on a raft filled with helium? | |||||
50 | 7 | 'Bullets Fired Up'[5] | April 19, 2006 | 61 | |
Myths tested: Can a bullet fired straight up in the air kill someone on the way back down? Can vodka cure poison oak and remove band-aids painlessly? If low-end vodka is charcoal-filtered, will it become a top-shelf vodka? | |||||
51 | 8 | 'Myths Re-Opened'[5] | April 26, 2006 | 62 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to split an arrow by hitting it with another? (Revisit of: Splitting an Arrow) Can a hybrid rocket be propelled with salami? Can a modern firearm be fired if completely submerged in water? | |||||
52 | 9 | 'Mind Control'[5] | May 3, 2006 | 63 | |
Myths tested: Can mind control be achieved by various techniques? Can a room be painted with dynamite? | |||||
53 | 10 | 'Exploding Pants'[5] | May 10, 2006 | 64 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible for pants to spontaneously explode? Do various fuel efficiency methods work? | |||||
54 | 11 | 'Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 1'[5] | July 12, 2006 | 65 | |
Myths tested: Can a laser alarm be defeated? Can a metal duct be stealthily climbed using magnets? Can a pressure switch be defeated? How easy is it to crack a safe? Can a hole be easily cut into a pane of glass without setting off a sound alarm? | |||||
55 | 12 | 'Steam Cannon'[5] | July 19, 2006 | 66 | |
Myths tested: Did Archimedes make a cannon using steam power? Is a cardboard cereal box more nutritious than the sugary cereal inside? | |||||
56 | 13 | 'Whirlpool/Snowplow'[5] | July 26, 2006 | 67 | |
Myths tested: Can a whirlpool really kill somebody? Can a snowplow driving down the road push enough air to flip a passing car over? | |||||
57 | 14 | 'Mentos and Soda'[5] | August 9, 2006 | 68 | |
Myths tested: Why does dropping Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke create a geyser effect? Can a stamp affixed to a helicopter's rotor blade make it crash? | |||||
58 | 15 | 'Shattering Subwoofer'[5] | August 16, 2006 | 69 | |
Myths tested: Can speaker power alone destroy a car? Will driving faster on a bumpy road smooth out the ride? | |||||
59 | 16 | 'Crimes and Myth-Demeanors 2'[5] | August 23, 2006 | 70 | |
Myths tested: Can fingerprint scanners, sonar, or thermal alarms be foiled? Can a glass re-locking safe be blown up by filling it with water? | |||||
60 | 17 | 'Earthquake Machine'[5] | August 30, 2006 | 71 | |
Myths tested: Can a machine designed by Nikola Tesla actually create a miniature earthquake or collapse a structure? Can a lava lamp explode if heated on the stove? | |||||
61 | 18 | 'Deadly Straw'[5] | September 6, 2006 | 72 | |
Myths tested: Can a hurricane blow a piece of straw through a tree? According to Primary Perception, do all living things share an interconnected consciousness? | |||||
SP9 | Special–1 | 'Mega Movie Myths'[5] | September 13, 2006 | 73 | |
Myths tested: Can shooting locks really open a door? Can a car be fitted with an ejection seat? Can a car drive up a ramp, fly through the air, land, and drive away? Can a person shoot a hole through a floor and fall through? Will awnings help break a fall from a building? Can a sword cut another sword in half? Note: This is a special double-length episode. | |||||
62 | 19 | 'Killer Cable Snaps'[5] | October 11, 2006 | 74 | |
Myths tested: If a steel cable under high tension snaps, could it cut a human in half? Can sounds and vibrations be recorded into the grooves of ancient pottery? | |||||
63 | 20 | 'Air Cylinder Rocket'[5] | October 18, 2006 | 75 | |
Myths tested: Can an air cylinder go straight through a cinder-block wall or propel a boat? Can an engine run on gunpowder alone? | |||||
64 | 21 | 'More Myths Revisited'[5] | October 25, 2006 | 76 | |
Myths tested: Can a hybrid rocket be propelled with salami? (Revisit of: Salami Rocket) Is it more efficient to drive a truck with its tailgate up than down? (Revisit of: Tailgate Up vs. Tailgate Down) Can a sword slice a machine gun barrel? Can bracing a windshield keep it from shattering? Does a plastic mesh tailgate provide superior fuel efficiency compared to the standard metal tailgate? | |||||
65 | 22 | 'Exploding Lighter'[5] | November 1, 2006 | 77 | |
Myths tested: Can a disposable lighter explode with lethal force? Are various gunslinger myths true? | |||||
66 | 23 | 'Concrete Glider'[5] | November 8, 2006 | 78 | |
Myths tested: Can a working glider be made out of concrete? Can a passing train suck a person onto the tracks? | |||||
67 | 24 | 'Firearms Folklore'[5] | November 29, 2006 | 79 | |
Myths tested: Can a bullet travel through a sniper's scope and kill him? Can a fired bullet lodge in the chamber of a revolver? Can two colliding bullets fuse in mid air? If two metal hammers are struck together, will they explode? | |||||
68 | 25 | 'Anti-Gravity Device'[5] | December 6, 2006 | 80 | |
Myths tested: Is anti-gravity possible? Can too many lights on a Christmas tree cause it to light on fire? Can vodka help to ease the pain of a jellyfish sting? | |||||
SP10 | Special–2 | 'Holiday Special'[5] | December 6, 2006 | 81 | |
Myths tested: Can a falling frozen turkey break a person's foot or kill a pet? Can a turkey be cooked by exposing it to a radar or microwave transmitter antenna? Do various methods work keeping the needles of a Christmas tree from falling off? Can a holiday-themed Rube Goldberg machine be built within a week's time? Note: This is a special episode. This is the first episode to air the new opening sequence and to film in high definition. | |||||
69 | 26 | '22,000-Foot Fall'[5] | December 13, 2006 | 82 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to survive a 22,000-foot fall using the blast from a 1000-pound bomb to break the fall? Is electricity saved by switching off the lights when leaving a room? |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
70 | 1 | 'Hindenberg Mystery'[7] 'Hindenburg Mystery'[8] | January 10, 2007 | 83 | |
Myths tested: Was the Hindenburg disaster actually caused by the doping compound with which the LZ 129 Hindenburg was painted? Can running in a zig-zag line save a person from a crocodile? | |||||
71 | 2 | 'Pirate Special'[7] | January 17, 2007 | 84 | |
Myths tested: Can a person jab a knife in a boat's sail, ride down the sail, and land safely on the deck? Does an eyepatch help someone see in the dark? Are the splinters made by a cannonball fired at wood more lethal than the cannonball itself? Can rum be used to clean cloth? Note: This is a special double-length episode. | |||||
72 | 3 | 'Underwater Car'[7] | January 24, 2007 | 85 | |
Myths tested: How can someone escape from a sinking car? Can paper be folded in half more than seven times? | |||||
73 | 4 | 'Speed Cameras'[7] | March 7, 2007 | 86 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to beat a speed-tracking camera? Can a defibrillator cause nitroglycerin patches to explode? | |||||
74 | 5 | 'Dog Myths'[7] | March 14, 2007 | 87 | |
Myths tested: Is there any way to prevent a bloodhound from tracking one's scent? Is it possible to get past a guard dog? Can an old dog be taught new tricks? | |||||
75 | 6 | 'More Myths Revisited'[7] 'More Myths Reopened'[9] | March 21, 2007 | 88 | |
Myths tested: Can explosives packed in a trombone cause the slide to rocket off it? (Revisit of: The Mad Trombonist) Can a bullet travel through a sniper's scope and kill him? (Revisit of: Firearms Folklore) Can sticking one's finger in a gun barrel stop a bullet? (Revisit of: Finger in a Barrel) If two metal hammers are struck together, or a hammer strikes an anvil, can they shatter with lethal force? (Revisit of: Hammer vs. Hammer) Can a rifle fired with a boresight in the barrel backfire and explode, creating a cartoon-like banana peel effect? | |||||
76 | 7 | 'Voice Flame Extinguisher'[7] | April 11, 2007 | 89 | |
Myths tested: Can a human voice extinguish a flame? Can hypnotists plant suggestions in unwilling patients? Can hypnosis help bring back dormant memories? | |||||
77 | 8 | 'Birds in a Truck'[7] | April 18, 2007 | 90 | |
Myths tested: Do birds flying in a trailer cause the trailer to become lighter? Will a boat crashing into a channel marker cleave itself in half? | |||||
78 | 9 | 'Walking on Water'[7] | April 25, 2007 | 91 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to walk on water? Can a speeding arrow be snatched out of the air? Can a sword be stopped with one's bare hands? | |||||
79 | 10 | 'Western Myths'[7] | May 30, 2007 | 92 | |
Myths tested: Can someone's hat be shot off? Is it possible to break someone out of jail with horses? Can an airbag turn a lock-pick into a lethal spear? | |||||
80 | 11 | 'Big Rig Myths'[7] | June 6, 2007 | 93 | |
Myths tested: Can a big rig's tire explode with deadly force? Can fuel be saved by tailgating a semi-trailer truck? Can a car be driven onto a truck's extended ramp at highway speeds? | |||||
81 | 12 | 'Grenades and Guts'[7] | June 13, 2007 | 94 | |
Myths tested: Can sacrificially jumping on a grenade save others' lives? Does self-hypnosis work? Can a combination of Diet Coke and Mentos make one's stomach explode? | |||||
82 | 13 | 'Snow Special'[7] | June 20, 2007 | 95 | |
Myths tested: Can yodeling actually set off an avalanche? Do cars have better traction on ice while driving backwards? Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
83 | 14 | 'Baseball Myths'[7] | August 8, 2007 | 96 | |
Myths tested: Can a baseball be hit hard enough to remove its covering? Can dry balls be hit farther than humid ones? Does sliding into a base get a person there faster? Can balls be hit further with a corked bat? Note: Roger Clemens was a special guest on this episode. | |||||
84 | 15 | 'Viewers' Special'[7] | August 15, 2007 | 97 | |
Myths tested: Can a person's eyes pop out while sneezing with eyes open? Can shifting to reverse stop a runaway car? Can three cigarette butts fired from a black-powder rifle kill a person at 7 ft? Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
85 | 16 | 'Red Rag to a Bull'[7] | August 22, 2007 | 98 | |
Myths tested: Are bulls really aggravated by the color red? Can ammunition stored in the oven be lethal? Can firearm cartridges thrown in a campfire kill a person? Do bulls in a china shop really cause complete destruction? | |||||
86 | 17 | 'Superhero Hour'[7] | August 29, 2007 | 99 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to climb a building with a motorized grappling hook? Will getting punched by someone wearing a ring leave a ring-shaped imprint? Can a costume be changed in a phone booth? Is it possible to rig a grappling hook onto a car, shoot it at a steel structure, and use it to swing around a 90° corner at high speed? | |||||
87 | 18 | 'Myth Revolution'[7] | September 5, 2007 | 100 | |
Myths tested: Can the speed camera be beaten? (Revisit of: Speed Cameras) Can a ninja deflect a bullet with his palm? Can a person breathe from a car tire underwater? Will an RFID chip explode in an MRI scanner? | |||||
88 | 19 | 'Trailblazers'[7] | October 31, 2007 | 101 | |
Myths tested: Will a flaming trail of gasoline from a moving vehicle catch up to its tank and cause it to explode? Can a person outrun a trail of burning gunpowder? Can a person be burned by a defibrillator if wearing an underwire bra or a nipple ring? | |||||
89 | 20 | 'Exploding Water Heater'[7] | November 7, 2007 | 102 | |
Myths tested: Can a water heater explode like a rocket and shoot through the roof of a house? If a person is being dragged by a horse, can the friction caused by the movement make the jeans catch on fire? Can shrinking jeans by wearing them in a hot bath kill someone? | |||||
90 | 21 | 'Special Supersized Myths'[7] | November 14, 2007 | 103 | |
Myths tested: Are sharks attracted by low-frequency sound waves transmitted through water? Does the presence of dolphins deter sharks from attacking their prey? Can the jet exhaust from a Boeing 747 flip a taxi, school bus, or small plane? (Revisit of: Jet Taxi) Can a JATO rocket launch a car through the air? (Revisit of: JATO Car) Can a person waterski behind a cruise ship? Note: This is a double-length episode. Former MythBuster Scottie Chapman reappeared in this episode to assist in the testing. | |||||
91 | 22 | 'Shooting Fish in a Barrel'[7] | November 21, 2007 | 104 | |
Myths tested: Is shooting fish in a barrel really as easy as the proverb says? What is the most effective cure for pain caused by hot chili peppers? Are elephants really afraid of mice? | |||||
92 | 23 | 'Pirates 2'[7] | November 28, 2007 | 105 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to use a rowboat as a submarine? Can one escape if buried in the sand up to the neck? What kind of projectiles would pirates use in a cannon if they run out of cannonballs? Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
93 | 24 | 'Confederate Steam Gun'[7] | December 5, 2007 | 106 | |
Myths tested: Did the Confederates really build a lethal steam-powered machine gun? Is it possible to fool a modern polygraph test? | |||||
94 | 25 | 'Airplane Hour'[7] | December 12, 2007 | 107 | |
Myths tested: Can a person with no flight training safely land a jet airliner while being assisted by the traffic controllers over the radio? If a person jumps out of an airplane with the last parachute, can another person jump out later and catch the person? Is it possible to hold a conversation while falling at terminal velocity? Does a 4,000 foot fall take 90 seconds? |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
95 | 1 | 'James Bond, Part 1'[10] | January 16, 2008 | 108 | |
Myths tested: Can a bullet from a 9 mm handgun ignite a propane tank? Can a watch-sized electromagnet deflect a bullet? Can a speed boat jump off of a ramp, land in the water, and continue to operate safely? Note: This is a special James Bond-theme episode. | |||||
96 | 2 | 'Lead Balloon'[10] | January 23, 2008 | 109 | |
Myths tested: Can a lead balloon fly? Is it possible to surf a wave caused by an explosion? | |||||
97 | 3 | 'Airplane on a Conveyor Belt'[10] | January 30, 2008 | 110 | |
Myths tested: Can an airplane take off while on a conveyor belt? Can cockroaches, fruit flies, and flour beetles survive extreme levels of radiation? Can defrosting shaving cream fill up an entire car? | |||||
98 | 4 | 'James Bond, Part 2'[10] | February 6, 2008 | 111 | |
Myths tested: Can 007's exploding ballpoint pen blow a test dummy in half? Can a bowler hat rigged with a steel ring knock the head off a statue? Can a steel jaw sever a steel cable? Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
99 | 5 | 'Viewers' Special 2'[10] | February 13, 2008 | 112 | |
Myths tested: Can a person slide down a steel cable using a pair of blue jeans? Does eye black help athletes see? Can a spark follow a trail of gunpowder leaking from a barrel, catch up with it, and explode? Can a tree be cut down using a machine gun? Note: This is a special episode. It was the final appearance of 'Mythtern' Jess Nelson. | |||||
100 | 6 | 'MacGyver Myths'[10] | February 20, 2008 | 113 | |
Myths tested: Can a person blow a man-sized hole in a wall with one gram of sodium reacting with water? Could MacGyver have built an ultralight airplane from bamboo, trash bags, duct tape, and a cement mixer? How well will Jamie and Adam perform in a MacGyver challenge? Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
101 | 7 | 'Alaska Special'[10] | April 23, 2008 | 114 | |
Myths tested: Does cabin fever exist? Does accelerating into a moose cause less damage than braking? Can a single stick of dynamite with a 20 second fuse be thrown, retrieved by a dog, and detonate under an SUV causing it to sink into a frozen lake? Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
102 | 8 | 'Shark Week Special 2'[10] | July 27, 2008 | 115 | |
Myths tested: Can sharks detect a struggling fish? Do dogs attract sharks? Does chili powder repel sharks? Will a pack of sharks ignore a person who is playing dead? Do spots of light attract sharks? Could a person being attacked by a shark reach its eye while inside its mouth? Note: This is a special double-length episode. | |||||
103 | 9 | 'Exploding Steak'[10] | August 6, 2008 | 116 | |
Myths tested: Can steak be tenderized with explosives? Does driving while angry decrease fuel efficiency? | |||||
104 | 10 | 'NASA Moon Landing'[10] | August 27, 2008 | 117 | |
Myths tested: Were some of the photos from the moon landing fake? Can you bounce a laser off the moon? Was the film from the moon faked, and just slowed down? Will a feather and a hammer drop at the same rate in a vacuum? Could a footprint be made like the one on the moon? Could the flag have flapped like it did on the moon? | |||||
105 | 11 | 'Viral Hour'[10] | September 3, 2008 | 118 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to lift a car using fire hoses? Do goats faint while getting scared? Can 'invisible water' be created to make it look as if a tin foil boat is floating in the air? Can a person create a huge fireball by firing a cloud of sawdust and ignite it with a flare? | |||||
106 | 12 | 'Phone Book Friction'[10] | September 10, 2008 | 119 | |
Myths tested: Are two interlaced phone books impossible to pull apart by any means? Can a shark be blown up like they did in Deep Blue Sea? | |||||
107 | 13 | 'Water Stun Gun'[10] | September 17, 2008 | 120 | |
Myths tested: Can a conventional electric stun gun be turned into a water-powered electric stun gun? Is firewalking real? Can a fire be put out by placing a fire extinguisher into it? | |||||
108 | 14 | 'Blind Driving'[10] | October 8, 2008 | 121 | |
Myths tested: Can a blind man drive a car if given instructions by his passenger? Is it better to play through a tree than around it in golf? Can an explosion in a gopher hole cause a golf ball near the edge of the hole to fall in? Does wearing shoes with metal cleats increase one's chances of getting struck by lightning? | |||||
109 | 15 | 'Ninjas 2'[10] | October 15, 2008 | 122 | |
Myths tested: Can a ninja catch an arrow mid-flight? (Revisit of: Catching an Arrow) Could a ninja hide underwater, breathing through a bamboo reed, long enough to attack an enemy with a poison blow-dart? Is Bruce Lee's famous one-inch punch really effective? Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
110 | 16 | 'Alcohol Myths'[10] | October 22, 2008 | 123 | |
Myths tested: Does drinking alcohol make people look more attractive? Do alleged ways of sobering up really work? Could the ancient Korean Hwacha actually do what is claimed? | |||||
111 | 17 | 'Motorcycle Flip'[10] | October 29, 2008 | 124 | |
Myths tested: Will a motorcycle flip if a pole is thrust into the front wheel? Can someone break out of prison with a rope made of toilet paper, human hair, or bedsheets? | |||||
112 | 18 | 'Coffin Punch'[10] | November 5, 2008 | 125 | |
Myths tested: What household objects are bulletproof? Once buried alive inside a coffin, is it possible to punch your way through the coffin and dig yourself out? | |||||
113 | 19 | 'End With a Bang'[10] | November 12, 2008 | 126 | |
Myths tested: Is it really true that one cannot polish dung? Is hitting the ground with running legs faster than a standing start? Is it really best to end with a bang? | |||||
SP12 | Special–1 | 'Viewer Special Threequel'[11] | November 19, 2008 | 127 | |
Myths tested: Could a torture technique consisting of growing a bamboo through a victim's body have worked? Does dropping alkali metals in a water-filled bathtub result in a huge explosion? Does brandy, such as carried by Saint Bernards, really prevent hypothermia? Does lighting a piano on fire make it explode? Note: This is a special episode. |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
114 | 1 | 'Demolition Derby'[12] | April 8, 2009 | 128 | |
Myths tested: When a bus is moving at over 50 miles per hour, will moving passengers to the inside of the turn keep the bus from flipping? Will a fruit stand drive through, chain link gate crash, caravan collision, and semi trailer shave leave the driver unharmed and able to continue in a high-speed pursuit? Will a car dropped from 4,000 feet fall faster than a speeding car? Can two big rigs that collide head on completely flatten a compact car between them? Note: This is a double-length special episode. | |||||
115 | 2 | 'Alaska Special'[12] 'Alaska Special 2'[13] | April 15, 2009 | 129 | |
Myths tested: Is pykrete tougher than ice, bulletproof, and durable enough to make a boat out of? Can a V-shaped snowplow really split a car in two? Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
116 | 3 | 'Banana Slip/Double-Dip'[12] | April 22, 2009 | 130 | |
Myths tested: Can a banana peel really cause one to slip? Does double dipping cause germ warfare? Can you really make a homemade diamond? | |||||
117 | 4 | 'YouTube Special'[12] | April 29, 2009 | 131 | |
Myths tested: Do match heads alone have the explosive punch to fire a homemade cannon? Can a 7-foot ball of Lego blocks become a rolling weapon of mass destruction? Can a car tire burst into flames if it spins fast enough? Note: This is a special YouTube-themed episode. | |||||
118 | 5 | 'Swimming in Syrup'[12] | May 6, 2009 | 132 | |
Myths tested: Can a person swim faster in syrup than in water? Can two targets be hit with one shot by splitting a bullet on an axe blade? Can a steel door be blown open by the gunpowder from six bullets? | |||||
119 | 6 | 'Exploding Bumper'[12] | May 13, 2009 | 133 | |
Myths tested: Can a car bumper explode? Did Hungarian archers get twice the penetration shooting a bow from a galloping horse? | |||||
120 | 7 | 'Seesaw Saga'[12] | May 20, 2009 | 134 | |
Myths tested: Could a skydiver whose parachute failed to open hit a playground seesaw and send a small girl flying seven stories high, and she could still survive? | |||||
121 | 8 | 'Thermite vs. Ice'[12] | May 27, 2009 | 135 | |
Myths tested: Could thermite placed on top of blocks of ice set off an explosion? Could a car stereo set off an SKS rifle? Could a person's thumb be severed while firing a hunting pistol? | |||||
122 | 9 | 'Prison Escape'[12] | June 3, 2009 | 136 | |
Myths tested: Could a human hang on to the roof of a speeding car? Can dental floss be used to cut through the steel bars of a prison? Can a prisoner fire the ball from his ball-and-chain via a ceremonial cannon, launch himself over the prison wall, and survive? | |||||
123 | 10 | 'Curving Bullets'[12] | June 10, 2009 | 137 | |
Myths tested: Can a sonic shock wave shatter glass? Is it possible to bend bullets around obstacles, like in the movie Wanted? | |||||
124 | 11 | 'Car vs. Rain'[12] | June 17, 2009 | 138 | |
Myths tested: Will driving a convertible faster in the rain help a person stay drier than stopping and putting the top on? Can popcorn be cooked with lasers or explosions? | |||||
125 | 12 | 'Knock Your Socks Off'[12] | October 7, 2009 | 139 | |
Myths tested: If one bullet is fired horizontally and the other is dropped vertically, simultaneously from the same height, will they hit the ground at the same time? Can someone really be knocked out of their socks? | |||||
126 | 13 | 'Duct Tape Hour'[12] | October 14, 2009 | 140 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to lift a car using nothing but duct tape? Can duct tape plug holes in the bottom of boats? Can you create a working sail-boat out of duct tape? Can duct tape be used to construct a potato cannon instead of glue? Is it possible to build a working cannon using duct tape? | |||||
127 | 14 | 'Clean Car vs. Dirty Car'[12] | October 21, 2009 | 141 | |
Myths tested: Does a dirty car get better gas mileage than a clean one? Why are dimples crucial to the flight of golf balls? Is a hangover caused by beer less severe than one caused by a mixture of beer and liquor? | |||||
128 | 15 | 'Greased Lightning'[12] | October 28, 2009 | 142 | |
Myths tested: Can a 30-foot fireball be created with an oil pan fire? Does microwaving C-4 cause it to explode? Can cheese fired from a cannon pierce a sail? | |||||
129 | 16 | 'Hurricane Windows'[12] | November 4, 2009 | 143 | |
Myths tested: Will opening all of the windows of a house during a hurricane lessen the damage caused to the structure? Will a human head that has been dipped in liquid nitrogen for 5 seconds shatter when slammed into a table? Will a Christmas tree explode if frozen using liquid nitrogen? | |||||
130 | 17 | 'Crash and Burn'[12] | November 11, 2009 (US)[12] November 2, 2009 (UK)[14] | 144 | |
Myths tested: Does a car explode when driven off a cliff? Can a huge rocket launch a cage holding a human, and would the person survive? | |||||
131 | 18 | 'Myth Evolution'[12] | November 18, 2009 | 145 | |
Myths tested: Can an exploding water heater pass through the second story of a house? Can a person shoot around a corner accurately using a variety of methods? Can someone hold on to a car while being driven through cardboard boxes? Can liquid nitrogen be used to pick a lock? Can a rocket-powered snowplow split a car in two? | |||||
132 | 19 | 'Dumpster Diving'[12] | November 25, 2009 | 146 | |
Myths tested: Can a person jump from a rooftop into a dumpster and walk away? Can a deep-sea diver's body be crushed into his helmet if his air hose breaks? Note: Kari Byron goes on maternity leave and Jessi Combs joins the Build Team as her replacement. | |||||
133 | 20 | 'Antacid Jail Break'[12] | December 2, 2009 | 147 | |
Myths tested: Can antacid tablets be used to blow a prison cell open? Can a person drive safely on a moonless night without using his headlights? | |||||
134 | 21 | 'Unarmed and Unharmed'[12] | December 9, 2009 | 148 | |
Myths tested: Can a cowboy shoot a gun out of a person's hand without injuring him? Is the 50-foot bus jump seen in Speed possible in real life? | |||||
135 | 22 | 'Hidden Nasties'[12] | December 16, 2009 | 149 | |
Myths tested: Can you skip a car over a lake? Is a toilet seat cleaner than other household items? | |||||
136 | 23 | 'Mini-Myth Mayhem'[12] | December 28, 2009 | 150 | |
Myths tested: Can you mail a coconut without packaging? Can you light a match with a bullet? Can you make a candle out of earwax? Can you make someone urinate involuntarily by putting their hand in a bowl of warm water while they sleep? Can you make your own gunpowder, shoot it out of a bamboo cannon, and walk away? Can you touch molten lead without burning your skin? Note: This episode is dedicated to Erik Gates, who died in a construction accident unrelated to rocketry. |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
137 | 1 | 'Boomerang Bullet'[15] | January 4, 2010 | 151 | |
Myths tested: Can you accidentally kill yourself with a bullet that ricochets off three walls? Could a medieval army have used trees to catapult dead bodies over a castle wall? | |||||
138 | 2 | 'Soda Cup Killer'[15] | March 24, 2010 | 152 | |
Myths tested: If a cup filled with soda was tossed out the window of a car, would it penetrate the windshield of a passing car, killing the driver? Can you really hang from the edge of a building like in the movies? Note: This is Jessi Combs's final appearance as a member of the Build Team. | |||||
139 | 3 | 'Dive to Survive'[15] | March 31, 2010[16] | 153 | |
Myths tested: Can you escape an explosive shockwave by diving in water? Can you bulletproof a car using nothing but phone books? Note: Kari Byron returns from maternity leave. | |||||
140 | 4 | 'Spy Car Escape'[15] | April 7, 2010 | 154 | |
Myths tested: Can an object fired backward from a vehicle moving forward simply fall to the ground? Do the movie spy car tricks to escape a chasing car work? | |||||
141 | 5 | 'Bottle Bash'[15] | April 14, 2010 | 155 | |
Myths tested: Is it worse to have an empty beer bottle smashed over your head than a full one? Could ancient armies have used animal hides to build their cannons? | |||||
142 | 6 | 'No Pain, No Gain'[15] | April 28, 2010[17] | 156 | |
Myths tested: Are some types of people more tolerant to pain? Can a BBQ propane tank heat up enough in a fire to launch through a garage roof like a rocket? | |||||
143 | 7 | 'Mythssion Control'[15] | May 5, 2010 | 157 | |
Myths tested: Can someone really be knocked out of their socks? (Revisit of: Knock Your Socks Off) Is the force exerted between two cars crashing into each other at 50 mph the same as a single car hitting a wall at 50 mph? | |||||
144 | 8 | 'Duct Tape Hour 2'[15] | May 12, 2010 | 158 | |
Myths tested: Can duct tape be used to build a bridge? Can duct tape be used to fix a car? Can duct tape be used to hold a car in place? Can duct tape be used to stop a car going 60 miles per hour? Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
145 | 9 | 'Waterslide Wipeout'[15] | May 19, 2010 | 159 | |
Myths tested: Can a person be launched 115 feet into a kiddie pool from a giant waterslide? Can a mail delivery truck taking only right turns save gas? | |||||
146 | 10 | 'Fireball Stun Gun'[15] | June 2, 2010 | 160 | |
Myths tested: Does pepper spray, a flannel shirt, and a stun gun cause massive fireball? Can fireworks really launch a person over a lake? | |||||
147 | 11 | 'Flu Fiction'[15] | June 9, 2010 | 161 | |
Myths tested: Can a sneeze leave a person's nose at around 100 mph? Can sneeze droplets travel up to 30 ft? Can nasal secretions contaminate a room quickly? Can you be decapitated by a tornado? | |||||
SP14 | Special–1 | 'Top 25 Moments'[15] | June 16, 2010[6] | 162 | |
The top 25 moments of MythBusters are counted down by the cast with additional comments. Note: This is a special double-length clip-show episode. | |||||
148 | 12 | 'Hair of the Dog'[15] | October 6, 2010 | 163 | |
Myths tested: Is there any way to prevent a bloodhound from tracking one's scent? (Revisit of: Foil the Bloodhound) Is it possible to fool a dog trained to sniff out contraband? | |||||
149 | 13 | 'Storm Chasing Myths'[15] | October 13, 2010 | 164 | |
Myths tested: Are the Storm Chasers' vehicles fit to withstand force 5 tornado speeds? Is it possible to build a personal tornado protection device? Note: This is a special episode. It is a crossover episode with Storm Chasers and is dedicated to honorary MythBuster Sanjay Singh. | |||||
150 | 14 | 'Cold Feet'[15] | October 20, 2010 | 165 | |
Myths tested: When you get 'cold feet', do your feet actually get colder? When the poop hits the fan, does everyone get covered in the ensuing chaos? | |||||
151 | 15 | 'Tablecloth Chaos'[15] | October 27, 2010 | 166 | |
Myths tested: Can a motorcycle pull a tablecloth out from under a setting for a banquet? Do humans really use only 10% of their brain? | |||||
152 | 16 | 'Arrow Machine Gun'[15] | November 3, 2010 (US)[15] October 25, 2010 (UK)[18] | 167 | |
Myths tested: Did the Greeks create an arrow machine gun that offered the speed, distance, and precision that modern machine guns do? Is driving while tired worse than driving while tipsy? | |||||
153 | 17 | 'Mini Myth Madness'[15] | November 10, 2010 | 168 | |
Myths tested: Can a scuba diver wear a tuxedo underneath his drysuit, go underwater, resurface, strip off his scuba gear, and be able to present the tuxedo perfectly? Can a car's tire pressure affect its fuel efficiency? Can a laptop stop a bullet from point-blank range? Can a hair weave stop a .40 caliber bullet? Can a fridge door stop a round of 9mm bullets? Out of using your elbow, using your hand, and using a handkerchief to cover your mouth when you sneeze, which is the best way to limit the spread of germs? Is it easy to take candy from a baby? Can a bottle of beer, when given a sudden shock, turn from a liquid and freeze into a solid? | |||||
154 | 18 | 'Reverse Engineering'[15] | November 17, 2010 (US)[15] November 8, 2010 (UK)[18] | 169 | |
Myths tested: Does a certain 1970s sports car become more aerodynamic if the body is turned backwards? Can a surfboard be launched through the windscreen of a car and be lethal, like in the movie Lethal Weapon 2? | |||||
155 | 19 | 'Inverted Underwater Car'[15] | November 24, 2010 | 170 | |
Myths tested: Is it more difficult to escape from a sinking car that flips upside down than from one that remains right-side up? Can a carton of milk keep a pistol's muzzle flash from igniting a room full of flammable gas? | |||||
156 | 20 | 'Bug Special'[15] | December 1, 2010 | 171 | |
Myths tested: Can honey bees lift a laptop? Can hitting a bug at high speeds on a motorcycle be fatal? Can hanging a bag of water repel flies? | |||||
157 | 21 | 'President's Challenge'[15] | December 8, 2010 | 172 | |
Myths tested: Can mirrors be used to make a death ray? (Revisit of: Ancient Death Ray) Is it possible to make a moving SUV flip end-over-end by punching down on the hood, like in the film Hellboy? Note: President Obama made a special appearance challenging Adam and Jamie to revisit the 'Ancient Death Ray' myth. | |||||
158 | 22 | 'Green Hornet Special'[15] | December 15, 2010 | 173 | |
Myths tested: Can a buried car use onboard explosives to blast a bulldozer out of the way without injuring the passengers? If a bullet-riddled car gets stuck in a rising elevator, will the ceiling cut it in half, and can the front end be driven away? Note: Seth Rogen makes a special appearance, challenging the cast to replicate two scenes from his film The Green Hornet. | |||||
159 | 23 | 'Operation Valkyrie'[3] | December 22, 2010 | 174 | |
Myths tested: Did Adolf Hitler survive Operation Valkyrie only because he was in a conference room instead of an underground bunker? Can you literally knock some sense into a person by slapping them? |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
160 | 1 | 'Mission Impossible Mask'[19] | April 6, 2011 | 175 | |
Myths tested: Can realistic facial masks be used to bypass security measures as shown in the Mission: Impossible television series? Is it possible to start a merry-go-round spinning by shooting bullets at it, as depicted in Shoot 'Em Up? Is it possible to knock a dropped gun out of reach by hitting it with bullets fired from another one? | |||||
161 | 2 | 'Blue Ice'[19] | April 13, 2011 | 176 | |
Myths tested: Can a magazine and toaster be used to blow up a room full of flammable gas, as depicted in The Bourne Supremacy? Can the contents of an airplane toilet leak out mid-flight and freeze into a lethal projectile? | |||||
162 | 3 | 'Running on Water'[19] | April 20, 2011 | 177 | |
Myths tested: Can a combination of footwear and technique allow a person to run on water? Can a person survive an explosion by hiding behind a table, a car, a dumpster, or a cinderblock wall? | |||||
163 | 4 | 'Bubble Trouble'[19] | April 27, 2011 | 178 | |
Myths tested: Can a person swim through bubbling water? Can an arrow with explosives split a tree in two? | |||||
164 | 5 | 'Torpedo Tastic'[19] | May 4, 2011 | 179 | |
Myths tested: Did the Syrians design a water-skimming torpedo as early as the 13th century? If a truckload of wine catches fire, will the bottles blow their corks 100 feet and sound like a machine gun? | |||||
165 | 6 | 'Blow Your Own Sail'[19] | May 11, 2011 | 180 | |
Myths tested: How well do movie sound effects compare to their real-world counterparts? Can a sailboat stranded in calm water start moving by blowing air into its sail with an onboard fan? | |||||
166 | 7 | 'Spy Car 2'[19] | May 18, 2011 | 181 | |
Myths tested: Can wheel spikes and a hood-mounted machine gun be used to disable a pursuing vehicle? Can a bullet spin in place after being fired onto the surface of a frozen lake? | |||||
167 | 8 | 'Dodge a Bullet'[19] | June 1, 2011 | 182 | |
Myths tested: Can a person dodge a bullet after it has been fired at him? Can a fall into water inflict the same injuries as one onto pavement from the same height? | |||||
168 | 9 | 'Fixing a Flat'[19] | June 8, 2011 | 183 | |
Myths tested: What can a driver use to replace a flat tire without a spare? Can a fishing reel catch fire with a fast enough fish on the line? | |||||
SP15 | Special–1 | 'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles'[19] | June 15, 2011 | 184 | |
The MythBusters discuss 12 favorite myths involving forms of transportation. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
169 | 10 | 'Let There Be Light'[19] | June 22, 2011 | 185 | |
Myths tested: Can mirrors be used to reflect sunlight and illuminate a tomb, as depicted in The Mummy? Can a runaway car be safely stopped if another driver pulls in front and slows down? | |||||
170 | 11 | 'Paper Armor'[19] | June 29, 2011 | 186 | |
Myths tested: Can a swimmer increase his chances of surviving an underwater explosion by floating at the surface? Did armies in ancient China use paper armor that was as effective as steel? | |||||
171 | 12 | 'Bikes and Bazookas'[19] | September 28, 2011 | 187 | |
Myths tested: Is a motorcycle more environmentally friendly than a car? Can a bullet take out an RPG? | |||||
172 | 13 | 'Newton's Crane Cradle'[19] | October 5, 2011 | 188 | |
Myths tested: Will a super-sized Newton's cradle work? Can the weight of a bird be enough to tip a teetering car off of a cliff? | |||||
173 | 14 | 'Walk a Straight Line'[19] | October 12, 2011 | 189 | |
Myths tested: Is it impossible for humans to walk in a straight line without a point of reference? Will binary explosives explode in the case of a fender bender? | |||||
174 | 15 | 'Duct Tape Plane'[19] | October 19, 2011 | 190 | |
Myths tested: Can excavators row a barge, take you wakeboarding, or do acrobatics? Can you patch the fuselage of a plane with duct tape? | |||||
175 | 16 | 'Flying Guillotine'[19] | October 26, 2011 | 191 | |
Myths tested: Can C4 be used as a cooking fuel? Can you make a throwing weapon that could decapitate an opponent and carry the head back to the thrower? | |||||
176 | 17 | 'Drain Disaster'[19] | November 2, 2011 | 192 | |
Myths tested: Will an explosion in a sewer launch a manhole cover as seen in many Hollywood films? Can truck bedliner withstand a car crash, a dog bite, and an explosion? | |||||
SP16 | Special–2 | 'Location, Location, Location'[3] | November 9, 2011 | 193 | |
The MythBusters discuss 12 favorite locations they have used for testing myths in the past. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
SP17 | Special–3 | 'Wet and Wild'[19] | November 16, 2011 | 194 | |
The MythBusters count down their 12 favorite water-based myths from prior episodes. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
177 | 18 | 'Wheel of Mythfortune'[19] | November 23, 2011 | 195 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible to re-inflate a flat tire and re-seat it on its rim by spraying in engine starting fluid and igniting it? How effective are various handgun firing stances? If a live grenade lands near a person, can he avoid shrapnel injuries by lying flat on the ground? Do people presented with the Monty Hall problem tend to stick with their first choice? Would people presented with the Monty Hall problem be more likely to win if they changed their decision? | |||||
178 | 19 | 'Toilet Bomb'[19] | November 30, 2011 | 196 | |
Myths tested: If a pressure-triggered bomb is cooled with liquid nitrogen, can its detonation be delayed long enough for a person to seek protection, as seen in Lethal Weapon 2? Can airplanes save fuel by flying in a V-formation like a flock of birds? |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
179 | 1 | 'Duct Tape Island'[20] | March 25, 2012 | 197 | |
Myths tested: Can a pallet of duct tape help you survive on a deserted island? | |||||
180 | 2 | 'Fire vs. Ice'[20] | April 1, 2012 | 198 | |
Myths tested: Can a fire extinguisher hold off a flamethrower? Can a fleet of cars kick up enough dust to blind a surveillance drone? | |||||
181 | 3 | 'Square Wheels'[20] | April 8, 2012 | 199 | |
Myths tested: Can a vehicle run as well on square wheels as it does on round ones? Can two cars stuck nose-to-nose really do the maneuvers shown in the film Date Night? | |||||
182 | 4 | 'Swinging Pirates'[20] | April 15, 2012 | 200 | |
Myths tested: Can the swinging-cage rescue in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest really be done? Can an oil drum filled with methanol work as a high speed go kart? | |||||
183 | 5 | 'Battle of the Sexes'[20] | April 22, 2012 | 201 | |
Myths tested: Are men better at driving than women? Are women better at reading facial emotions than men? Are men better at grilling than women? Are men better at following maps than women? Are men better at packing the car for a trip than women? | |||||
184 | 6 | 'Driving in Heels'[20] | April 29, 2012 | 202 | |
Myths tested: Does a driver's choice of footwear affect driving performance? Does a full bladder pose as much of a driving hazard as being legally intoxicated? Can superglue be used to turn a room upside down? Can superglue restrain a driver as well as a seat belt does during a collision? | |||||
185 | 7 | 'Revenge of the Myth'[20] | May 6, 2012 | 203 | |
Myths tested: Can fireworks really launch a person over a lake? (Revisit of: Fireworks Man) Can the weight of a bird be enough to tip a teetering car off of a cliff? (Revisit of: Bird Balance) Can a water heater turned on its side be used as a cannon? Can excavators be used to thread a needle or pour a glass of wine? | |||||
186 | 8 | 'Bouncing Bullet'[20] | May 13, 2012 | 204 | |
Myths tested: Can a bullet ricochet off pavement and up through a car's floorboard, as seen in Burn Notice? Can you ride an explosion's shock wave to jump farther than you can under your own power? | |||||
SP18 | Special–1 | 'Mailbag Special'[20] | May 20, 2012 | 205 | |
Myths tested: Can you eat a spoonful of cinnamon without drinking water? Which will fall faster, a six-pack of light beer or regular beer? Can a bullet from a .50 caliber Desert Eagle pistol not penetrate 25 watermelons? Can a van loaded with leaking containers of flammable gases explode when it receives a signal from its keyless remote? Note: This is a special episode. The Build Team answered a series of randomly chosen letters sent in by viewers, answering questions and doing a series of short tests. | |||||
187 | 9 | 'Bubble Pack Plunge'[20] | June 3, 2012 | 206 | |
Myths tested: Can you survive a 35 ft fall while covered in bubble wrap? Can a rocket-powered ejector seat flip an upside-down car back onto its wheels, as seen in Die Another Day? | |||||
188 | 10 | 'Duel Dilemmas'[20] | June 10, 2012 | 207 | |
Myths tested: Should you really never bring a knife to a gunfight? Will you lose a sword fight if you try to strike first? Did the 14th century Chinese design a two-stage, arrow-launching missile? | |||||
189 | 11 | 'Hollywood Gunslingers'[20] | June 17, 2012 | 208 | |
Myths tested: Can someone running through gunfire make it out safe? Can bullets made of silver or engraved with an enemy's name be as effective as unmodified ammunition? Does the person who draws second have a better chance of winning in a gunfight? Can a nail gun inflict wounds as lethal as a firearm? Can a MAC-10 dropped down a flight of stairs start firing by itself? Can a person firing two pistols simultaneously, rather than alternating left and right hand shots, hit targets more effectively than a person holding one pistol in a two-handed stance? (Revisit of: Firearm Fashion) Is the length of a typical action-movie gunfight realistic? | |||||
SP19 | Special–2 | 'Jawsome Shark Special'[20] | August 13, 2012 | 209 | |
Adam and Jamie count down their 25 favorite shark-related myths. Note: This is a special episode. | |||||
190 | 12 | 'Titanic Survival'[20] | October 7, 2012 | 210 | |
Myths tested: Could Jack have survived with Rose in the ending of Titanic? Is it possible to build a rocket-powered surfboard? Note: James Cameron was a special guest on this episode. | |||||
191 | 13 | 'Trench Torpedo'[20] | October 14, 2012 | 211 | |
Myths tested: Can a trench with perfect 90° corners absorb an explosion's shockwave inside the trench better than a trench with rounded corners? Can balloons act like an airbag during a car crash and save someone's life? | |||||
192 | 14 | 'Hail Hijinx'[20] 'Cliffhanger Bridge Boom'[21] | October 21, 2012 (US)[20] September 3, 2012 (AUS)[21] | 212 | |
Myths tested: Can you jump to safety from a collapsing rope bridge as seen in the film Cliffhanger? Can a strong enough hailstorm sink a boat? | |||||
193 | 15 | 'Fright Night'[20] | October 28, 2012 | 213 | |
Myths tested: Can certain sound frequencies persuade people that an area is haunted? Is it really possible to smell fear? Is it really as easy to move and bury a dead body as it is in the movies? | |||||
194 | 16 | 'Mini Myth Medley'[20] | November 4, 2012 | 214 | |
Myths tested: Are people really well-acquainted with the backs of their own hands? Can a needle be thrown through a glass pane without shattering it? Is it really impossible to ride a bicycle underwater? Does the 'potty dance' really allow you to delay the urge to urinate? | |||||
195 | 17 | 'Cannonball Chemistry'[3] | November 11, 2012 | 215 | |
Myths tested: Can a mattress cushion the impact of a long fall onto water? Are stone cannonballs as deadly as steel ones? | |||||
196 | 18 | 'Food Fables'[3] | November 18, 2012 | 216 | |
Myths tested: Can you cook a full holiday meal on the engine of a running car? Does the tryptophan in turkey make you sleepy? Is it easy to confuse the taste of unusual meat with chicken? Can a particular Chinese pressure vessel be used to cook popcorn faster than other methods? | |||||
SP20 | Special–3 | 'Explosions A to Z'[3] 'The A to Z of Explosives'[22] | November 25, 2012 (US)[20] September 24, 2012 (AUS)[22] | 217 | |
The Build Team goes through the alphabet highlighting some of the show's 752 detonations and counting. Note: This is a special episode. |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
197 | 1 | 'JATO Rocket Car: Mission Accomplished?'[23] | May 1, 2013 | 218 | |
Myths tested: Can a 1967 Chevy take off with JATO rockets, like in the tale of the JATO Rocket Car? (Revisit of: JATO Car) Note: This was the first of two '10th Anniversary' episodes | |||||
198 | 2 | 'Deadliest Catch Crabtastic Special'[23] | May 8, 2013 | 219 | |
Myths tested: Will a crab pot drag you overboard to the bottom if your foot is caught in a coil? Is it better to work a 30-hour grind with no sleep than a 20 minute nap every 6 hours? Are crab pots truly indestructible? Note: Deadliest Catch captains Johnathan Hillstrand and Scott 'Junior' Campbell guest star in this episode. | |||||
199 | 3 | 'Down and Dirty/Earthquake Survival'[23] | May 15, 2013 | 220 | |
Myths tested: Is a bathroom's hand dryer better than a paper towel? Which public restroom stall is the cleanest? Is better to stand in the doorway during an earthquake? | |||||
200 | 4 | 'Indy Car Special'[23] | May 22, 2013 | 221 | |
Myths tested: Can man beat machine in a 30-ft, standing-start sprint? Can a driver lose 10 lbs during a race? Can the suction created by a speeding car rip loose a manhole cover during a street race? | |||||
201 | 5 | 'Battle of the Sexes: Round 2'[23] | May 29, 2013 | 222 | |
Myths tested: Will lost men really not stop and ask for directions? Are women better multi-taskers? Are women better at parallel parking? Are men better at throwing objects than women? | |||||
202 | 6 | 'Motorcycle Water Ski'[23] | June 5, 2013 (US)[23] May 6, 2013 (AUS)[24] | 223 | |
Myths tested: Can a motorcycle traveling at highway speeds drive across the surface of a lake? Can you survive a jump from a high-rise building with a parachute made from a hotel room's contents? | |||||
203 | 7 | 'Hypermiling/Crash Cushions'[23] | June 12, 2013 (US)[23] May 27, 2013 (AUS)[25] | 224 | |
Myths tested: Could a man sandwiched between two big men in the backseat of a car survive the car being T-boned by a truck, as seen in Headhunters? Can hypermiling techniques really double your car's fuel efficiency? | |||||
204 | 8 | 'Duct Tape Canyon'[23] | June 19, 2013 | 225 | |
Myths tested: Can Adam and Jamie cross a canyon and reach civilization using only basic supplies, duct tape, and bubble wrap? Note: This is a special episode. It was used to promote Skywire Live. | |||||
205 | 9 | 'Painting With Explosives/Bifurcated Boat'[23] | June 26, 2013 | 226 | |
Myths tested: Can a room be painted using explosives via Adam's snowflake frame or Jamie's steel sphere? Can a boat be split in two by a channel marker? (Revisit of: Bifurcated Boat) Note: This was the second of two '10th Anniversary' episodes. | |||||
206 | 10 | 'Breaking Bad Special'[23] | August 12, 2013 (US)[23] July 15, 2013 (AUS)[26] | 227 | |
Myths tested: Can concentrated hydrofluoric acid in a bathtub completely dissolve a human body, create a hole through the tub, and dissolve the bathroom floor below it? Can a chunk of solid mercury fulminate thrown on the ground explode, kill or injure bystanders, and break nearby windows, all without injuring the thrower? Note: Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and actor Aaron Paul make a guest appearance. | |||||
207 | 11 | 'Zombie Special'[23] | October 17, 2013 | 228 | |
Myths tested: Is an axe more effective than a gun when you are swarmed by zombies? Can the force of many people bust down a door? Can you escape from a horde of zombies? Note: The Walking Dead's Michael Rooker guest stars in this episode. |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
208 | 1 | 'Star Wars Special'[27] | January 4, 2014 | 229 | |
Myths tested: Could Luke have safely swung across the chasm in the Death Star while carrying Princess Leia? Would the Ewoks' swinging log trap have destroyed an Imperial walker? Would a Tauntaun carcass have kept Luke from freezing to death on the cold climate of Hoth? | |||||
209 | 2 | 'Moonshiner Myths'[27] | January 11, 2014 | 230 | |
Myths tested: Can a moonshine still explode and destroy the shack it is hidden in? Can a car fueled by moonshine run as well as one running on gasoline? | |||||
210 | 3 | 'Hollywood Car Crash Cliches'[27] | January 18, 2014 | 231 | |
Myths tested: Can two men carrying a pane of glass survive unscathed if a car smashes through it? Can a rocket-propelled grenade explosion flip an SUV? Can a large truck plow through a traffic jam without stopping? | |||||
211 | 4 | 'Car Chase Chaos / Animal Antics'[27] 'Car Chase Chaos/Animal Avoidance'[28] | January 25, 2014 (US)[27] June 3, 2013 (AUS)[28] | 232 | |
Myths tested: Can you share the task of driving, change places while driving, or push the driver out while moving at regular speed? Can you prevent cats from defecating in your garden? What methods work best to repel snakes? What methods work best to deter bears? | |||||
212 | 5 | '*DO* Try This at Home?'[27] | February 1, 2014 | 233 | |
Myths tested: Can watering plants with microwaved water kill them? Can you put out a fire on a lake by turning a boat at an angle? Can metronomes started at different times sync together? Can a ball chain 'levitate' over a lip of a cup? Can sugar and sulfuric acid explode like a 'black snake'? Are dry ice bombs lethal? Can hydrogen peroxide, yeast, water, liquid dish soap, and food coloring create 'elephant toothpaste'? Can water coming out of a hose with a speaker next to it create an optical illusion that it is going backwards? | |||||
213 | 6 | 'Mythssion Impossible'[27] | February 15, 2014 | 234 | |
Myths tested: Can you herd cats? Can you catch a greased pig? Can you stuff 10 pounds of feces into a 5-pound bag? | |||||
214 | 7 | 'Bullet Baloney'[27] | February 22, 2014 | 235 | |
Myths tested: Can a gun fire lethally if its barrel is bent? Can tape measures and wallets stop bullets? Will a shotgun shell on the tip of a wooden spear detonate if jabbed into an attacking animal? Can a gun work in outer space? Will a neon sign blow out in a shower of sparks if hit by a bullet? Can a gun discharge on its own if thrown into a deep fryer? | |||||
215 | 8 | 'Supersonic Ping Pong/Ice Cannon'[27] | March 1, 2014 | 236 | |
Myths tested: Can a ping pong ball inflict a lethal injury if it flies fast enough? Can a cannon and cannonballs made from ice be a reliable weapon? | |||||
216 | 9 | 'Fire in the Hole'[27] | July 10, 2014 | 237 | |
Myths tested: Could someone shoot a live grenade in midair and thus render it useless? Can you contain a TNT explosion inside an ordinary object? | |||||
217 | 10 | 'Household Disasters'[27] | July 17, 2014 (US)[27] May 26, 2014 (AUS)[29] | 238 | |
Myths tested: Can an explosion caused by a hot-water heater put out a fire? Is sunscreen flammable? Can a piano being raised into a house fall and break through the roof and the floor of a house? Will a vacuum explode if it vacuums up black powder? | |||||
218 | 11 | 'Commercial Myths'[27] 'Apple Bobbing Bungee/Tennis Wing Walk'[30] | July 24, 2014 (US)[27] May 19, 2014 (AUS)[30] | 239 | |
Myths tested: Can you bob for an apple during a 100 foot bungee jump? Can you really play tennis on an airplane wing mid-flight? | |||||
219 | 12 | 'Road Rage'[27] 'Driving This Crazy'[31] | July 31, 2014 (US)[27] May 12, 2014 (AUS)[31] | 240 | |
Myths tested: When two cars try to knock each other off the road does it always result in a long and difficult duel? Is the silver screen trick of tipping up on to two wheels and driving sideways as easy as it seems? Can a Corvette be used as a ramp to flip into a barrel roll as in the movie Wanted? | |||||
220 | 13 | 'Laws of Attraction'[27] | August 7, 2014 | 241 | |
Myths tested: Do males prefer women with blonde hair? Do pheromone sprays work? Are women attracted to wealthy men? Do men give larger tips to women with larger breasts? Does a person’s intelligence deteriorate in the presence of members of the opposite gender? | |||||
221 | 14 | 'Traffic Tricks'[27] | August 7, 2014 (US)[27] July 22, 2013 (AUS)[32] | 242 | |
Myths tested: If a single car brakes lightly, can it cause a ripple that triggers a major traffic jam? Is it better to stay in one lane in heavy traffic instead of changing lanes? Are roundabouts more efficient than four-way stop signs? For journeys less than 400 miles, is driving faster than flying? | |||||
222 | 15 | 'Plane Boarding'[27] 'Plane Boarding/Bite the Bullet'[33] | August 21, 2014 (US)[27] September 17, 2012 (AUS)[34] | 243 | |
Myths tested: Is the method used for boarding planes by most airlines inefficient? Can you make an untraceable bullet out of teeth? Note: This episode marked the final appearance of Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, and Tory Belleci on the US schedule. This is the last episode to use the 2006 opening sequence and The Dandy Warhols arrangement of the theme music. |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
223 | 1 | 'The Simpsons Special'[35] | January 10, 2015 | 244 | |
Myths tested: Will a cherry bomb dropped in a school toilet make others act like geysers? Will placing someone between a wrecking ball and a building protect the building? Note: The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean makes a guest appearance. | |||||
224 | 2 | 'Indiana Jones Special'[35] 'The Busters of the Lost Myths'[36] | January 17, 2015 | 245 | |
Myths tested: Could Indiana Jones have outrun a battery of wall-mounted dart launchers? Can you use a whip to disarm or neutralize an enemy with a gun? Does the tip of a whip break the sound barrier? Can you use a whip to swing safely across a chasm? | |||||
225 | 3 | 'A-Team Special'[35] | January 24, 2015 | 246 | |
Myths tested: Can you build a propane-powered log cannon to shoot planks at enemies? Can you safely disable a pursuing car by blasting a manhole cover upward into it? | |||||
226 | 4 | 'Video Game Special'[35] | January 31, 2015 | 247 | |
Myths tested: Can you easily carry and deploy a large variety of weapons, as in Doom? Can you easily slice through large amounts of thrown fruit, as in Fruit Ninja? | |||||
227 | 5 | 'Transformers'[35] | February 7, 2015 | 248 | |
Myths tested: Can a car be converted into a motorcycle? Can a bicycle be modified to operate on both land and water? | |||||
228 | 6 | 'San Francisco Drift'[35] | February 14, 2015 | 249 | |
Myths tested: Can you turn a corner faster by drifting than with conventional driving methods? Can you drift into a parallel parking space without hitting the adjacent cars or the curb? | |||||
229 | 7 | 'Blow It Out of the Water'[35] | July 18, 2015 | 250 | |
Myths tested: Can a boat be blown out of the water without destroying it? Is it possible to mount a remote-controlled machine gun in a car trunk and use it to kill a roomful of people from outside a house, as seen in the finale of Breaking Bad? Note: Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan makes a guest appearance. | |||||
230 | 8 | 'Flights of Fantasy'[35] | July 25, 2015 | 251 | |
Myths tested: Is the Lockheed U-2 really harder to fly and land safely than any other plane currently in use? Can a drone's propellers injure a person? | |||||
231 | 9 | 'Accidental Ammo'[35] | August 1, 2015 (US)[35] May 27, 2015 (FIN)[37] | 252 | |
Myths tested: Can a stone shot from a lawn mower have the same force as a bullet shot from a .357 Magnum? Can a pane of glass falling cut a person fully in half? | |||||
232 | 10 | 'Dangerous Driving'[35] | August 8, 2015 | 253 | |
Myths tested: Is talking on the phone using hands-free technology when driving equally as distracting as holding the phone in the hand? Is it easy to drive a vehicle in reverse at high speed? | |||||
233 | 11 | 'Supernatural Shooters'[35] | August 15, 2015 (US)[35] May 10, 2015 (NLD & BEL)[38] | 254 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible for a hitman to fire a bullet through a wall and hit a moving target on the other side? Can you effectively fire bullets from between your fingers by putting your hand in a fire, as seen in Shoot 'Em Up? Note: Actor Jonathan Banks of Breaking Bad was a special guest in this episode. | |||||
234 | 12 | 'Unfinished Business'[35] | August 22, 2015 | 255 | |
Myths tested: Can a video game that simulates a skill lead to real-world improvement in that skill? Are hollow road spikes more effective in stopping a car than solid ones? Is it difficult to hold on to a live grenade once the pin is pulled? Can you fire and reload a pistol as quickly as in a Hollywood action movie? | |||||
235 | 13 | 'MythBusters vs. Jaws'[35] | August 29, 2015 | 256 | |
Myths tested: Is there any way to shoot a scuba tank in a shark's mouth and cause it to explode? (Revisit of: Exploding Scuba Tank) Will the sound of orcas drive sharks away? Will the smell of a dead shark drive living ones away? | |||||
236 | 14 | 'Star Wars 2'[35] 'Star Wars - The Myths Strike Back'[39] | September 5, 2015 | 257 | |
Myths tested: Is it possible for people to dive out of the way of incoming Stormtrooper shots? Does a combatant on the higher ground have a significant advantage over his opposition? Note: This is a Star Wars themed episode. |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
237 | 1 | 'MythBusters Revealed'[40] 'MythBusters Revealed: The Behind the Scenes Season Opener'[41] | January 2, 2016 | 258 | |
A behind-the-scenes look at the production of the final season, with clips of myths from the 2016 season. | |||||
238 | 2 | 'The Explosion Special'[40] | January 9, 2016 | 259 | |
Myths tested: Can a load of wet cement prevent a bomb in a mail truck from injuring bystanders or destroying the truck, like in MacGyver? Can you safely cross a minefield in a hovercraft? | |||||
239 | 3 | 'Tanker Crush'[40] | January 16, 2016 | 260 | |
Myths tested: Will a steam-filled railroad tank car collapse in on itself as it cools? | |||||
240 | 4 | 'Cooking Chaos'[40] | January 23, 2016 | 261 | |
Myths tested: Can you instantly cook shrimp by firing them through clouds of flour, eggs, bread crumbs, and fire? Can you use an underwater explosion to juice the inside of a fruit without damaging the skin? | |||||
241 | 5 | 'Driven to Destruction'[40] | January 30, 2016 | 262 | |
Myths tested: Can you flatten a car with explosives? Can you use a household vacuum cleaner to lift a car? | |||||
242 | 6 | 'Volunteer Special'[40] | February 6, 2016 | 263 | |
Myths tested: Is an axe really better than a gun in a zombie attack? (Revisit of: Axe vs. Gun) Can checkout wait times in a store be reduced by routing customers to the first available register instead of letting them choose their own? | |||||
243 | 7 | 'Failure Is Not an Option!'[40] | February 13, 2016 | 264 | |
Myths tested: Is drifting faster than regular driving on a dirt road? (Revisit of: Drift Turn) Can a metal cigarette lighter stop a bullet? (Revisit of: What is Bulletproof?) Can a full fishtank stop a shotgun blast? Can you survive two identical, simultaneous explosions by standing halfway between them? | |||||
244 | 8 | 'Rocketman'[40] 'Rocketmen'[42] | February 20, 2016 | 265 | |
Myths tested: Can gummy bears and feces be used as alternative rocket fuels? | |||||
245 | 9 | 'Reddit Special'[40] | February 27, 2016 | 266 | |
Myths tested: Will a flatus show up on a thermal imaging camera? Can you survive a fall from a chopper by climbing into a zorb ball? Is it really easy to punch your way out of a paper bag? | |||||
246 | 10 | 'Grand Finale'[40] 'The MythBusters Grand Finale'[43] | March 5, 2016 | 267 | |
Adam and Jamie end the show with two grand explosions, a dedication to Buster, and the destruction of past props using a truck ram. | |||||
247 | 11 | 'Reunion'[40] 'MythBusters: The Reunion'[44] | March 5, 2016 | 268 | |
Adam and Jamie invite Grant, Tory, and Kari back to reflect on the history of the show and what it meant to them. | |||||
248 | 12 | 'Duct Tape: The Return'[45] | March 6, 2016 | 269 | |
Myths tested: Can you build a working trebuchet held together only by duct tape? Can a seat belt made from duct tape save your life in a car crash? Note: This episode aired on Science. This is the final episode of the original series, and also marked the final appearance of Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
249 | 1 | 'Heads Will Roll'[46] | November 15, 2017 | 270 | |
Myths tested: If you are in the front passenger seat of a car that gets in a collision, will you be killed if you have your feet up on the dashboard? Can a sword cut off someone's head so fast and smoothly so that the head will just stay sitting on the victim's body? | |||||
250 | 2 | 'Chimney Cannon'[46] | November 22, 2017 | 271 | |
Myths tested: Can a burglar be shot out of a chimney when the gas fireplace gets lit? Can bullet shot into a tree kill a lumberjack when his chainsaw hits the bullet? | |||||
251 | 3 | 'Earthquake Water Heater'[46] | November 29, 2017 | 272 | |
Myths tested: Can a water-heater that has been knocked over in an earthquake explode to destroy the garage it is in and the motor-home parked next to it? Can a flatulence 'dutch oven' cause an explosion? | |||||
252 | 4 | 'Rock 'n' Roll Road Rage'[46] | December 6, 2017 | 273 | |
Myths tested: Can a leaping carp kill a water skier by hitting him? Does listening to aggressive music lead to aggressive driving? | |||||
253 | 5 | 'Invisible Assassins'[46] | December 13, 2017 | 274 | |
Myths tested: Can a duplex nail fired from a fire extinguisher disable a bad guy? Can light bulbs modified to fit in a shotgun shell with a bag of nuts and bolts around it become a lethal fragmentation-style grenade when the bulbs are turned on? Can a shotgun shell rigged with a nail to fire from under a floor kill a person stepping on the board? | |||||
254 | 6 | 'Dead Body Double'[46] | December 20, 2017 | 275 | |
Myths tested: Can a human body be used to protect you in a gun battle? Can oobleck be bomb-proof? |
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Overall episode No. |
---|---|---|---|---|
255 | 1 | 'Fire Arrow vs. Gas Tank'[47] 'Fiery Arrow vs. Gas Tank'[48] | January 3, 2018 | 276 |
256 | 2 | 'Pane in the Glass'[47] | January 10, 2018 | 277 |
257 | 3 | 'Wild Wild West'[47] | January 17, 2018 | 278 |
258 | 4 | 'Spike in the Road'[47] 'Geezer Geyser'[48] | January 24, 2018 | 279 |
259 | 5 | 'Dynamite Deposit'[47] | January 31, 2018 | 280 |
260 | 6 | 'Backseat Getaway Driver'[47] 'Knock Me Over with a Feather'[48] | February 7, 2018 | 281 |
261 | 7 | 'Electrified Escape'[48] | TBD (US) February 21, 2018 (UK) | 282 |
262 | 8 | 'Dropping a Bomb'[48] | TBD (US) February 28, 2018 (UK) | 283 |
Special episodes listed here were aired separately to the normal season episodes.
No. in series | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|
BO1 | Special–1 | 'Best Animal Myths'[49] | March 21, 2004 | |
This is a 'Best of' recut of previously tested animal-related myths from various episodes. The myths are.. Chicken Gun from the episode 'Chicken Gun', which originally aired January 18, 2004 Goldfish Memory from the episode 'Sinking Titanic', which originally aired February 22, 2004 Does a Duck's Quack Echo? from the episode 'Alcatraz Escape', which originally aired December 12, 2003 | ||||
BO2 | Special–2 | 'Best Electric Myths'[50] | May 6, 2004 | |
This is a 'Best of' recut of previously tested electricity-related myths from various episodes. The myths are.. Peeing on the Third Rail from the episode 'Barrel of Bricks', which originally aired October 10, 2003 Lightning Strikes Tongue Piercing from the episode 'Lightning Strikes/Tongue Piercings', which originally aired November 11, 2003 Microwave Madness from the episode 'Penny Drop', which originally aired October 17, 2003 | ||||
BO3 | Special–3 | 'Best Explosions'[51] | June 29, 2004 | |
This is a 'Best of' recut of previously tested explosion-related myths from various episodes. The myths are.. Cell Phone Destruction from the episode 'Cell Phone Destroys Gas Station', which originally aired October 3, 2003 Raccoon Rocket from the episode 'Stinky Car', which originally aired December 5, 2003 Tree Cannon from the episode 'Lightning Strikes/Tongue Piercings', which originally aired November 11, 2003 Exploding Toilet from the episode 'Exploding Toilet', which originally aired September 23, 2003 | ||||
SP11 | Special–4 | 'Young Scientist Special'[3] | April 26, 2008 | |
Myths tested: Are electric cars slower than gas-powered ones? Do greenhouse gases increase the amount of heat absorbed by air? Do cows hurt the environment? Can cow manure be used to help the environment? Note: This episode aired on the Science Channel. Former MythBuster Scottie Chapman reappeared in this episode to assist in the testing, along with Discovery Channel's young scientist winners. | ||||
SP13 | Special–5 | 'Car Conundrum'[6] | June 23, 2010 | |
This is a recut of previously tested car-related myths from various episodes. The myths are.. Underwater Car from the episode 'Underwater Car', which originally aired January 24, 2007 Hollywood Crash Test from the episode 'Demolition Derby Special', which originally aired April 8, 2009 Car Remote Capers from the episode 'Viewers' Special', which originally aired August 15, 2007 | ||||
BC1 | Special–6 | 'Buster's Cut: Alcohol Myths'[6] | June 30, 2010 | |
This is a 'Buster's Cut' of the episode 'Alcohol Myths', which originally aired October 22, 2008. | ||||
BC2 | Special–7 | 'Buster's Cut: Duct Tape Hour 2'[6] | July 7, 2010 | |
This is a 'Buster's Cut' of the episode 'Duct Tape Hour 2', which originally aired May 12, 2010. | ||||
BC3 | Special–8 | 'Buster's Cut: Knock Your Socks Off'[6] | July 14, 2010 | |
This is a 'Buster's Cut' of the episode 'Knock Your Socks Off', which originally aired October 7, 2009. | ||||
BC4 | Special–9 | 'Buster's Cut: Viewer Special Threequel'[6] | July 21, 2010 | |
This is a 'Buster's Cut' of the episode 'Viewer Special Threequel', which originally aired November 19, 2008. | ||||
BC5 | Special–10 | 'Buster's Cut: Bottle Bash'[6] | July 28, 2010 | |
This is a 'Buster's Cut' of the episode 'Bottle Bash', which originally aired April 14, 2010. | ||||
DD1 | Special–11 | 'Demolition Derby: Hollywood Havoc'[6] | January 5, 2011 | |
This is a recut of previously tested car and movie-related myths from various episodes. | ||||
DD2 | Special–12 | 'Demolition Derby: Car Chaos'[6] | January 12, 2011 | |
This is a recut of previously tested car-related myths from various episodes. | ||||
SP21 | Special–13 | 'Blast From The Past'[6] | May 1, 2013 | |
The first ever MythBusters episode, 'Jet-Assisted Chevy', gets remastered with behind the scenes details and info. |
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