MythBusters

MythBusters
The opening credits to Mythbusters
Created by	Peter Rees
Starring	Jamie Hyneman Adam Savage Tory Belleci Kari Byron Grant Imahara
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	69 (as of December 13, 2006)
Production
Running time	50 minutes (Discovery Channel) 30 minutes (BBC 2)
Original release
Network	Discovery Channel
Release	January 23, 2003 – present

MythBusters is an American pop science television program on the Discovery Channel starring special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, who use their skills and expertise to test the validity of various rumors and urban legends in popular culture. The show, narrated by Robert Lee, is filmed primarily at M5 Industries, Hyneman's special effects workshop, and in the surrounding San Francisco Bay Area.

History

The show was originally pitched to the Discovery Channel by producer Peter Rees from Beyond Television Productions in 2002. Discovery then commissioned three pilot specials. Hyneman came to the show through Rees, who previously interviewed him for his appearance on Robot Wars. Savage, who had worked with Hyneman in commercials and on Robot Wars, was approached by Hyneman to help co-host the show because Hyneman felt he was not dynamic enough to host the show on his own. In July 2006, an edited thirty-minute version (as opposed to the usual 50 minutes) of MythBusters began airing on BBC Two in the UK.

Format

Each hour-long MythBusters episode focuses on two or three urban legends, popular beliefs, or Internet rumors. The featured myth often requires extensive preparation and set building, although the one or two simpler myths usually included in the show require less planning and execution. To date, however, three experiments (35, 40, and 46) were so complex they consumed the entire hour. Two MythBusters specials (the Jaws Special and the Mega Movie Myths special) were each two hours long.

Some urban legends that have been tested include:

• Can the unaided human voice shatter glass? ("Breaking Glass")
• Can a penny dropped from a tall building kill a person at ground level? ("Penny Drop")
• Is it possible to build a functioning, inconspicuous car ejector seat? ("Mega Movie Myths")
• Did Ben Franklin's kite experiment really take place? ("Franklin's Kite")
• Does a duck's quack echo? ("Duck Quack")
• Can a rotating ceiling fan decapitate a person? ("Ceiling Fan Decapitation")
• Can diving underwater protect a person from gunfire? ("Bulletproof Water")
• Is it possible to break off a lock by shooting it with a gun? ("Mega Movie Myths")

Methods for testing myths and urban legends are usually planned and executed in a manner to produce the most visually dramatic results possible, which generally involves explosions, fires, or vehicle crashes. Because the emphasis is on visual spectacle, mishaps and injuries have occurred, leading Savage to describe the show as "Jackass meets Mr. Wizard." In addition, the MythBusters usually select a myth that lends itself to such a spectacle, such as "will using a cell phone at a gas station ignite gas fumes?" ("Cell Phone Destruction") or "can a shark penetrate a boat or compromise a shark proof cage by ramming it?" ("JAWS Special").

When a myth tests the limits of the human body, the MythBusters use resident crash test dummy, "Buster", or ballistics gel, which replicates human tissue and is used by ballistics engineers to test firearms and other projectiles. If the myth is not too hazardous, the cast may perform the experiment on themselves, although even this involves risks, since injuries and mishaps are quite frequent. For example, to test whether or not getting into the airplane crash position helps save lives, Savage, and co-hosts Kari Byron and Tory Belleci, strapped themselves into the crash rig after testing it on dummies and dropped it from a height of five feet. Although they were able to walk away, all sustained minor injuries.

There are some myths and urban legends the MythBusters refuse to test. Paranormal concepts, such as aliens or ghosts, are not addressed because they cannot be tested by scientific methods, although one exception, pyramid power, prompted Savage to comment, "No more 'oogie-boogie' myths, please." The program avoids experiments harmful to animals and people that cannot be tested safely, such as whether a wet poodle could be dried in a microwave oven. The book MythBusters: The Explosive Truth Behind 30 of the Most Perplexing Urban Legends of All Time (ISBN 1-4169-0929-X) also gives a list of a dozen urban legends that are unlikely to be explored (although three were eventually tested).

Hyneman and Savage use their extensive engineering and construction expertise to construct complex mechanical devices with which to perform experiments, such as an automated toast assembly line to test whether toasted bread slices land butter-side-down more often. They design, build, and operate these machines at Hyneman’s M5 Industries special effects workshop, although they often test them at other locations in and around San Francisco, including such places as the decommissioned Naval Air Station Alameda, Novato's decommissioned Hamilton Air Force Base, Mojave Spaceport, or the Mojave Desert, where the MythBusters performed tests involving rockets. Other locations included New Jersey (where they investigated if Jimmy Hoffa is buried under Giants Stadium) and the Bahamas (where they examined shark myths).

The tests are usually a two-step process. First, an attempt is made to recreate the myth to determine if the circumstances, as described, achieve the alleged outcome. If that fails, they attempt to expand the parameters as much as necessary — often to absurd lengths — until the desired results are duplicated. This second stage is referred to as "the MythBusters way." In "Raccoon Rocket", the MythBusters recreated the myth of a person who was supposedly launched 200 feet out of a drainage culvert. After pouring gasoline into it, he supposedly then climbed in and lit the fuel in an attempt to kill a raccoon, accidentally launching himself. A mockup culvert was built, Buster was stuffed inside, and the gasoline remotely ignited. When Buster failed to launch, however, he was packed inside a sabot, the end of the culvert was closed with explosives, and Buster was successfully propelled about 100 feet.

When the exact details of a myth are unclear, the MythBusters will often vie with one another to find and implement the best solution. For one myth, they competed to see if a person falling off a building could safely fly or glide to the ground by holding onto a sheet of plywood. Savage built a wood parachute-device, while Hyneman opted for a glider-shape construct. Both were tested, along with an unmodified standard plywood sheet design.

Busted, Plausible, or Confirmed?

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Logo

By the end of each episode, each myth is rated "Busted", "Plausible", or "Confirmed."

Confirmed

The MythBusters are able to recreate the myth’s purported outcome with the described circumstances. A myth can also be confirmed with documented evidence that it actually occurred.

Plausible (first used in the second season)

The myth's results can only be produced by expanding the parameters within a reasonable margin (that is, if the circumstances needed to make the myth work are impractical, but still possible), or by the practical necessity of setting additional parameters that may or may not have been part of the myth described. This judgment is used if a myth is possible but unlikely, or if documented accounts of the myth exist that the MythBusters were unable to duplicate (for safety or cost reasons).

Busted

The myth's results cannot be replicated via either the described parameters nor reasonably exaggerated ones. The myth's results could only be reproduced with parameters so unusual that the likelihood of the myth’s validity is questionable.

Occasionally, the MythBusters give more than one designation to separate aspects of a single myth. In "Bullets Fired Up", they tested if a bullet fired straight up can fall and kill the shooter or innocent bystanders. They gave the myth all three designations: "Busted", "Plausible", and "Confirmed." It was "Busted", because bullets fired straight up will tumble to the ground at a non-lethal velocity; "Plausible", because a shooter is much more likely to fire at a slight angle, wherein the bullet will maintain its ballistic trajectory and potentially be lethal when it comes back down; and "Confirmed", because there are eyewitness accounts of falling bullets killing people. In fact, many municipalities have laws explicitly prohibiting firing weapons into the air for that reason.

In the case of one myth, which alleged that a car passing behind a jet airliner could be overturned by the jet's engine thrust as it goes to full throttle, the myth was deemed inconclusive (Plausible), because it could not be duplicated due to logistical difficulties, even though it was documented by television news and later recreated on a much larger scale with the CF6 engine from a Boeing 747 by the UK BBC2 television show, Top Gear. using both a Ford Mondeo and a Citroën 2CV.

If the MythBusters receive feedback from their fan site discussion forum and other sources asserting that the experiments were improperly conducted or incomplete, the show may revisit past myths and re-test them. As of October 25, 2006 there have been five episodes (14, 38, 46, 51, and 64) dedicated solely to reevaluation. These revisions are conducted with new testing methods or historical information. To date, two previously "Busted" myths have actually been overturned. The "Chicken Gun" myth became "Plausible" and the "Who Gets Wetter?" myth, which asserted that running in the rain gets one less wet than walking in it, became "Confirmed" after their revisits. All other previously "Busted" myths were simply reaffirmed as such.

In The Anti-Gravity Device, Tory mentioned that they couldn't bust Anti-Gravity, just their "Anti-Gravity" devices, resulting in Kari saying they can revise, and give it a Busted (For Now). For Now was also seen under the "busted" sign, making it the only myth to get, quite literally, "Busted (for now)".

Often-used objects

• Ballistics gel is used by various agencies to test performance of firearms ammunition, as it approximates some of the physical properties of human muscle tissue. The MythBusters also use special mixtures of it to simulate certain properties of flesh, such as conductivity or blunt impact resistance.
• Cars are often obtained from a scrapheap but are sometimes donated by a fan or purchased in running condition.
• Firearms and explosives are used to test myths involving these devices. These myths typically end with explosive results.
• High speed cameras are often used to record moving objects during a test and (with the help of a scale ruler) measure the objects' speeds.
• Pig carcasses are mostly used in myths where a human analogue is needed and Buster cannot be used. These have been used in experiments concerning decomposition, shooting, and potential dismemberment.
• Polycarbonate sheets are used extensively during the series as barriers for potentially explosive or dangerous experiments. The integrity of the sheets themselves were the subject of one experiment.
• Shackles are used frequently in experiments involving falls or mechanisms under tension. Theatre shackles designed for quick release are often utilized.

Cast

Hyneman and Savage are assisted by others, most notably Hyneman's M5 Industries staff, collectively known as "The Build Team". This staff has appeared on screen since the second season and were given equal billing with Hyneman and Savage during the third season. Staff members have included M5 alumnus Salvatore "Tory" Belleci, artist Kari Byron, metal worker and welder Scottie Chapman, electrical engineer Grant Imahara, and Discovery Channel contest winner Christine Chamberlain (referred to as the "mythtern"). The program originally featured interviews with folklorist Heather Joseph-Witham, who explained the origins of certain urban legends, and people with first-hand experience of claims being tested. This was phased out by the third season to focus more on the experimentation process. (The only experts shown now are consultants who interact directly with the cast during testing.) Much of the show's appeal comes from the interaction between Savage and Hyneman, which is similar to a double act, wherein Hyneman plays the straight man and Savage is the comic foil/relief.

Buster

Buster is a crash test dummy used in the more dangerous myth tests. As a testament to the danger involved, Buster has been extensively repaired and rebuilt over the course of the series — to the point that an entire episode was devoted to his being rebuilt and upgraded to "Buster 2.0." The current Buster boasts improved joints with a more realistic range of movement, and he was given easily replaceable wooden "bones", designed to break under the same stress as human ones. In addition, his new flesh is made of "Dragon Skin", a special fire-resistant silicone. Buster has even been fitted with specialized equipment to give him new functionality; for testing the "Hammer Bridge Drop" myth, he was fitted with an accelerometer, and in the "Shark Week" special, he received temporary modifications allowing him to punch sharks.

Buster has since been supplemented with additional dummies (manufactured by the company Simulaids), nicknamed "Jane", "Simulaide Suzy", and "Rescue Randy". They were introduced in the Killer Brace Position myth.

Even more recently "Ted" (as in bus-Ted), a ballistics gel dummy was made by the Build Team for the "Train Suction" myth. It was then 'given' to Jamie and Adam for the "22,000-Foot Fall" myth. The problem with Ted was that he was melting in the sun while they were setting up for the myth, but he survived, although was almost as flat as a pancake, before being dropped 500 feet.

Injuries and mishaps

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Dramatic explosions have become a MythBusters tradition.

Due to the nature and methods of MythBusters, several injuries, mishaps, and close calls have happened over the course of the show. Some include:

• Adam's lower lip was sucked into and cut by a running vacuum cleaner motor as he was examining the device for the "Homemade Hovercraft" myth. He later explained in the "MythBusters Revealed" special that he had wanted to see if the vacuum motor would pull on his lip, but had not thought about the rapidly spinning impeller within.
• Adam lost some hair during an explosion test in the "Cell Phone Destruction" myth, which invoked one of his more famous quotes: "Am I missing... an eyebrow?", used in subsequent opening scenes for the show.
• Jamie almost passed out during the "Stinky Car" myth. The car, having spent two months inside a sealed truck container with two dead pigs inside it, had accumulated high levels of ammonia that almost overwhelmed Jamie when he went inside to release the brakes.
• During the "Penny Drop" test, Jamie modified a pneumatic staple gun to shoot a penny at its terminal velocity. The gun accidentally discharged while upside-down and shot out one of the shop's fluorescent lights, forcing a temporary evacuation due to the mercury vapor from the lights.
• Adam and Christine both suffered mild burns in the "Exploding Jawbreaker" experiment. Christine was hit the most; the hot liquid core of the jawbreaker splattered on parts of her face and neck. Adam was later quoted as saying that the molten candy, at around 250 degrees Fahrenheit, felt "...like napalm."
• In "Hair Cream Decapitation", a mockup jet being pressurized for the test explosively decompressed mere seconds after Adam accidentally walked past what would become the point of failure.
• In testing the "Confederate Rocket" myth, Adam and Jamie seriously underestimated their homemade rocket's power and decided to test it indoors, resulting in Jamie almost getting caught in the explosion and catching several objects on fire, including Adam's hovercraft. The rest of the shop was affected by the massive amount of (possibly toxic) smoke caused by this incident, forcing a temporary evacuation.
• In testing the "Boom-Lift Catapult" some fumes from a boom lift got in Kari's eye, which needed to be immediately rinsed with water for a few minutes.

Select quotes

• "Our death ray doesn't seem to be working. I'm standing right in it, and I'm not dead yet." – Jamie Hyneman
• "I wouldn't say Jamie's an evil genius…I'm not sure he's evil, and I'm not sure he's a genius, but..." - Adam Savage

Popularity and influence

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Hosts Savage and Hyneman, along with producer Peter Rees, on the cover of the winter 2005 issue of Skeptic magazine

Hyneman and Savage appeared on Good Morning America on November 8, 2004.

Although no MythBusters appeared on the program, a 2005 episode of Good Eats titled "Myth Smashers" tested cooking-related myths in a MythBusters-like fashion. As portrayed tongue-in-cheek on the episode, host Alton Brown wanted to use the term "Culinary MythBusters" — but his lawyer would not allow it because of "copyright infringement". (Later in the episode, he called a myth "busted" anyway before stopping himself in jest.)

Hyneman and Savage appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman on May 23, 2005. The team tested whether a cluster of helium party balloons could lift an adult person (a repeat of the "Carried Away" myth). Actor Paul Newman was lifted up by more than 5000 balloons. However, Dave's promised interview with them did not occur on that show. Kari Byron was interviewed on The Late Show, on January 16, 2006.

G4's X-Play had a spoof of the MythBusters, dubbed "MythCrackers", first airing on August 22, 2005. In the skit two men attempt to solve various video game myths, such as putting large arrows on the ground for a car to drive over to make it go faster, eating mushrooms to make you giant sized, barrels that explode when you shoot them, and removing the memory card while the game is saving.

The cover feature of the winter 2005 issue of Skeptic spotlighted Hyneman and Savage.

Hyneman and Savage spoke at the annual convention of the National Science Teachers Association in March 2006, and the California Science Teachers Association named them honorary lifetime members in October 2006. They appeared in a segment at the 2006 TV Week Logie Awards, where they attempted to solve the myth of whether or not the atmospheric pressure at the Logies caused guests' breasts to increase in size. This segment used footage from the "Exploding Implants" myth, with a new voice-over, intro, and ending.

Jamie and Adam occasionally appear at colleges around the country to talk about what it's like to be a MythBuster; the show consists of an interview and discussion to give the audience the opportunity to ask the MythBusters questions. To date they've done about 30 appearances, both collegiate and corporate, and are always well received, though the technical colleges tend to be the most enthusiastic. They've spoken at RPI, Georgia Tech, Michigan Tech, MIT, IBM Almaden Research center and many others. "What advice would you give someone who wanted to blow stuff up on television for a living?" is a common question. "Can I be an intern?" is by far the most common question. 

Lego minifigure representations of Hyneman and Savage frequently appear in strips of the online comic strip, Irregular Webcomic!, where they test strange myths. For example, they confirmed that "Death waits for no man".

MythBusters is broadcast in several countries, primarily on each country's edition of the Discovery Channel. In some countries, the English speech is either subtitled in the relevant language and the United States customary units, still used throughout, are converted to metric, or the narrator is dubbed. In the UK, Rufus Hound narrates the BBC Two version of MythBusters, while Robin Banks narrates the Discovery Channel's version. Discovery Channel in the UK have also shown MythBusters with a voiceover by Daisy Beaumont. Excerpts of the show are also shown as part of the Beyond Television-produced Beyond Tomorrow.

See also

• Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, another program based on scientific skepticism, but with a larger focus on popular controversy.
• Hollywood Science, a show with a similar aim which predated MythBusters which was made by the Open University for the BBC and was presented by Robert Llewellyn (Kryten in Red Dwarf) and scientist Jonathan Hare.
• Snopes, the Urban Legends Reference Pages

External links

• Official Site
• MythBusters at IMDb
• Jamie Hyneman's M5 Industries
• Robert Lee's personal site
• Interview on Slashdot
• An interview on PoopReport